"Designing the Doll" gives many great examples of remarkable artist dolls, but it also gives some excellent how-tos that will help you realize your own designs. This isn't a project-oriented book; there are no real step-by-step instructions that will help you make a specific doll. Rather, this book gives the artist a good grounding in basic technique. Where you go from there is entirely your own business. Some of the techniques Oroyan covers are: sculpting, jointing, soft bodies, wire armature and materials. You'll come away from this book with enough information to design and follow through with your own projects.

It's been a long time since I made a doll, but this book has got me wanting to try all sorts of new things. ( )