There are many ways to create the features for a cloth or rag doll, from buttons to beads. For realistic painted doll faces such as the kind found on portrait dolls, some doll makers use oil paints. Oil pastels provide a realistic face that includes shaded features.
Pancake Doll
Beginners should start with a pancake-style doll, which has a flat face. With this type of doll, paint the face on the raw fabric using an embroidery hoop to keep the fabric taut. When the doll's face is dry, sew the doll together. More advanced doll makers can paint a face directly onto a doll.
Preparation
Begin by stiffening the fabric using a mixture of modeling paste and gel. Mask off the doll's body, then paint the face with the stiffening mixture. Spread evenly and make sure that excessive paste has been cleaned from cracks. Let the mixture dry, then apply a second coat. Sand out any brushstrokes after the second coat has dried. Cover with a coat of gesso modeling paste.
Painting
Start with a base coat of flesh coloring. You can mix flesh tones to be darker, lighter or of varying tints. Set aside the remainder of this paint to cover goofs or to mix with darker colors for shading. Once the paint has dried, sketch in your doll's face with a mixture of flesh-colored and brown paint.
To paint the face, start with the darkest colors and shades and work toward the lightest to achieve a "fading" effect. Begin with shadows and shading, including cheek color and lips. Paint on eyeballs and pupils, followed by eyelashes and eyebrows.
Finishing
Once your oils have dried, seal your doll's face with a spray sealer. Rather than spray on one heavy coat, use two light coats of sealer. An alternative to sealer is to use a brush-on varnish. Apply your varnish carefully, using smooth, even strokes. To make your doll look more antique, apply a medium-brown wood stain and wipe away any areas you don't want the stain to cover. You also can add a distressed look by buffing the varnish extremely lightly with a steel-wool pad.
