Tutorial: Taking Your Dolls to the Next Level

So, you've been making dolls for a little while. Maybe you're frustrated with the results, and hope some extra advice will get you over the hurdle. Maybe you're quite happy with what you have, but are always willing to learn something new. (Or, maybe you're already an accomplished doller, in which case this page is probably not for you!)

This is not a tutorial, per se. It's simply a list of tips for making your dolls just that much better. I am assuming some knowledge of the basics (for example, that you know what I mean when I say "shading"), but some of this should be helpful to even the most novice doller.

1. Eyebrows Aren't Optional

Yep, you read that right, eyebrows. I have them, you have them, everyone has them! Sometimes we forget that dolls should have them, too. When one of my faces looks funny, and I just can't put my finger on why, it's the eyebrows nine times out of ten.

Tip: Be sure your dolls have eyebrows! And, while you're at it, pay attention to the color.

1. Starting on the left, note how silly Kat looks without eyebrows. Poor Kat!
   
   
2. With black eyebrows (the color that comes on many bases), she does look much better... but how many people with naturally blonde hair have black eyebrows? Unless you want your doll to look like she dyes her hair, you need to pay attention to color.
   
   
3. Of course, hair-colored eyebrows don't do any good if you can't actually see them.
   
   
4. Voila! My eyebrows are usually a little lighter or a little darker than the main hair color.

2. Real People Have Ears

Ears are an integral part of the human face. (Okay, so they aren't on the face, they stick out. Work with me, folks!) Without them, we couldn't hear. And we'd look pretty darn funny, too. However, by either convention or oversight, most doll bases don't include ears.

Tip: Be sure your dolls have ears!

1. Gina is justifiably upset. Without any ears, she looks rather funny.
2. Ah, much better. Ears mean she can even have earrings! (Of course, this example is entirely spurious, because the base includes ears.)
3. Evenna, on the other hand, is from a normal earless base. Does that hair look right to you? To me it looks... off, somehow.
4. Ears improve the entire look of the doll. (Note that the hair is slightly different, as it's now pulled back behind her ears.)

If your base of choice doesn't have ears, add them before starting the hair. It's possible that the hair will cover them up completely, but you'll never know for sure unless you start with ears in the first place. Check out Sarah's braids tutorial for examples of simple ears for small dolls.

3. Shading Should Be Subtle

When you shade a dress, or hair, or even a base, you're approximating the shapes, curves, and shadows of real life. Darker colors are for things farther away, brighter colors are for things closer. One can get really amazing effects this way. However, if your shading is too abrupt, it doesn't look like folds of fabric or the curve of the body, it looks like bad shading.

Tip: Don't over do shading.

Photoshop can do some really cool effects with shading, producing very shiny clothing, bases, and hair. Shiny clothing can make sense, but I'm not so sure about bodies and hair. It often looks lovely (and I don't want to knock this style, because it's great when done well), but it isn't very realistic. How many people do you know with metallic hair? I'm betting not many. If you're struggling to make your dolls more realistic, you might start by making them less shiny. If you think it's silly to worry about realism in cartoon dolls, then skip this advice.

4. Little Touches Have a Big Impact

Small details can make all the difference in a doll, livening up a simple dress, or making hair look that much more realistic. Sometimes I'm so excited to be finished with a doll that I forget the little things that make it special... and I'm ultimately dissatisfied with the results.

Tip: Use small details to maximum effect.

For example, take Princess Alethea here. She's wearing a very simple green dress (well, okay, there are those stripes, but this is another of those cases when you have to work with me), but the dangling gold chains around her waist add class—a touch of glamor fit for a princess. I also gave her shiny gold sandels, a tiara, a very simple necklace, a touch of color on her cheeks, and a natural lipstick color.

Bonus Tip: For metals, you get to break the subtle shading rule. Here, contrast is good!

5. When All Else Fails, Stay Simple

Some things are more difficult than others, and novice doll makers often attempt things that are difficult even for veterans. That's great—you'll never learn it if you don't do it!—but if you're getting frustrated it might be because you're biting off more than you can chew.

• Colors such as white and black are difficult to work with. (It's harder to get realistic results, and it can even be a strain on your eyes!)
  
  
• Jeans are harder than monochrome pants, skirts, etc. (I don't think I'd want to pixel shade jeans...)
  
  
• Avoid large amounts of fabric or hair until you're sure of your ability to do them properly. Wide, flowing skirts and waving tresses need better shading techniques to look decent than do narrow skirts and simple hair styles.
  
  
• If you don't have a program that does layers, transparency is going to be difficult—it's not impossible, but it takes a lot more work to get good results.
  
  
• Smaller bases are easier to work with. (Larger bases take longer, and require attention to very tiny details.)
  
  

You have to stretch yourself to improve as a doller. Set goals that seem just out of your reach. It's a lot like physical exercise—you have to push yourself to get better, but you can't reduce your time for the mile by 50% in one go.

Well, there you have it—a few small things you can do to improve your dolls, Salli-style. Was this tutorial helpful? Do you have questions or comments? Feel free to leave a message in my blog, or send me email. I'd be happy to hear from you!

Obligatory Credits Section

The dolls in this tutorial are all mine. The bases for Valadine and Evenna are by Xandorra, the others are all from Eleni Aranelwa. Special thanks to Kat for letting me use the doll I made for her as my eyebrow example, and Sarah for suggestions for section five.

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