Cute and Quirky Paper Dolls!

 

This post originally ran on the StencilTalk Blog February 19, 2025.

You're neve too old to play with dolls! You can have fun making (and playing with) whimsical paper dolls like these that can be easily made with my Paper Doll Stencil S959.

I loved paper dolls as a child, but there were a couple things that drove me crazy: they were stuck in one pose forever, and the clothes had little tabs that usually ripped off or never worked quite right. With an interest in fabric design, fibers, portrait painting, and fashion, making dolls was a natural step in my art career.

I tried all kinds of sources to find just the perfect paper doll. Some were too tall and thin, some too adult, some to campy or retro, and some too small or plain. So, I finally decided to create my own stencil and design the body parts just the way I always wanted. 

Here is my paper doll stencil S959. Beside it are three faces: on the bottom, the original school photo (guess who?!) that was used to create the face stencil; in the middle, the face stenciled with black ink; and on the top, the face stenciled with black ink plus some purple and pink accents.

I made sure that the arms and legs and head were separate pieces so that once they were traced, cut, and put together with small brads, the parts would be moveable and poseable.

Over the years I have amassed quite a collection of doll parts. Some are from online sources, some are vintage paper doll pieces, some are faces cut from magazines, and some are portraits I have painted, then scanned, reduced to 2" high, and printed. For this group of dolls, I used the little girl on the stencil to create three very different faces. I also used a quirky blue moon face from ArtTeaLife and a kitten doll head from JLeelo. In addition to my own stencil design for the body shape, I used a 2.5" x 3.5" artist trading card and small number 5 shipping tag as bodies.

I often use up my paper scraps for the arms and legs, then mix and match them to create unusual dolls. However, for this batch of dolls, I wanted to create an allover pattern that could be cut up for many of the body parts. So, I decided to use my ATC Mixup stencil L852. That stencil is quite a good "bang for the buck" since it has 10 different designs on it. I used seven of the 10 designs to create an allover pattern. Here's how I did it: 

I set up my table with some of my favorite colors of acrylic paint, my stencil, cosmetic wedges, and a big piece of 140 lb. watercolor paper.

You may notice that I cut up my 9x12 ATC stencil. I live in a small apartment and my "studio" is a corner of my bedroom, so I don't have a lot of workspace or storage space. I find it easier to work with a small stencil, so I cut the pieces apart. After cutting, I used a few inches of clear packing tape along the edges to make them easier to handle, and also prevent accidental smudges. 

Here's the "before" picture of my ATC Mixup stencil:

I started by stenciling the tile design (bottom right) in aqua and the tulip (bottom center) in pink. I didn't measure or plan the design, I just went by eye and instinct.

Next, I added the lily (middle right on the ATC Mixup stencil) in green and the loose mum (bottom left) in yellow.

To unite the shapes and create an overall design, I added my small patterns: the "ditsy floral" (on the top right of the ATC Mixup) and the "dobbie" (top left) in purple and yellow to the space between the larger patterns. I also used both of the small patterns in white on top of the aqua, pink, and green to soften the look and make the pattern more complex.

This shows the nearly complete allover stenciled pattern as well as some of the stencils I used. 

Here's the finished design. It almost seemed a shame to cut it up, but I fortunately I can output it from my color printer whenever I want!

To decide what part of the design I wanted to use for the central body shape, I moved my stencil around the paper until I found a section that would look good. Then, I carefully traced the lines of the body with a pencil, being careful to mark the little dots where the legs and arms would later join.

Here you can see my penciled outline of the body shape, with the tulip head centered in the middle of the chest. The dots are also there, where holes will be poked so the arms, legs, and head can be joined to the body with mini brads.

Above are some of the faces I created using the little girl's face on my paperdoll stencil. I used various inks and embossing powder, markers, paints, and chalk to achieve different looks. I also tried out some brads from The Eyelet Outlet that look like eyeglasses.

It is important to mark the little dots that are on the doll stencil's pieces--marking them carefully ensures that when you put the pieces together, they line up properly. After body parts are cut, poke a hole through the dots with an awl or darning needle. Then, connect the arms and legs to the body using mini brads. The brads come in many sizes, colors, and shapes. The brads allow the doll to be posed in many positions, which is way more fun than the old-fashioned paper dolls that were stuck in one position. 

The finished doll can be posed in any number of positions by rotating the body parts.

I had a lot of stenciled paper leftover, so I used some to make a doll with a shipping tag body. The face and shoes are from ArtTeaLife, arms from JLeelo, legs from Retro Café Art, and the butterfly hat is a stamp from Gwen Lafluer for PaperArtsy.

I had also used some randomly painted paper with black archival ink through my ATC Mixup stencil. Here's what I started with, and the doll I made using that paper. 

Here you can see the stencils from my ATC Mixup on the left, and the painted and stenciled paper on the right.

These are the stenciled pieces I considered using for my doll. I finally settled on the lily design for her body.

Above, the assorted body parts and other components I considered using for my doll.

The finished doll, complete with wings, a hat, and shoes.

Her face is from my stencil, but I added paint and posca markers to create a whimsical look. The wings are my ATC Mixup version of the Lemurian Leaf (center of the ATC Mixup stencil), done with gold embossing powder on black cardstock. I flipped the stencil over (carefully cleaning and drying the stencil after the first application of embossing ink so that there would be no accidental smudges) so the wings would be mirror images. I carefully cut around the black and gold leaves to create a wing shape. The hat and shoes are from The Graphics Fairy.

Next, I decided to make a folding ATC doll with some of my stenciled paper. Below are photos of the doll open, and folded up to 2.5" x 3.5". I used the stenciled allover pastel paper created with my ATC Mixup stencil, plus a few random stenciled arm and leg pieces from my stash. (I keep a tin of doll parts on my desk, and when I have small pretty scraps of paper, I cut doll body parts with them for future use.)

I added the face from my stencil, which was done in orange ink on a yellow cardstock, with white painted accents. The crown is a stamp by Gwen Lafluer, the wings are from Gwen's Boho Butterfly stencil, and the shoes are from The Graphics Fairy. I added the stamped word "dream" because she looked like a little girl with big dreams.

The folding ATC doll, open.

The folding ATC doll, closed.

If you have a pet, you'll love my last doll! I used a paperdoll cat face from J. Leelo, but you could also use a photo of your dog, cat, or other pet. I added a teacup from The Graphics Fairy as a hat.

While searching through my scrap bin, I found a stenciled shipping tag that I had intended to use as the cover for a small tag book. I never finished that book, but it called to me when I was looking for something to go with the cat face. I used an assortment of my ATC Mixup designs in coordinating pastel inks on both the front and back, so I cut body parts for the cat doll from both sides.

Here I am using a fat sewing needle to poke holes in the body so that the other parts can be joined to it using minibrads.

The cat doll is connected with tiny white heart-shaped mini brads.

I decided that the cat needed a skirt, so I "auditioned" some laces to make a little skirt. I cut the lace about twice as big as I needed, then gathered the top with a running stitch.

After gathering the lace, I glued the right side to the back and clipped it until dry. I arranged the gathers, then glued the other side and also clipped it until dry. Sometimes I put the skirt around the exact waist, sometimes I glue it at the bottom of the body. For the cat doll, I placed it just a little below the waist.

The finished cat doll, ready to dance and drink tea, and wearing her pretty lace skirt.

You're never too old to play with paper dolls, and it's also a great activity for children and teens. I hope you enjoy using my stencils, and have fun creating wonderful, whimsical, unique dolls of your own.

And here's the really great news: ALL my stencils are on sale for the next two weeks! Use the discount code LW20 for 20% off until March 4, 2025.