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Fashioning a Doll's Eyes, Nose, and Mouth with Pencil, Gesso, Pens, Paints, or Stitches

© Martha Checkett

There are a number of ways that a doll's eyes, nose, and mouth can be fashioned. The face can be made with colored pencils, gel pens, or acrylic paints.

Studying the anatomy of a human face will help to establish the proper location of facial features.

Making a Doll's Eyes

Eyes should be placed even with the center of the ears. Placing the eyes a bit lower than center of the face creates the younger look of a child or baby; placing them in the center of the oval face creates a mature look. Age can also be indicated by size; a younger look would have slightly larger eyes.

Decide on the shape and size of the eyes before drawing them. Trace the practice eye onto sticky-backed paper twice to assure symmetrical eyes. Move the pieces around slightly as desired, and use a sharp pencil to trace around the paper onto the fabric.

If using paint, pencils, or markers, a base coat of white gesso can be applied in this eye shape first to make a clean foundation for the eyeball. Before adding any color, be sure the gesso is completely dry. Pencil and marker are the easier method for coloring on the Gesso foundation.

The final touch for the eyes is the white "spark of life," a tiny white dot or small line in the same location on both pupils. This little dot seems to make the eyes come alive.

Making a Doll's Mouth

Establish the shape by consulting the original pattern or by drawing examples on paper and transferring to sticky labels. Place the sticky mouth in the right location and, as before, trace around the template with a sharp pencil; fill the outline with gesso. When the gesso is dry, apply the lip color over it and make a line through the middle of the lips to create a separation.

Try applying a clear acrylic or fingernail polish to make both mouth and eyes appear shiny. Again make sure the entire area is completely dry before adding layers of pencil, marker or paint.

Making a Doll's Nose

On a flat face, a nose can be drawn on and shaded as on a paper drawing or sketch. Some cloth dolls have an applied nose, which is a circle of cloth lightly stuffed and pulled into a ball, and stitched on to the face using the ladder stitch.

If using a profile pattern with a seam down the middle of the face, needle sculpting can be used to create a realistic nose.

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