Padding the Armature for Life Size Doll

I have been working on the doll between travel and other things going on, so it has been slow going on this project.  I am sorry that I cannot get to it faster.  I know it is frustrating for some readers to return and see that the blog has something on it other than information about the doll.  It is frustrating for me too.  However, at the moment the time just is not there for working on the project.

The plan was this doll was to be entered in a competition.  Because the doll is going to be moved around, weight is a consideration.  To get the doll to the competition, I will have to load it into a van, remove it from the van, and transport it from across a very large parking lot into a building.  I plan to use a dolly to move the doll across the parking lot.  However, once the doll is out of my hands, somebody is going to have to move the doll to the competition set up.  I don't want anyone to struggle with it.  As the degree of difficulty in moving the doll goes up, so does the potential of damage to the doll.  I want to keep the weight to a minimum.

Not only am I trying to keep the weight down, I am also trying to keep costs down.  While the outer layers will be purchased materials, the inner part of the armature is made of recycled materials; mainly aluminum foil, newspaper, and tape.  Many times I wrap and freeze baked goods first in plastic wrap and then in foil.  The foil is recycled, but it has never been food contaminated.  The newspaper comes from the free newsprint magazine that is delivered weekly to our home.  So for this section, my main expense was the masking tape.

Before I get into the armature, I need to say a word about the masking tape.  Masking tape comes in various widths and amounts of holding power.  The strength people may choose depends upon the type of job someone will be doing.  Some tape is low tack, easily removed and having little residue.  That is not the type of tape for making an armature.  It does not hold well on some materials.  You want a heavy duty tape that will grab hold of your armature and hold things in place.  Look for words such as high adhesion or heavy duty on the label.  You will be much happier with it in the long run.

This doll is supposed to be a dancer, or at least that was my first working premise.  I want the doll to be in proportion and fairly anatomically correct.  The padding of the armature is where most of this magic will take place.  The main thing to keep in mind at this point is that the padding will be built up in layers in order to replicate bone and muscle structure.  If you just start wrapping around and around  the armature with your chosen material, you might end up with a rather rounded figure.  That may work for some figures, but it will not look like a normal human figure.   By adding layers in specific areas you can have a more normal looking figure.  You have to keep in mind that each layer adds depth and you have to keep your finished image in mind as you are adding the layers.  This method takes longer than just wrapping the figure.  So factor that into your plan.

I started by adding "ribs" made out of foil across the armature.  To create some extra depth for the chest, I crumpled up balls of foil and attached them to the armature with tape.  I added two layers of crumpled foil balls to reach the depth I wanted.  The photo shows the armature after the first layer.  Then, I rolled to pieces of foil together to shape each rib.  These were taped along only across the front of the armature.  The foil is not tightly wrapped, but it is not loosely wrapped either.  It is firm enough to hold its shape.  Each rib is taped to the one above it more or less at the center to help it stay in place.  Inside of this area it was hollow. 

I added pieces of balled up newspaper to the hollow area to keep the ribs from caving in towards the spine.  Then the entire area was covered in tape.  This creates a fairly flat firm base for the layer that comes next.  More layers can be added without adding a lot of bulk to the back.

Even at this stage, adding layers is not just a once and done situation.  Sometimes the foil needs a little pressing and pulling to get it into the place it needs to be.  Int the photo showing the "back", you can see that the right side of the rib is lower than the left.  Things needed a little adjusting before I was satisfied with the result.

This is about as far as I have come on the project.  Next post I will be showing the creation of the hip and waist area.  I just want to remind my readers that this is an experimental doll.  I am just working intuitively on what comes next rather than following some specific instructions.  Sometimes things work out well, other times they don't.  Only time will tell if it all works out.  If you are making a life size doll and have a better idea, go for it.  

Check back next Sunday afternoon for the latest update on this project.