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 The
Kits 'n' Pieces range of cloth dolls all come complete with a pattern for
a "suggested" face for your doll, but I encourage you to use your imagination to
personalise your doll and make her a "one of a kind" heirloom.
It's a wonderful feeling when you finally finish sewing your doll. She is SO
cute, her frock is just adorable and her hair is exactly the way you wanted it.
She is just perfect! The only thing left to do is to draw her face.
This is the part of doll making that can cause the
most anxiety amongst doll makers, but by following a few simple "rules" you can
confidently achieve a gorgeous face every time.
Always begin by drawing your doll’s face on paper. Practice positioning your
doll’s features to ensure you have the right proportion and position.
Have fun experimenting with different styles and observe those around you.
Babies, small children and characters in children's books often have cute
features which can provide inspiration.
On a
sheet of paper draw
a shape similar in size to your doll’s head.
Lightly draw a line horizontally and vertically through the centre
of the “face”. See figure 1. You may like to photocopy this and use it as a
template.
Look in the mirror and you’ll notice your eyes are
approximately midway between your chin and the top of your head. Mark
the centres of the eyes on the horizontal line an equal distance from the
midline. By placing the eyes slightly lower on the face your doll will have a
younger appearance. See figure 2.
.
Divide the lower half of your face into thirds and mark a
small dot on the centre line at these points. These will be the positions of the
nose and the mouth.
Next
you will need to choose the style of face you would like. The style
you choose should fit the character of your doll. A naive style doll will
have a much simpler face than a more formal doll.
Experiment with different shapes for each facial feature. You may like to
try round eyes and oval eyes, with or without eyelashes and eyebrows, a
little button or a straight nose and different sizes and shapes of hearts or
smiley u shapes for your dolls mouth. Some
dolls look gorgeous with two tiny "commas" for nostrils instead of a nose.
The more styles you try out the easier it will be for you to choose a face
to really complement your doll.
When you are happy with the style, size, shapes and positioning of all of your
doll's facial features it's time to add some colour to bring your doll to life.
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Pigma micron pens
Pigma
micron 01 made by Sakura are the brand of pen I prefer. They are waterproof and
fade proof and they contain archival, pigment ink. They are also available
in a range of 6 colours. Derwent artist pencils also provide a high quality
finish to your doll's face and they can be purchased individually in your
favourite colours. If you plan to continue doll making then purchasing good
quality pens and pencils to finish your doll is an excellent investment.
Choose eye, mouth and cheek colours to complement your doll. Use the black pen
to draw the eyes and eyelashes, the brown pen to draw the nose and eyebrows and
either the brown or the red pen for your doll's mouth. Be careful when using
drawing pens, they have a very fine tip so always hold them in an upright
position (not slanted) to prevent damaging the pen tip.
Before
adding pencil colour
 to your doll experiment with the various ways you can
apply this. Many different effects can be achieved by using either a sharper or
blunter pencil. You should also try the side of the side of the pencil as well
as the point. A good way to add shading is to apply the colour to a scrap of
paper or calico and carefully rub this over the area you want to colour.
Gradually build up the colour in layers until you obtain the desired
look. Just remember it's easier to add a bit more colour than it is to try to
remove it. It's also a good idea to keep a record of the colours you have used,
just jot down the names of the colours and any special techniques you may have
used to apply them alongside your diagram as a reference for future use.
Once you are completely satisfied with your doll's new face it is time to
transfer it onto fabric. But before you take the final step it's a good idea to
practice one more time just to make yourself comfortable with working on fabric.
The slightly uneven texture of the calico will make a difference when you are
drawing the face and the colours may need adjusting to suit.
Place a piece of calico
in an embroidery hoop and follow the steps listed above, once again. Once you
have added all of your doll's features to the calico and you are satisfied she
has just the attitude and expression you are trying to achieve then you're ready
to complete your doll!
You should feel completely comfortable now applying your doll's face! We'd
love to share your success so when you've finished your doll
click here to send us a photo of your doll and your comments about the
helpfulness of this page. We'll be happy to add your doll to our Heirloom
Gallery so others can see her online anytime.
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The
Sewing Sanctuary
