Little Izzy Progress

I've been working hard on the Little Izzy.
Sometimes before I put clay on
I like to try out a different skin tone color.
Clay goes over this underpainting priming.

One would think that a little one would take less time to sculpt than a larger one, but no, it just takes less clay! It is very challenging to sculpt this small!

The last picture shows an underdrawing that I do before I gesso. I like to get a sense of who she is, gesso over it, perhaps rediscover it or tweak it after gessoing it. I have a tendency to make eyes way too big for faces.

Next step is to gesso over the underpainting.
Then I'll see what the next step is.
Maybe I'll do a different hairstyle?
Maybe make her eyes smaller?
I have a delicious antique polka-dotted fabric
that I may use to make this little girl's dress.

And after I took these pictures I realized I never make the foreheads high enough on my dolls. so I plunked a bunch of clay right on top, and to be truthful she looks a little bit Frankensteinish right now - or as my husband says, "Like Fred Merz from I Love Lucy." And now I think that by adding clay I've lost definition of features so I need to add a bit for cheekbones and nose.

Next pictures show after a bit more
sanding of the top of her head
and redefining an underpainting.