After seeing a video of Sharon at Where The Gnomes Live making Radagast from Lord of the Rings I just had to give it a try. I love her technique of using aluminum foil, paper towels, and glue to make things. I used this technique to make my Tree House and Tree Man Trash Can. I had never thought of making a doll with it.
First I used aluminum foil to make his legs and feet. I only had to start over once. lol! Getting him the right height and shape wasn’t easy. Then I added his head and upper body, taping everything together with masking tape. Once I had him shaped, I covered him with tape and covered that with paper towels covered in glue.
When he was dry, I added his eyes and nose. After that dried, I added his eyebrows and eyelids. I did not have any luck with making lips from the paper towels so I dug out some clay to make lips.
At this point, I was not too sure how he was going to look. lol!
He would not stay upright and his feet were very misshapen, so I made shoes from clay hoping it would help him stand upright. It worked like a charm and looked much better.
I wanted him to have movable arms so I inserted wire through his shoulders for arms.
Next, I added his arms and hands. The arms ended up more square than round. lol!
I painted him with a flesh color, his lips a bit darker, his eyebrows, and his shoes.
I used the top from some old socks to fill out his upper arms. I tried dying a piece of material with brown paint but that didn’t work, so I had to wait to get some material. I glued his robe with fabric glue and used a piece of twine for his belt.
For hair, I unraveled some brown yarn, which was very tedious, and glued it to his head and face. I was more impressed with how he was looking by this point.
I used glue to make the cloak also. I managed to get the cord through the seam but it seemed really stiff, so I decided to soak it in fabric softener. After it soaked, all the glue came off. I thought the glue I was using was waterproof, but I guess not. lol!
So, I remade the cape and it did seem a little softer but would have been better made of a softer fabric. I will remember that next time.
Next was his hat. I originally planned to make it from fabric but decided foil and paper towels would be easier.
The hat really finished him off and made him look very handsome. My son said he looks like Hagrid.
The final step was making him a staff. I found a small amethyst crystal that was perfect for it, especially since it is purple. I used a skewer for the bottom of the staff and aluminum foil to make a bowl at the top to hold the crystal. Then I used aluminum foil to make some branches to hold the crystal in place and added some longer branches sweeping out to the side. I put a lot of glue on the branches to make them stronger.
I am really surprised that he turned out so well for my first try at making a doll. I love this technique and will definitely be making more things with it.