Creative Cloth Doll Faces: Using Paints, Pastels, Fibers, Beading, Collage, and Sculpting Techniques

I love this book, it is a book for the truly creative. If you need inspiration and skills, this book is for you. The book starts off with the specific formula to use in placing features on a doll face and offers some patterns to make dolls. From there it is all about the artist in you. There is a large gallery of ideas (the entire doll, not just the face) and they are fresh, colorful, unusual and even wild. The book reviews using varied materials and methods including paints, watercolor pencils, sculpting and stiches. I have all three books in this series and they are all great!

This is a great book with easy to follow, detailed instructions. I've learned how to create doll faces using this book. I use this book and Patti's Cloth Doll Making as references all the time. Her books are wonderful. Keep up the great work!

The doll's face is its most compelling feature and the key to a doll's personality - it's also the most difficult to render: thus deserving of an exclusive crafter's coverage in artist Patti Culea's Creative Cloth Doll Faces Using Paints, Pastels, Fibers, Beading, Collage And Sculpting Techniques. Dollmakers receive a variety of step-by-step approaches to creating doll faces, from developing simple grids which divide the face into quadrants to using different mediums from watercolors and dyes to collages and fabric sculpting. While there are instructions for dress and other doll parts, it's the face which is the focus.

As ususual Patti has done it again. One of the most talented cloth doll artists out there!!! Her book is very informative and is very detail oriented. Clear steps on how to sculpt and paint doll faces, even if you are a beginner. Patti is very colorful and whimsical with her dolls and it just makes you feel good to look at them! Wonderful book Patti! Keep up the good work!!!

This is one of the very best books that I've seen for all levels of dollmakers, from beginners through professionals. Patti's new book is a real gem, and simplifies the process of creating unique faces for your cloth dolls and figures. When you're creating a doll, the face often makes the doll come alive. And, when I've taken or taught classes in dollmaking, faces seem to be the biggest hurdles for students. I won't say that Patti's approach is entirely "by the numbers," but she has simplified the face designing process so that anyone can create a lovely, whimsical, sweet, or saucy doll face. Even better, Patti has included dolls made by a variety of artists and dollmakers, so that you can see many approaches to dolls and their faces. No two dolls will look alike, even if you follow the directions step-by-step... and that's how it should be. In the first chapter, after listing some basic supplies, Patti gets right to the design process, starting with a simple grid that's basic to any doll's face. Then, she shows how to draw the eye in eight simple steps, as well as an almost-foolproof approach to sketching a nose on a flat-faced doll. After demonstrating ways to create the mouth and add detailing to the face, Patti shows how to follow these same steps with colored pencils on fabric. Next, Patti shows you how to create a face with watercolors on fabric, and she offers inspiring examples for beginning, intermediate, and advanced dollmakers. Whether this is your first or your 50th doll, you'll appreciate her tips for making doll bodies, adding clothes, creating fabric flowers, and finishing the doll. In Chapter 3, Patti shows how to sculpt a head with fabric and very simple sewing techniques. And, after showing several ways to design a face for this kind of doll, she provides tips for creating hands, stockings & shoes, and ways to dress your doll. Again, she shows examples of soft-sculpted dolls for beginners, intermediates, and advanced dollmakers. You'll be dazzled by the originality in these dolls! By Chapter 4, you'll be ready to explore more detailed painted faces, including acrylics and oil pastels, and Chapter 5 features innovative collage techniques for dollmakers. Finally, Patti has included a dozen pages of full-sized pattern pieces so that you can make some of the dolls which are featured in this fabulous, colorful book. And, she has included embroidery instructions, too. At the back of the book, you'll appreciate the Resources list of places to shop for dollmaking supplies, worldwide. If you're new to dollmaking or looking for fresh inspiration, this book is a must-read. I'm delighted with it, and eager to try some of Patti's techniques on my own cloth dolls and figures. Patti has finally made faces easier for all dollmakers, and this book is a fine starting point for fresh doll designs no matter what your skill level. This is one of the first dollmaking books that I can heartily recommend since Susanna Oroyan's excellent s