The words 'Paper Dolls' might bring to mind old cardboard cutouts of people in old-timey clothes played with by little girls a hundred years ago, but the fact of the matter is that they are not only still a wonderful, timeless toy for kids of all ages and genders, but they are so simple to make and just about anyone can have a great time designing their own doll wardrobe and characters. This craft is a great 2-in-1 project, giving children a craft and a toy at the same time!

Supplies

1 sheet of white printer paper or cardstock
1 pencil
scissors
glue stick

Optional:

1 pack of coloring supplies (coloring pencils, crayons, or markers)
packing tape

Step 1: Sketch a Shape

The first step is fairly simple, and you can do it one of two ways. If you or your kiddo enjoys drawing, feel free to sketch a basic shape for a person. I recommend leaving the arms slightly away from the sides to provide for an easier hook for clothing, but this isn't necessarily essential. Remember that in the end if you want to change your character's arm position, for example, you may want to simply leave off the arms and draw them on each new outfit. In my example I am doing a young woman with one drawn-on arm and drawn hair, but feel free to be creative!

If you prefer not to sketch something yourself, you can trace or print out a basic shape as well. Remember, you can always play around with the details.

Step 2: Details

This is the point where you get to pull out some of that creativity and decide how detailed you want your character to be. If you only want the basic body shape so you have a model for your fashionista clothing designs, feel free to leave off a face completely. The amount of detail you add is completely up to you. For hair, remember that if you are designing new outfits, you might want a hairstyle that stays out of the way so you don't have to continue redrawing it. However, if you would like to change your hairstyle based on the outfit, feel free to leave your basic body drawing without it.

Step 3: Cutting It Out

Once you are happy with your basic design and shape, cut it out. Try your best to get it as detailed of a cut as you can so you can be creative with the grooves of your clothing. At this point, you can also cut off other details (ex. I decided I wanted creative freedom with one arm, so I removed it.)

Optional:

Cover your new design with several strips of packing tape. I especially suggest this if you are using printer paper, because the packing tape gives it a sturdier build that is much more difficult to rip.

Step 4: Clothing Creation

This is the part you've been waiting for....clothing design. Much of the fun of having a paper doll is being able to create and play around with a whole wardrobe to your pleasure. Once again, you can print out or trace clothing design, but it's also fun to experiment with your own creations!

First, set your basic character down on the paper and trace it. This will help you get proportions that will fit your body design. Next, using these proportions, design! Have fun trying out all new types of styles and outfits and remember, no boundaries to your creation!

Optional:

Break out those coloring supplies and add color to your designs!

Step 5: Making It Fit

When you are satisfied with your design, it's time to add some details to help it stay on your character. To do this, simply draw small tabs on the shoulders and waists of your clothing and cut it out. If this addition would take away from your design (such as puffy sleeves you don't want folded over or a flowy waistline), cut out your creation without the tabs and use a glue stick to paste small scraps of paper that can fold to fit the proportions of your character on the back of the shoulders and waist (see technique below).

Place the clothing atop your character and fold down the tabs to fit over the shoulders and around the waist and there you have it! Your very own paper doll!

Step 6: Optional Hair Styling

This step is completely optional but is a fun way to give your outfits a little more spice. First, trace your character's head. Using this outline, design the hairstyle you want. Draw two tabs coming out the side of the style and one out the top, or use the glue stick trick to paste them to the back so as to not ruin your design. Cut out and set on your character, folding the tabs to keep it on. Ta-da! Custom hair!