Forming the Armature

• 1). Draw a detailed pattern of your doll or find a pattern online. The more detailed your pattern is, the easier it will be to sculpt the doll. If you use standard sizes for dolls, it will be much easier to find clothes, wigs and eyes.
  
  
• 2). Cut drinking straws for each segment in the arms and legs, wrapping with foil for bulk if desired. Use your pattern to determine how long each segment should be. Tape a small, unfinished wooden bead to the top of each segment. These will become joints for the doll when assembled. The hole in the bead must face into the straw so that you can string the doll later. If needed, trim the straws so that each bead and straw is exactly the same length as their corresponding segments.
  
  
• 3). Form a loop of wire and push the ends into the inside of a bead. Push the wire through, forming a small hook on one side and a loop on the other. Repeat four times to form two hands and two feet. Ball jointed dolls sometimes have individual fingers, but papier mache is not well suited for very fine detail, and you may find this difficult.
  
  
• 4). Form two short cylinders from fine wire mesh. This is the torso; compare the cylinders to your pattern to ensure that they will easily fit inside of the doll with plenty of room for a papier mache covering. One cylinder is the top of the doll's torso, above the ribcage, and the other is the bottom of the torso. Tape a short drinking straw segment into the inside of the top segment, at the back. This will be the neck. Forming the torso into two parts will enable you to bend the torso.
  
  
• 5). Blow up a small balloon for the head. Balloons that are designed for water balloons are often a good size and shape. Again, check the size of the balloon against the size of your pattern. It must be slightly smaller than the head size you want.
  
  

Sculpting the Doll

• 1). Cut strips of newsprint or newspaper. You will need fairly fine strips, an inch or less, because this is a small object.
  
  
• 2). Mix flour and warm water in equal proportions, forming a paste. Add a few tablespoons of salt to prevent mold, if desired.
  
  
• 3). Dip strips of newsprint into the paste mixture, smoothing away excess. Wrap each part of the doll individually, taking care to ensure that the strips are securing the wooden beads. Wad small pieces of paper and cover them with more strips to create raised areas, such as the nose. Use only a few layers at a time, and let the doll dry thoroughly between layers. Between layers, check to ensure that the proportions still match your drawing. While you wrap, remember that each part of the doll must be hollow for later stringing.
  
  
• 4). Cut strips of computer paper, dip them into the paste mixture and use them to cover the doll as the final layer. Wait for the doll to dry completely before continuing.
  
  
• 5). Cut holes at the shoulders and hips for the joints of the arms and legs to fit into. In addition, cut a hole in the neck and at the bottom of the head so that they fit together. Do not worry if the balloon inside the head pops.
  
  
• 6). Cut a circle in the back of the head and remove the balloon. This hole enables you to access the inside to place eyes later as well as to string the doll. Form a small hook from wire and insert it into the piece you cut from the back of the head. You may need glue or more strips to hold it in place. In addition, you may need to add some more papier mache around the rim of the piece so that it forms a "cap" on the head.
  
  
• 7). Cut open areas for the eyes. You may want to paint on the eyes, in which case, this step is unnecessary.
  
  
• 8). Sand the doll thoroughly, trimming any rough spots with the craft knife. Fit each joint into its socket and move it around to ensure that it has smooth movement.
  
  

Finishing the Doll

• 1). Paint the doll. Acrylics are suitable for papier mache, but you can try other media as well. Oil paints make particularly realistic skin tones. Seal the doll with a finish if desired.
  
  
• 2). Put the doll together, placing the joints together on a flat surface. Run a length of doll elastic from the foot of one leg to the top of the head and down to the foot of the other leg. Double this length and cut. Then run a length of doll elastic from the wrist of one hand, across the torso and to the wrist on the other hand. Double this length and cut.
  
  
• 3). Tie a knot in each length of elastic, forming a loop.
  
  
• 4). Attach one end of the elastic you used for the legs to the hook in one foot, up through the joints in the corresponding leg, into the hole in the hip, through the torso and neck, and attach to the hook in the top of the head. Then run the elastic back down through the neck, torso, hip hole, joints on the other leg, and hook onto the other foot. Use the crochet hook to help you pull the elastic through the torso. When the doll has been strung, pull on the joints gently. They should move easily, not being too slack or too tight.
  
  
• 5). Attach one end of the length you used for the arms to the hook in one wrist, run it through the joints in the corresponding arm, through the hole in the shoulder, through the torso, through the hole in the other shoulder, through the arm joints on the other side and hook onto the opposite wrist. Test the joints as before.
  
  
• 6). Add accessories, such as a wig, eyes, and clothes.