A Matryoshka doll, also known as a Russian nesting doll, is one of a number of dolls that can fit into each other. Sizes vary from small ones to large ones. Any number of Matryoshka dolls can be made to fit inside each other and a simple toy for children can be created. The dolls are decorated with faces on one or both sides.
Materials Required
Matryoshka dolls can be made of both wood and plastic. The wood species most commonly used for these babies are balsa, poplar or birch. The woods used should be soft, light and fine textured.
Crafting
There are many processes involved in the production of matryoshka: collecting and drying raw wood, turning and processing wood and finally making, painting and finishing dolls. It is detailed below:
- First the wood is marked and then the bark is peeled off. The bark is then smeared with sap and stacked in piles. The shell is then left open in air to dry. The wood is dried for almost two years. Only an experienced artist can distinguish between dry wood and wood that has been dried for two years.
- The dried wood is cut to the required length and transported to the factory. Wood undergoes a turning process used to produce cylindrical components on a lathe. During turning, a piece of material is rotated and a cutting tool is moved along 2 axes of motion to produce precise diameters and depths. Wood turning is a form of woodworking used to create wooden objects on a lathe.
- Woodworking is the process of building, making or carving something using wood. Wood turning differs from most other types of woodworking in that the wood moves and uses a fixed tool to cut and shape it. Many detailed shapes can be made by rotating the wood.
- A lathe is a machine tool that rotates a block of material to perform various operations, such as cutting with tools applied to the workpiece to create an object with smoothness around an axis of rotation.
- The smallest baby is first formed on a lathe. Larger babies follow the smaller one’s shape and size. The lower half of the next baby is done later. The last part of this lower half made is the ring sitting from the bottom to the top. When the ring in the lower half is completed, the upper part is made and the inner part for the ring is made.
- Wood is oiled and allowed to cure over time to retain moisture and prevent cracking. Babies also undergo many chemical processes that extend the life or improve the quality of the wood. After cleaning the wood from chemicals, glue is applied to the outer surface. The liner is on the adhesive applied to create a smooth surface on babies.
- The dolls are then sent to the artists who use different themes in the dolls’ paintings. There are different schools of thought for the characters to be painted. The bright colors used are used in dyeing and are made from vegetable dyes.
- A heated poker is also used in some designs to burn baby’s details, including facial features and costume details. Made dolls are called wood-burning dolls.
- After the paint has dried, the dolls are finished with a protective coating. A minimum of five layers of polish is applied for artistic sets.