How I Made My Rat Artdoll
I made him! He's my first artdoll ever. I took pictures along the way but I never knew Salvador would blow up. So here's a little crashcourse :)
Disclaimer: I'm no expert, this is just how I did it.
Cotton/polyester stuffing
Wire (strong but malleable)
I cut out lengths of wire and left at least 2cm or half an inch for joint loops. I made the spine by twisting wire and made a small hanger as a pelvic piece for legs to hang on to.
I attached the shoulder piece with a rubberband to allow for shoulder movement. I also bent the top bit of the spine as the neck part forward for the head. You can't see it here but it's just an L shaped bit facing the front of the skeleton. Don't forget that it's better for you to cut more than less!
I scrunched aluminium foil around the bent forward neck part as the base for the head. Then I removed it and used a layer of clay to sculpt his face excluding the ears. I used toothpicks for tiny detailing like eyebags and nostrils. I used Google images of cartoonish AND real rats for reference.
I rolled long oval bits of clay and inserted metal wires into them. I sculpted the paws on them so that when they dry, they dry with holes already in them for when I'm attaching them to the skeleton. I rolled out small balls of clay and pressed them to the underside of the feet to mimic the ever desirable toebeans <3
Have this cult-ish picture as reference.
Once dry, leave around 2cm of wire and cut them so that you can form a loop as wrist/ankle joints. (I didn't have ankle joints, didn't think they were necessary for Salvador).
Paint the clay pieces accordingly, with acrylic paint. I used pink for extremities like the tips of fingers, toes and the snout. I also used pink for under the eyes to make it look even more realistic.
Paint multiple layers for added opacity. Once the paint has dried, cover them in 3-4 layers of varnish. Gloss for the eyes and matte for the skin. This is for aesthetic reasons AND to ensure they don't easily crack.
(I didn't do this step here and did it last. A mistake because there were gross bits of fur stuck to the clay pieces so follow the instructions here. Don't do as I did)
Step 3: The Felt And Faux Fur Fiesta
I glued the head on but not the clay pieces just yet. I measured out lengths of felt to cover the arms as sleeves and cut them out. Then I sewed them and used chopsticks to turn them inside out to hide the seams. I then pulled the wire arms through and inserted the clay pieces (but not glued!) to see how they would look.
Reminder: Use thread with the same colour as the felt/faux fur that you're sewing so it looks neat
He looks a little bit cold, let's give him a nice furcoat :)
I removed the clay pieces and laid him on a bit piece of faux fur.
Reminder: When cutting faux fur, cut into the BACKING and angle the scissors UPWARDS and cut DELICATELY. ONLY CUT THE BACKING. If you don't and chop away, the piece will shed and lose so much fur. You don't want that.
I cut out a long coat for him and cut slits at the sides where the arms would be pulled through. I also cut a long slit at the bottom for his thighs.
I also made a rat ear cap. I cut out a head size semicircle of fur and flower petal shapes of felt for ears. I painted one side of the felt pieces a skin colour for the inside. I pinched the smaller end of the ear pieces and sewed that end shut for the cute flaring feature that rat/mice ears have.
Then I cut slits in the cap and pulled the ears through before sewing them in place.
Step 4: Boy Is He Stuffed
Prepare for the stuffing by preparing your needle to sew (threading with a long long thread, making the knot etc) and having your bag of stuffing and glue nearby.
Glue the top bit of the furcoat to the underside of the chin. I added long strips of fur there for added fluff factor. Then I sewed from the top until halfway down his torso before I stuffed him from the bottom. Get a feel of how he would bend and adjust the density of the stuffing so your doll won't be too stiff or too loose.
See the gap between the sleeves of the arms and the edges of the slit that you cut into the furcoat? Sew the gap shut so stuffing won't come out.
Hello discount Ryuk from Deathnote lmao
I glued the hairline of the rat ear cap to the top of his head and stuffed the back of it. Then I sewed that part up. I added strips of fur on his hairline for added fluff factor as well. I also glued the bottom edges onto the knee section of his legs.
After this, I stuffed his thighs and did the whole awkward and difficult bit of sewing the inside of his thighs up to his crotch. I glued his clay pieces on and attached the wrist joints by hooking them through the loops and squeezing them closed with my pliers and-
You have a rat artdoll to love!
Here he is with his old man grandpa that one of my buds gave me.
I don't know if anyone would make one but if you do, reblog this with a pic of your new friend! Or submit a pic to me, any way is fine :)
Change the colour of fur, add horns or a tail, add more eyes, give him long claws, give him teeth, accessorise him, change the length of his limbs, the possibilities are endless!
Or if you just wanna know how he's made then thanks for reading!
