Baby Yoda Art Doll Tutorial

If you would like to create your own baby Yoda, this tutorial will help you get started. This project will take a while to make but with quarantine in place you will have lots of time to complete this doll. What's great about making your own doll is it's completely customizeable to your hearts content. Stay safe everyone and may the force be with you.

Polymer Clay

Liquid sculpey

Black glass cabochon

Acrylic or heat set paints

Sculpting tools

Aluminum and steel wire, mesh, aluminum foil

Polyfil stuffing

Brown cloth, faux fur, black felt, white wool

Thread and needle

2 part epoxy putty, white glue

I drew a rough sketch of Yoda with my preferred size to help me create the armature and proportions of the doll for sculpting. I usually start with the head by first making an aluminum foil armature that is slightly smaller than my drawing. This will help conserve and evenly bake the clay.

I used black glass cabochon for the eyes then applied a layer of clay on the face. With a reference in hand, I started adding clay to areas with more mass such as the cheeks, forehead and mouth. Then with small pieces of clay added the nose, lips, eyelids and chin. Using a spatula shaped sculpting tool, I smoothed out the seams and shifting the clay around until I achieved Yoda's likeness. The face is baked for 30 minutes.

When cooled , I added a ball of aluminum foil for the back of the head and applied a layer of clay. I put liquid sculpey on the edges of the baked face so that the raw clay will adhere better. I just made sure that the back of the head is well rounded. After which this is baked again.

The ear armature is made with steel wire and mesh. I drilled both side of the head and threaded the wire in place. I used my sketch to draw out the wire mesh and folded the edge on the wire to keep it in place. I applied a layer of clay and started sculpting the ears using my reference as a guide. I just made sure the ears are approximately the same size. I also sculpted in a short neck and baked the whole head again.

I used aluminum wire for the arm and hand armature. This will help prevent breakage. I covered the wire with floral tape to make the clay adhere better. Then applied the clay and started sculpting. These are then baked to harden.

I used heat set paints for this but you can use acrylic paints. It's best to apply thin layers of paint then when completely dried, apply matte or satin varnish. Also, painting a darker coat initially then layering a lighter coat on top will create depth to the face.

For this art doll I decided to not add legs since Baby Yoda's feet are not really seen because it's mostly covered by his clothes. Also, just making a unified base and weighting it makes the doll more stable.

I used a thick aluminum wire for this and shaped a round base at one end and the other end is where the head will be attached. I then attached a thinner piece of aluminum wire for the upper limbs securing the wires with wire and 2 part epoxy putty. At this point I attached the sculpted hands.

To give the body shape I covered the wire with polyfil stuffing kept in place with thread. The plastic weight pellets is placed in a pouch and placed in the base area covered with polyfil.

His clothes was just repurposed pants leg with the tapered end at the top. Then I cut 2 rectangular pieces for the sleeves. It's pretty much making a T-shirt with the base end tucked then I cut a round piece of felt and sewed it in place. I used faux short fur for his collar and to trim the end of the sleeves which are sewn in place.

For the hair, I glued pieces of white wool hair using white glue. Once dried I trimmed it short.

Tadaah .. finished.