Tiny Ceramic Dolls

Over the holiday season in 2022, I decided to experiment with making ceramic peg dolls and, eventually, turning many of them into ornaments. As the project progressed, I had fun picking iconic people/looks for some of the dolls. Do you recognize some of the dolly friends? Perhaps you noticed the Lady Gaga, Cia, and Ruth Bader-Ginsburg dolls? It did not take me long to realize I really enjoy translating a look into a peg doll. There are still more dolls in the works, but I’ve taken a short break to work on other projects. What peg dolls would you like to see in the future?

The clay aspects of the dolls were made using a low-fire smooth clay and underglazes. I am currently learning the process of China painting to start using on peg dolls in the future. Assembly of the dolls was accomplished using jewelry wire.

Interested in seeing more peg doll photos or videos? Check out my Instagram and TikTok account for more content. Support an artist! Visit my Etsy shop.

Handmade Ceramic Doll: Dolores

Nearly 6 months ago, I started a new journey into ceramic work. In the early part of this journey, I had the pleasure of watching the movie Encanto with my children, many times. As I was watching the movie, I thought the Dolores character was an interesting fit for a cloth body doll. If I was going to make a doll, I wanted it to be a bit different. I wanted her to have the foundation of an antique cloth body doll, but have a modern edge. Dolores seemed like a character type that would be great inspiration for a doll. I quickly got to work and I’m glad she ended up being my first hand-sculpted ceramic doll.

Dolores stands only 8” tall. Her skirt and blouse were hand-embroidered to accomplish something similar to the dress worn in the movie. Yellow silk ribbon accents help bring the outfit to life. Ruffles and beads are perfect for the blouse. It was difficult to find a yellow lace small enough to adorn the sleeve and ruffle edges, so I opted for a blanket stitch with yellow embroidery thread.

I used a clear glaze to finish the doll, but I might need something more satin for dolls in the future. While the doll looks beautiful in person, the high gloss in the photos distracts from her loveliness. Also, I’m not an expert photographer, so attempting to get good pictures of her is an ongoing learning process.

There are more dolls in the works, but they take me quite a while to make. Stay tuned for some other awesome adventures in doll making. Every doll will be a learning process for me and I welcome growing in this fun new adventure. Check out more images of the doll on Instagram.

Please note this doll is inspired by the Disney character from Encanto, but I am not affiliated with the Disney company and this was not a paid partnership. My doll is a personal interpretation that was inspired by the character mentioned above. She is not for sale and is a part of my personal collection.

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