In this tutorial we will talk about creating details on a finished cotton toy. We will achieve more volume and a live look of your doll. I have this girl in a winter coat and a down scarf.

You will need:

1. Dry pastel.

2. Synthetic brush for work with pastels (you can have multiple brushes of different sizes).

3. A palette (a sheet of white paper).

4. Acrylic paint.

5. Thin brushes for drawing details.

6. Wide hard synthetic brush for applying "snow".

Stages of work:

1. Choose dark shades of pastel and rub them on the palette. We will work with the resulting powder. The powder must be applied with a brush into the crevices and grooves on the clothing of the doll. I use brown pastel for this purpose and add different colors to get the right shade. Sometimes, instead of brown, I take black — it all depends on the color and shade of wool that you want to tint.

2. The next step is to highlight the convex areas of clothes. For example, you can make elbow, knee, shoes lighter... To do this, also rub a few colors of dry pastels on the palette. The task is to mix the colors to get a new color a few shades lighter than the cotton, which we tinted. For this, I use white or beige pastel as a base and mix it with other shades — red, blue, green — the one you need.

3. Drawing details with acrylic paints. Usually I work with details after applying a light shadow with pastels. The doll in this moment comes to life. What do you need to finish? Folds, buttons, pockets, patterns, laces... Anything you think is necessary.

4. Snow or dust. I always cover children in winter clothes with a layer of snow. To do this, take a hard big brush, dip it into white acrylic paint and with a quick sudden motion apply the paint on the doll. Brush must be placed at an angle of 90 degrees to the surface of the doll to get the dots that mimic fluffy snow. Draw it on boots, hems of a skirt, caps, elbows. I can apply dust on dolls in summer clothes or even make them dirty, but I use dry pastel for it, not paints. Pick a wide brush. You can also make shoes, for example, or knees dirty.

Details on the doll are the most important things that make it alive and volume. I hope my tips will help you create awesome toys!

Watch the video, where I show all the details, which I described.