How do I paint my dolls?

Do you ever get this feeling, when you have a beautifully sculpted doll in your hands and you're afraid to ruin it with paints? At the beginning of my doll-making journey, I've been getting this a lot. It's so frustrating when you can't fulfill the image you have in mind. In this article, I'd like to talk about the best materials and techniques I use to paint my dolls, so we could put all the annoyance behind our backs!

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Best materials

The three most important components of my painting routine are pastels, watercolors and good sealant. With these main materials, you'll get the best results and natural-looking faces!

• Pastels

Use pastels to create blushed cheeks, eye makeup or add color to the body. Ground soft pastels don't leave any brush strokes, are buildable and create natural-looking tones.

• Watercolours

When you need to accentuate the lips, eyes or other parts of the body, use watercolours. You can build up the colour in layers and avoid painful mistakes as you learn to paint tiny details like eyes. Watercolors are tremendous when you try to achieve natural-looking lips because you can dilute the paint to the marvelous sheer colours.

• Sealant or matt varnish

After each layer that you're happy with, sealing the paints is a must. I like to use "Mr. Super Clear Flat" spray for that or any mat acrylic spray varnish. This step is crucial for two reasons: it'll preserve and save your work. If you make a mistake you won't need to start over - sealed layers will remain intact when wiping the paints with water.

There’s a video tutorial available for my Patrons from the “Apprentice” ($5) tier.

• Watercolour pencils

For more detailed work like lashes, eyebrows, etc. use very sharp watercolour pencils. Watercolor pencils don't have oils in them so the strokes will be even and bright, especially on sealant! Remember, what works on paper doesn't necessarily work on a hard surface like clay.

• Acrylic paints

Sometimes you'll find yourself in situations when you can't achieve the look you want without dense paints like acrylics. For example to paint really black eyeliner or bright red lips. You can dilute acrylics with water without losing vividness. Also, I use white acrylics every time I paint my dolls! It works great as the first layer and prepares the clay for painting.

Tips and tricks

Always, always paint in layers! It's the golden rule of any doll artist. When you paint in layers, you can build up the colour, avoid harsh lines and create a natural-looking skin tone or facial features. If you seal each layer properly, it helps to fix any mistakes which may occur to any of us. Just wipe off the paint with a damp cotton pad or cotton bud! All the sealed layers will stay intact.

Have in mind that all the small details matter and create a character for your doll. Don't forget to add light reflections to the eyes, maybe use glossy lacquer to make them more realistic. Think about interesting makeup looks to reflect their style and complement the costume.

If you need more help in painting and sculpting your dolls, consider joining my doll-making classes where you can learn techniques I use to sculpt or paint my dolls and get individual consultations as well! Here’s a little sneak peek at one of the video lessons.