Kelsey's Freckles

How to Put Freckles on a Journey Girl Doll

My Kelsey has freckles…but she was not bought that way.  I added the freckles.  How do you put freckles on a doll?  When I looked this up on the Internet I found a lot of different answers.  Most of them were non permanent.  I wanted Kelsey's freckles to be permanent.  After some research and a lot of nervous "do I really want to do this?" questioning…I freckled Kelsey. And I have never regretted it!

Non-freckled new Kelsey on the left and my older, freckled Kelsey on the right.

So how do you give your doll freckles?  There are a few ways to do this peremanently.  I decided to use permanent markers, mostly because it is the easiest way of making freckles.  You can use acrylic paints,(no oils…they never dry on the vinyl) but then you have to seal the entire face…and I didn't want to do this.  The permanent marker fades a little over time, but not much.  I used "BIC Mark it permanent markers" because they make a 36 pack of colored markers with a fine point.  The pack comes with 4 brownish colored markers, plus a few other skin toned markers.  It's a good set for making freckles.

WARNING: This is permanent!  The only way to get this off is with pimple treatment cream.  It will not wash off!

The colors I used are (from left to right) Tiki Hut Tan, Honey Brown, and Woodsy Brown.

I used 3 of the colors from this set; woodsy brown, honey brown, and tiki hut tan.  I found that the two browns were closest to what I felt like would be the natural color of Kelsey's freckles.  Before I put a mark on Kelsey I tested the markers on an old Barbie doll to see if I liked the colors.  I also took a picture of Kelsey, loaded it in to Photoshop and put freckles on her in Photoshop.  This way I could decide where I wanted the freckles, how big they should be, and how many I wanted, before I made a mark that was permanent on Kelsey.  If you don't have photoshop, take a photo of your doll, print it out and put freckles on the print out with the markers.  I really thought this helped me plan what I wanted Kelsey to look like.

On the left is the photo sop mock-up of what I wanted Kelsey's freckles to look like.  On the right is what they actually look like now.  They were a little darker when I first put them on.

Once you are happy with your mock-up get the markers, your doll, a couple tissues or paper towels, and a wet paper towel.  Wash your dolls face with the wet paper towel to make sure her face is free of dirt and oils.  This helps the marker stay on better.  Make sure her face is dry.  Take the woodsy brown marker and start making the larger freckles, using your printout (or photo) as a guide.  You are going to want to vary the size of the freckles to make it look more realistic.  I started on Kelsey's nose with a few of the larger freckles and then worked my way onto her left cheek.  

Using the Woodsy Brown add the larger freckles.  I started on her nose and worked to her cheek.

After you have put most of the bigger freckles on with the woodsy brown, use the tiki hut tan to lighten a few of the freckles.  You don't have to do this, but I like the looks of this.  It makes the freckles look more natural.  Take the tiki hut tan and draw on top of the freckle that you have already drawn.  

Using the Tiki Hut Tan, draw over some of the freckles that are already on your doll.

Immediately after doing this take your tissue and dab (don't wipe…you'll smear the marker) the freckle.  This will pull some of the marker off and make the freckle lighter.  If the freckle isn't as light as you would like, use the tiki hut tan again and draw over the freckle again, dabbing the tissue as soon as you have finished drawing.  I used this technique on 4 to 7 of the freckles.  It shouldn't be all of them.  Again, you are trying to give the freckles a little different look, so that they look more realistic.

Dab (don't wipe…it smears the marker) the freckle that you have put the Tiki Hut Tan on.  This will pull some of the marker off and make the freckle lighter.

Finally, go through with the honey brown and add little freckles.  These are just tiny dots very randomly placed to help make the freckles look more realistic.  The second color helps give a realistic look and adds depth to the freckles.  

Add some smaller freckles with the Honey Brown marker.

Here are the pictures of my originally Kelsey and my new Kelsey with newly added freckles.  Notice that new Kelsey's freckles are darker.  The color will fade a little as the doll ages.  My Kelsey has had her freckles for about a year and a half now…so you can get an idea of how the freckles fade.

Newly freckled Kelsey on the left and older Kelsey on the right.

I hope that this is helpful.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment below and I will answer your questions through the comment section.  Thanks!