Go On,
Make Faces

Intuitive Face Play

A live online face-making workshop for spirit dolls, art dolls, and imaginative mixed-media figures

Want to make your own expressive little clay faces instead of relying on store-bought ones? I got you.

Spend an afternoon with me learning three playful ways to make your own clay faces for spirit dolls, art dolls, and all kinds of imaginative figures. We'll make them together, step by step, and you'll have plenty of time to experiment, ask questions, and discover some wonderfully quirky little personalities of your own.

Saturday, October 24
1:00–5:00 PM Eastern · Live on Zoom
$97 · Recording included, yours to keep and rewatch anytime

Purchase here — $97

To review my cancellation policy for live online classes, click here.

Hands shaping a whimsical face from white Model Magic clay for a spirit doll.

Face Making Doesn’t Need to Be Scary

Faces are often what gets people stuck in doll making. They want to make something all their own, but then think there’s no way. I’ve heard all the worries: I’m not artistic, I’m not a sculptor… I have no idea how.

So what often happens is, folks find a face they like on Etsy and use it over and over and over. And I’m not saying that’s not OK. It is. But wouldn’t it be fun to learn how to make a face of your own?

It is. And I’ve got you!

In this workshop, we'll explore three different ways to make faces, from wonderfully simple and abstract to something a little more lifelike. And you don't need to know a thing about sculpting to get started.

This isn't a watch-and-do-it-later kind of class. It's a make-along. So, over tea and giggles, we'll play with clay, try things out, and see what happens. You can ask questions as we go, get help when you need it, and leave with some fun little faces ready for your next project.

Because making faces doesn't have to be scary. It can actually be one of the most fun parts of making a spirit doll.

Join Intuitive Face Play — $97

Live online workshop · Recording included, yours to keep and revisit any time.

Whimsical handmade clay face with closed eyes and wire decorations emerging from the top.

What If You Didn’t Have to Be Good at Faces?

For a long time, faces intimidated me too. But you know what changed? I stopped thinking I had to be Michelangelo and started trusting that my fingers would somehow find their way.

When I stopped trying to make a face “correctly” and started approaching clay the way I approach the rest of my art — with curiosity, experimentation, and play — things changed.

A little bit of clay became a nose. A couple of shapes suggested cheeks. An expression appeared that I hadn’t planned.

And suddenly there she was.

That's the approach we'll take in this workshop. I'll show you some simple ways to build a face, how to think about its shapes and features, and what you can do when things don't turn out quite the way you imagined.

We're not trying to become sculptors. We're learning how to make faces that have personality. And sometimes those crooked little smiles and unexpected expressions turn out to be the best part.

But Let Me Say This…

If you're after perfectly smooth, symmetrical results, a mold is a great option. Here, we’re leaving room for crooked little smiles and faces with wonderfully quirky personalities.

We’ll Explore Three Ways to Make a Face

We'll start with the easiest, most playful approach and work our way toward making a dimensional clay head. Each technique gives you something new to experiment with, and by the end of our afternoon, you'll have a few different ways to make faces for your own projects.

1. Playful Faces with Model Magic

We’ll start with Crayola Model Magic, a lightweight, easy-to-use clay that's a great place to begin.

This clay is super fun to work with because it literally sticks to itself. We’ll grab our scissors, cut up some shapes, and voilà—a face will be born. Faces like these are perfect for bundle dolls and Tree Spirits.

Finished whimsical face made from white Model Magic clay with exaggerated features.

Sculpting a simple face from white Model Magic clay with a small tool.

2. A Simple Flat or “Mask” Face

Next, we’ll move into air-dry clay and make a mask, or flat, face. We’ll use some of the same ideas from our Model Magic face, but now we can blend the clay, soften transitions, and experiment a little more with expression.

These faces are wonderfully versatile. I’ll show you how to take a face like this and turn it into a whole head!

Sculpting details into a small handmade clay face with a modeling tool.

Handmade clay face attached to a colorful fiber-wrapped Bundle Doll.

3. Build a Dimensional Head and Face

Finally, we’ll take those ideas and make a little spirit doll face and head. Yep, you’ll be ready!

I’ll show you how I think about the basic forms beneath the face and how I add features little by little.

We’ll work slowly enough for you to understand what I’m doing, and try things out yourself. But this still won’t become a lesson in perfect anatomy or classical sculpture because that’s just not how spirit dolls roll.

We’re using what we’ve learned to make a face with character. And you never know who will show up.

Sculpting the eye area of a handmade clay face with a small modeling tool.

Smoothing and blending features on a handmade clay face with a small brush.

Adding and shaping the mouth on a handmade clay face.

Finished spirit doll with a hand-sculpted clay face, closed eyes, rosy cheeks, and a deep red fiber hair.

Four-step process showing a handmade clay face being sculpted and smoothed, followed by the finished spirit doll.

Join Intuitive Face Play — $97

This Is a Make-With-Me Workshop

We’ll make these faces together in real time. I’ll demonstrate a step, give you time to try it, and then we’ll move on from there.

There’ll be time to ask questions, hold your work up to the camera, troubleshoot, and see what everyone else is discovering too.

We’ll meet from 1:00–5:00 PM Eastern with a short break in the middle. The workshop will be recorded, and the recording is yours to keep and revisit anytime.

What Can You Do With the Faces You Make?

A handmade face can become the beginning of all kinds of things: a spirit doll, stick doll, bundle doll, angel, mixed-media figure, or a character you haven’t imagined yet.

Once you’re comfortable creating your own faces, you’re no longer limited to the ones you can buy. You can start making characters that feel entirely your own.

Finished painted clay face with closed eyes, rosy cheeks, and a spiral detail.

Handmade clay face attached to a small felted angel with golden wings.

Finished felted spirit doll with a handmade clay face, wire arms, and gold wings.

The finished dolls shown here are examples of ways handmade clay faces can be used. This workshop focuses specifically on creating the faces.

What Women Say About Creating With Me

“I am so very grateful for the time spent with you in the spirit doll class. It was full of laughs, insight, freedom from rules, and an explosion of creativity. I needed that day so much.”
— Leah

“This workshop awakened unseen facets of myself. Stacy provided a calm, nonjudgmental space to explore while creating these dolls. She truly loves the process.”
— Val

“This workshop was just what I needed at just the right time. I loved seeing my doll evolve week by week and how she reflected things back to me.”
— Mary

What You’ll Need

You won't need a lot of fancy supplies for this workshop. We'll work with Crayola Model Magic, paper clay or DAS air-dry clay, a few basic clay tools, and some simple things you may already have around your studio.

I'll send you a complete materials list with links and recommendations so you know exactly what to have ready. If you're already making dolls or working with clay, you may have much of what you need.

If you're starting from scratch, plan on spending approximately $30–$40 on materials.

Is Intuitive Face Play For You?

It is if you've ever wanted to make your own clay faces but weren't quite sure how to begin. It's especially suited to beginners — no experience sculpting, doll making, or working with clay required, and you definitely don't need to understand facial anatomy.

Maybe you already make spirit dolls, art dolls, stick dolls, or mixed-media figures and want more freedom with your faces. Or maybe you just want to spend an afternoon playing with clay and see what characters show up.

You don’t need to make something perfect. If you can roll, pinch, flatten, press, and play with clay, you can begin making faces.