BLYTHE 105B – CARVING BLYTHE’S NOSE, PHILTRUM & EYE

SOCKETS WITHOUT DISFIGURING

PURPOSE:
Professional customizers often develop distinctive facial characteristics for their
dolls that become identifiable “trademarks”. Philtrum and eye sockets
treatments are the most common. With practice and the right tools creating
your own unique facial characteristics is possible.

TOOLS/SUPPLIES USED IN THIS TUTORIAL:

 BEA PRODUCTS: Faceplate workstand, diamond needle files, burr

set, surgical scalpel, red handled knife with router blade, fixed
blade set, sanding necessities and applicator pack
 GENERIC EQUIPMENT: Well lighted work area, camera or camera
phone, latex gloves, pencil, dusting brush, magnifier, rubbing
alcohol and cotton balls, storage box for doll parts
SLIDE SHOW NARRATION:
Using the pencil guideline drawn during previous tutorials begin to
scrape and shape a new philtrum profile. The tool of choice depends on
the size and shape desired but usually using three or four different tools
produces the best results. As with all carving/scraping repeating
shallow strokes produces better results that deep cuts. (Pic 4-13)
It must be remembered that in some areas the Blythe faceplate is thin
and if too many layers of resin are removed a hole will result. One way
to evaluate how thick an area is and when to stop scraping, is to hold
the faceplate up in front of bright light and observe color differences.
The lighter an area appears the thinner the layer of resin.
Eye sockets are reshaped for two reasons. One is to give a different
appearance and the other to prevent damaging eyelids that have been
customized with layers of pastel, paint or decoupage. Adding these
decorative layers thickens the lid. If the eye socket is not enlarged,
scratching will occurs when the lids close as the eyes are rotated.
Enlargement can be done with the surgical scalpel which is flexible
enough to scrape along the curve. (Pic 14-18)
Remove the faceplate temporarily from the workstand so that the
scraping can also be done from the inside edge. (Pic 19)
Smooth out the socket using one of the burrs or needle files being
careful to create the contour that you want and that both eye socket
shapes are mirror images. (Pic 20-22)
Nostrils are next. With the faceplate on the workstand it can be turned
on edge so that it is stable for marking and grinding the nostrils. (Pic
23-26)
Start with the smallest ball shaped burr and turn it back and forth to
deepen the nostril. Repeat the action on the other nostril. Pic 27-29)
Broaden the nostril by switching to a larger ball head burr. Keep both
sides similar in shape and depth. (Pic 31-32)
The sides and bottom of the nose can be made more realistic by using
the carving blades to define the curves. (Pic 34-36)
Rounding the tip of Blythe’s nose is also done as a way of changing her
expression. This can be done with a burr, a grinder, a needle file or
even a knife if you want dramatic changes. Just remember to go slow
and check on your progress frequently. (Pic 37-39)
A light sanding helps verify the final results of your face carve. (Pic 40-
42)
In BLYTHE 106A – PREPARING FOR MR. SUPER CLEAR, a thorough
sanding and cleansing will be done. So into the storage box goes the
faceplate.