Polymer Push Mold Doll Faces Tutorial

I always wanted to make my own doll faces but I thought it would be way too hard. The project intimidated me. One day I picked up a bunch of flesh toned Sculpey (Polymer Clay) with the intention of making my own push molds. And there they sat in a box for months.

Finally I decided to just go for it. So I sat down with my Sculpey at my computer keyboard and started making faces. Here's the steps in case you want to venture out on your own as well.

Work the clay in your hands until pliable. Form into a ball. Using your fingers, and toothpicks or needles or clay tools or whatever you have handy, form a face. If you don't like it, roll it back into a ball and try again.

Here's my first face:

Bake the Sculpey as per the directions on the package (275 degrees for 15 minutes per quarter inch of thickness. I checked mine and turned them after 15 minutes, baking them for a total of 30 min. The lighter colors scorch easily, so make sure you use an oven thermometer and keep the heat at the right temperature.

Let cool. Now make the push mold.

To do this, roll a ball of clay slightly larger than the face. Press down on table to flatten it a bit on one side. On the flat side use your fingers to make a slight dish shape to make it easier to make the mold.

Using a small brush, dust both the face and the mold-to-be with baby powder or talc. Brush away excess.

Press the face into the mold making sure to press hard enough to capture all the details. Pull out the face and if the mold looks good, great! If not, roll it back into a ball and try again.

Now bake the mold. Let cool.

Form a new ball of clay, dust inside of mold with baby powder, and press clay into mold. Remove carefully and you will have a new face ready to go from your mold. I noticed the mold was starting to crack if I pushed too hard, so I wrapped my fingers around it to keep it from breaking. Work a little handle into the back to make removing it easier. Smooth off back and neaten up face and edges.

Bake it like you did the first batch of faces.

You can use your new faces to make dolls, mobiles, puppets, beads, charms and brooches. Plan ahead. If you are making a finger puppet, you probably want to hollow it out for your finger. If you are making a brooch, you need a flat back. If you are making a bead, be sure to make the hold before baking.

Plastic picnic knives are useful for cutting away excess clay.

Minor fixes can be done afterwards with hand-held sanding tools.