According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, dolls are "perhaps the oldest plaything." The oldest date to 3000 to 2000 BC and include a Babylonian doll made from a mineral called alabaster and wooden dolls with hair made from strings of beads found in ancient Egyptian graves.
By 1413 CE, the job of "dollmaker" was a full-time career in Europe. Beginning in the 1500s, building and decorating dollhouses was also popular.
There are a number of different types of dolls. Ragdolls are often handcrafted from leftover sewing scraps. China dolls have soft fabric bodies and faces made from the same delicate china that is used to make dishes. Baby dolls allow children to pretend they are mothers, and fashion dolls like Barbie help youths imagine life as an adult.
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Dolls are often characters in literature and film. Barbie dolls and American Girl dolls have books and movies that tell their stories. The ragdoll Molly was one of the main characters in the children's television show The Big Comfy Couch. Some horror or science fiction films feature frightening dolls that come to life.
Would you like to draw a cartoon doll? This easy, step-by-step cartoon object drawing tutorial is here to show you how. All you will need is a pencil, an eraser, and a sheet of paper. You may wish to color your finished picture.
If you liked this tutorial, see also the following drawing guides: Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story, Barbie Doll, and Fairy.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Drawing a Doll
1. Begin by drawing a circle. This will outline the doll's face.
2. Use a curved line to enclose a rounded shape on each side of the head. These are the hair ties. From each hair tie, extend a pair of curved lines. Allow them to overlap in a drooping heart like shape. This forms the ponytails or pigtails.
3. Draw a curved "W" shaped line across the top of the head. This indicates the hairline.
4. Detail the doll's face. Draw a circle for each eye and for the nose. Draw a smaller circle inside each eye to indicate the pupil. Sketch short lines around the eyes for eyelashes, and a curved line above each to form the brow. Draw a wide "U" shaped line to form the smiling mouth, and complete it with short curved lines at the corners.
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5. Draw a "U" shaped line beneath the head to form the neck. Then, extend a long, curved line and double it back upon itself to enclose the irregular shape of the doll's body.
6. Draw the doll's arms. Erase a segment at each shoulder, and extend two short curved lines to form the sleeves. Connect them at the end with an additional curved line. Then, extend another set of lines to form the arm.
Note the bend in one arm that indicates the elbow. Enclose the hands using overlapping curved lines.
7. Erase a section at the base of the figure to make way for the foot. Draw an oval to form the bottom of the foot. Then, use curved lines to enclose shapes to one side of it, indicating the side of the foot and the leg.
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8. Enclose an egg shape for the other foot, with a curved line running from top to bottom. Then extend a pair of lines into the doll's body. Connect these with a curved line and extend it to the other foot, forming the hem of the dress.
9. Draw a circle in the center of the torso and enclose rounded shapes on each side of it, forming a bow. Draw pairs of lines from each side of the bow to the side of the dress.
Color your cartoon doll.
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The Complete Doll Drawing Tutorial in One Image
Printable Drawing Tutorial
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