How to Make Paper Dolls

Using a Printable Template

Find a printable doll you like. This is a good option for those with less drawing experience. To find a doll template, search for blogs with free printable downloads, use the doll template linked at the top of this page, or browse wikiHow's Paper Doll Image Depositary.

Print out the template. Once you’ve found the perfect printable template, adjust it to the size you want and print the doll out. Print on cardstock--any paper with a 80-110 lb. (120-200 gsm) weight--to make the doll sturdier. Check your printer manual to make sure it can handle a heavier paper weight. Be sure to adjust the weight settings before printing. If your printer can’t handle the thicker, heavier weight of cardstock, just print your template onto plain copier paper and then glue it onto a sheet of cardstock. You can find packs of cardstock online or at your local craft supplies store.

Customize and color in the doll template. If your template is in black and white, color in the doll’s features with colored pencils, crayons, or markers. If your template is in color, you don’t need to add anything. However, you can still add little details such as undergarments, jewelry, or makeup. Just remember that anything you draw onto your doll will be permanent. Remember to color the doll before you cut it out. Coloring the full sheet intact makes it easier to carefully color and avoid tearing the doll.

Drawing Your Own Doll

Draw the outline of the body in light pencil. Decide on the height you want, then sketch the basic outline of the doll’s body, including head, torso, and limbs. Press lightly with your pencil so you can erase these lines later. Make sure to draw the doll in a pose that will be easy to put clothes on, such as standing up straight with the arms down and slightly lifted away from its sides. Try sketching out some ideas on scratch paper first, then drawing your doll on a thicker piece of paper, such as a sheet of cardstock. A standard paper doll size is generally 5 to 6 inches (13 to 15 cm) tall and 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5.1 cm) wide. You may also want to draw on some undergarments that can be easily covered by clothes, such as a close-fitting slip, a camisole, or underwear and a bra.

Pencil in the hair and more details. Once you’ve penciled in the basic outline, draw in any areas that go outside of the outline, such as hair, feet, and hands. You can either draw in toes and fingers or leave the hands and feet as general shapes. Keep the facial features simple and line-based.

Go over your drawing with a fine-tipped pen and erase pencil lines. Once you’ve finished drawing the doll’s body in pencil, go over the lines with a black fine-tipped pen. Micron pens or extra fine-tipped Sharpie pens work well for fine-lining. Let the ink dry for 1-3 minutes, then use a white eraser to remove pencil lines. If any of the ink does smudge, use white-out to cover it.

Color in the doll’s features. One of the best parts about drawing your own paper doll is getting to exercise your creativity and customize it as much as you want. Choose a hair color, skin tone, and eye color for your doll, then color it in. You could use crayons, markers, or paint, as well as sharpened colored pencils for more precision. Make sure to color the doll before you cut it out, because it’s much easier to color carefully and avoid any damage with the doll still on the page.

Completing Your Paper Doll

Draw a base for your doll. If you want to protect the delicately drawn foot area or just add some extra decoration, a base is a great option. Draw a half-circle shape around the doll’s ankle and feet, with the flat side of the half-circle along the bottom. You can leave the base white or customize it with coloring materials and stickers. You can also write the doll's name on the base. When you cut out the doll, make sure to cut around the legs and the base, not around the feet or between the legs.

Laminate or line your drawing with contact paper. To seal your doll’s features and protect from wear and tear, you can put the full sheet with the finished drawing through a laminator or cover the front with a sheet of transparent contact paper. If you don’t have a laminator, you can have this done at an office supply store. Paper dolls can take a lot of wear and tear, so a plastic lining will help make the doll last much longer. With contact paper, you only need enough to cover the drawing, so you could cut down the transparent sheet to a smaller rectangle. Use that to cover the area with the drawing on both sides. Make sure to use self-adhesive contact paper for easy attachment.

Cut out the doll with scissors. Use a pair of scissors that can make small, precise cuts to cut out the paper doll. Cut as close to the lines as you can without cutting over them. Be careful around smaller, delicate areas such as the hands, base, or feet. Young children should use safety scissors for cutting. Cutting out individual fingers and toes will make these areas likely to be damaged or torn. Instead, cut around any individually drawn fingers or toes, making a general hand or foot shape. A base will also take care of this problem for the feet.

Create a stand for your doll. To make your doll stand up on its own, cut a separate strip of cardstock to 3 to 5 inches (7.6 to 12.7 cm) wide and about half the doll’s height. Leave one side flat and cut the other side into a curve. Fold the flat side inward ⁄4 inch (0.64 cm) to use as a tab and attach that to the back of the doll with glue or double-sided tape. Your doll will need a base for the stand to work properly. For the stand to work, the doll must be made with cardstock. If it’s printed or drawn on printer paper, it will be too flimsy to stand up.

Print out some clothes that go with your template. If your printable template comes with matching clothes, such as the template at the top of the page, print and cut these out for some ready-made clothing. Add color and details if needed, then cut the shape out. It’s harder to find printable clothes that match a hand-drawn doll or a printable template from a different source. Clothes generally need to be traced exactly from the original doll. However, sometimes looser, larger clothes such as sweaters, dresses, or capes may match up more easily to a hand-drawn doll’s limbs. Be creative with colors, patterns, and embellishments! You can use stickers, colored pencils, markers, paint, crayons, and scrapbooking paper to make unique, customized clothes for your doll.

Design and make some clothes for your doll. Trace around the doll’s body on a piece of paper and fill in that outline to make a piece of clothing. Color and add embellishments and patterns to personalize the clothes and express your creativity. Add tabs on the sides, then cut out the shape. Instead of tabs, you could also just cut out the clothing and use a slightly tacky adhesive. Materials like putty, the back of a Post-It note glued to the clothing, or washi tape will provide just enough stickiness. This way, the clothes can easily be removed from or attached to the doll’s laminate/contact paper coating.