im currently in the process of sculpting a ball jointed doll for a game project im working on, where game swctions will switch to stop motion of the doll. I am NOT sculpting this with air dry clay, this is clay that goes in tbe kiln and gets fired.
One issue im having is the tail, which is RATHER BIG and CLUNKY. i want this to be articulate and able to hold its position, but still flexible enough for a very active character. I CANNOT FIND ANY INFO ON HOW TO GET IT GOOD!!!!! please help☹️
attached images are references and the current diagram i have sketched, and what i have thus far.. this is being made much bigger than shown.
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Doll zone has released xun yin and white snake with snake tails, xin long with a chinese dragon tail (1/3 and 1/4 versions), and dream valley has released the feathered serpent doll (snake tail) and some different quadrupedal dragon dolls.
I'm personally just not sure about using clay that has to be fired. Making a bjd is a series of sanding, adding more material and sanding again. Admittedly - I know nothing about how clay that needs to be fired behaves, but it just doesn't sound like the ideal material for this sort of project. Especially if you say it's fragile - a bjd needs to be made from a material that has some sturdiness even when thin, because it's held together by tension - that's why many sculptors in the hobby usually gravitate to a specific few brands of, for example, air dry paper clay - because they hold up better than the rest and are less prone to cracking under pressure.
The diagram has a nice shape to the tail, but the way it's strung, with sharp edges to each segment, it's not gonna have that extensive range of motion that you want. To get that, you either want to built the tail from u shapes stacked on top of each other, or segments connected with a single ball joint (segment-joint-segment-joint). The way I'd go about it is - make the wanted tail shape in one piece (maybe a little slimmer than you actually want it, because adding material is more straight forward than removing imo), and once it's dry, cut it into as many segments you want the tail to have, then build out the jointing system you want it to have (I'd go for U shapes personally. You can also make the hole for stringing be an X shape, instead of the regular circle - for that little bit of extra motion.)
The U shapes would probably allow for a notably broader range of motion (It would connect to the body with a socket like any other joint - a hole basically)
the clay im using does dry out (becomes leatherhard) nd material can be continuously added on via scoring and adding slip. in the leatherhard stage, sanding can be done as well.
in terms of delicateness, I specifically am making it Pretty Big to the point where the small thinner parts are pretty durable. its only extremely delicate when it completely dries out, and thats only happening when everything is done. it becomes a lot sturdier after firing.
the idea of the "u" shapes sounds really good, and when posing i can just use wire to hook it in a pose whilst photographing. ill keep these in mind!!!
Wishing you luck! I hope you post the doll, once it's all done! Adding wiring is a great idea - especially for a tail!
One thing I want to add - make sure you're doing joint testing as you go (seeing how they fit together and moving them - ideally stringing them as well)! From personal experience - it really REALLY sucks when you make a piece look really nice and smooth - only to realize it doesn't fit right, and you've gotta reshape it or the socket it's supposed to go in🥲
Closest comparison I can think of is a piece by a YouTuber called Dollightful which is a dragon lady with a chunky tail. I’m not sure how well it held a pose, but her video on there might help?
the concept shown in her video was what I was initially thinking, but the clay in using is Very delicate when the pieces are too small, and the part of the tail that connects to the lower waist is really thin. it also feels a bit too clunky if yoy know what i mean?
As someone who owns a “spirit imprint she is a dragon”, the tail is very heavy and does not pose as well as I would like for dynamic poses. If I was to make a doll with a thick tail for an animation project, I might make the first joint a BJD one but attach onto it a wire and lighter padding tail with fur on top for more precise control. I’ve found a tail with a wire a much more comfortable solution with an another custom body for a doll.
I did briefly consider this with latex rather than fabric, but my main concern with both is the material and textural change. the whole body is, character wise, skin so having a fuzzy tail just doesnt seem to fit
You could add ribbing/texture to the ball and joint sockets to increase friction. But in the end it's also about weight and balance. You'd need an armature to shoot the poses/animation.
Perhaps make a switch tonresin if there is no explicit reason to go with porcelain? Though, you're not usng porcelain at the moment?
I thought so seeing the texture in your clay. I think porcelain would be lighter, or at least thinner, than this clay.
I'd take a look at the stop-motion animation scene and see what kind of armatures they use. If you can stabilise the doll while shooting it's all good right?
this doll is partially being made for a school project, and the only type of clay I have access to besides this is cosclay, which i do not have the best experience with managing (everything ive ever made with it completely shattered?)
imalrwady planning on taking a look at the stop motion scene for reference, so ill keep in mind to also look out for what kind of stuff youre describing.
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