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How to Make Russian Dolls

Some of the most common types of Russian dolls are "nesting dolls." They are interchangeable with "matrioshka" and "babushka" dolls. Whether you're a hobbyist interested in making a genuine wooden Russian doll from scratch with a lathe, you're just painting wooden blanks in nesting doll kits or you're a teacher interested in teaching a cultural art lesson will determine the amount of time, cost and effort involved. These instructions are for the simplified crafter or teacher with limited budget and experience in wood-turning techniques.

Things You'll Need

  • Wooden nesting, matrioshka or babushka doll blanks
  • Protractor
  • Pencil
  • Primary color acrylic paint set
  • Paint brush variety
  • Wood varnish or clear acrylic paint sealer
  • White make-up sponges
  • Water
  • A set of nesting, matrioshka or babushka dolls, or pictures of them for guidelines
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Instructions

  1. Doll Feature Design

    • 1

      Position the sharp end of the protractor on the doll blank where the doll's irises would be, and make gentle indentations in the wood.

    • 2

      Pencil an outline of the doll's eyes around the iris nicks. Draw the doll's face and hair.

    • 3

      Draw the doll's outfit and final facial and clothing features on the blank.

    Painting the Russian Doll

    • 4

      Paint the back side of the doll with the acrylic paints, using a wide paintbrush. Fill in the larger areas of the back of the doll with paint. Use darker colors first. Lighter colors can be added later.

    • 5

      Let the main back and body of the painted doll dry for several hours.

    • 6

      Use finer angled or tipped paintbrushes to fill in the details of the doll's face and body. Use dark colors first. Let the paint dry for several hours.

    • 7

      Highlight the doll's eyes, irises, hands, and clothing features with white paint and other lighter colors. Let the doll dry for several hours.

    • 8

      Repeat the procedure to paint each doll in the set. When all the dolls are finished and their paint has dried, coat them with a spray-on or brush-on clear acrylic or wood varnish sealer for protection, and let that dry.

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