Not Painted Peg Dolls – The magic behind my work

You might look at my peg dolls wondering why they’re a bit more expensive than others you are seeing online.

Every single peg doll that passes across my table goes through a labour-intensive process. Firstly, I draw the designs in pencil straight on to the doll. This can take a few hours on each one until the features and details are just right.

When I’m happy, it’s time for burning my drawings into the wood using the art of pyrography. This is the technique of using a red hot tool to permanently scorch the line work into the dolls. This can be lengthy depending on the complexity of detail.

When I first began in early 2015 I was the only peg doll artist in the UK (and as far as I’m aware in Europe) to use pyrography to create peg dolls.

making my peg dolls, pyrography, how to make peg dolls

Once this is done, I am ready to sand back the doll to tidy the burned lines and prep the wood for colouring.

Colouring

This is the lengthiest part of making Doli Dwt peg dolls. It can take at least A WHOLE DAY to colour one 9cm (adult) peg doll, and about a week to colour a whole family. This is because they are not just painted peg dolls. My go-to medium is coloured pencils. Again when it comes to creating peg dolls this is an unusual technique, as most are painted.

If you can imagine sitting down with a colouring book, it takes much longer to colour a section of the image with pencil than if you were to lay down a wash of paint. It’s the same with peg dolls. It takes a lot longer to lay down colour on them with pencil than painting them. However, I just love the beautiful effect pencils create on wood grain and the fact that it makes my dolls unique and instantly recognisable.

That’s not to say that I never use paint in my work. My mission is always to create the best representation of your loved ones’ outfits, and if a combination of pencil with acrylic or watercolour paint is what will give the desired effect then that’s what I will of course use.

You might enjoy taking a peep of this hyper-lapse video of me colouring a part of a peg doll to see what it involves!

There are lots of other videos of my processes, including wood burning, on my YouTube channel.

This recent commission for a beautiful peg doll family portrait highlights how each order comes together.

I’d already worked for this lovely customer in the past, creating cake toppers for her wedding. I was absolutely delighted when she emailed asking for an updated set to represent their growing family!

painted peg dolls, family portrait, wooden peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, wedding cake topper, wooden cake topperUnique gift, peg doll family, personalised p,eg dolls, peg dolls uk

As always, the process starts by working from photos to draw the peg dolls. These ones have some really special details in the shape of the children’s favourite toys, so they took a while until I was happy that they were just right!

Then I burn the whole family with the pyrography tool – sounds painful doesn’t it?! But I can assure you nobody is hurt in the making of my peg dolls. Except maybe the odd burn to my own fingers!

The fun really begins when I start to colour the clothes! This commission had some really exciting/challenging details to add. First up was this tiny floral hedgehog. When scaled down to fit the doll, it is smaller than my thumbnail!

Here are the finished two children with their cuddly toys. Lots of detail is packed into the tiny 6cm peg dolls! Spot the tiny monkey-face socks!

Mum’s dress is exceptionally beautiful! As with most pretty dresses, it had to be created in stages, sealing bright colours as I go so that the high-pigmentation of the pencils aren’t carried across to other areas while I work.

Dad’s shirt is not short of detail either!

Together they make a fab peg doll couple!

painted peg dolls, family portrait, wooden peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, wedding cake topper, wooden cake topper

I hope you agree that they are an absolutely gorgeous family. They were a total pleasure to recreate in peg doll form!

painted peg dolls, family portrait, wooden peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, wedding cake topper, wooden cake topper

Hopefully, this has helped illustrate that my Doli Dwt dolls are so much more than painted peg dolls. They are beautiful, detailed heirlooms that will be displayed and treasured for years to come.

If you’d love some for yourself, or someone you love, pop to this page for more information and guide prices. Then drop me a line using the contact form and we can chat about your ideas!

doli dwt, peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, peg doll, peg doll family, cake topper, wedding cake topper, personalised wedding gift

~Peg Dolls ~ An Extended Family!

You might remember this lovely pair of peg dolls I made a few years back if you have a great memory! If – like me – you can’t remember what day it is, here’s a link back to the post where I first shared them.

peg doll couple, peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, unique gifts, wedding cake toppers, personalised gift

The peg dolls were a retirement gift from a daughter to her father to commemorate his career and all the admirable work he had done over those years.

Both her dad and her mum loved them, and it wasn’t too long until she got in touch asking if I could make all the grandchildren to add to the set. Of course!

Here they are, all six of them!

peg doll family, peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, unique gifts, wedding cake toppers, personalised gift

Four lovely girls in a mixture of pretty patterns. Florals and stripes, always a favourite of mine!

peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, unique gifts, wedding cake toppers, personalised gift

Not forgetting the handsome boys in their gear! Check out that splattered dotty little shirt! So cute!

peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, unique gifts, wedding cake toppers, personalised gift

The grandchildren dolls were handed over to their Grandparents, and were very much loved immediately. So much so, that Granddad declared he needed dolls of his own children too, to complete the family.

My lovely customer got in touch to see if I could extend the family set again, this time with her and her brother and sister!

By now she knew my love of working with patterns and colour, and sent me pictures of outfits that didn’t disappoint!

peg doll family, peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, unique gifts, wedding cake toppers, personalised gift

I love layering up the colours and stripes that make up a checked pattern! It’s time consuming but fun!

fathers day gift, unique gifts, wedding cake toppers, personalised gift

I particularly enjoyed recreating the patterns in this scarf on this little lady peg doll. It was also fun adding the shading to get the “puffa” look to her body warmer.

peg doll family, peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, unique gifts, wedding cake toppers, personalised gift

I actually captured working on some of these details in a video, which you can see here. I’m working on building more videos of my work and processes, so keep an eye on my YouTube channel. I hope to gradually add lots more of my pyrography stages and colouring of my peg dolls.

My lovely customer kindly shared a picture of them all in their forever home! A peg doll family which has been extended and built up over the past couple of years. They look so lovely together and I’m sure they will be treasured by all the family for years to come!

peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, unique gifts, wedding cake toppers, personalised gift
doli dwt, peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, peg doll, peg doll family, cake topper, wedding cake topper, personalised wedding gift

Fathers Day 2019

It’s that time of year when we ask ourselves, when is Father’s Day this year? We all know it’s coming, but it usually creeps up on us and we leave it all until last minute!

Of course, I’m always glad to be of service, and that’s why I’m pleased to let you know that Fathers Day this year, 2019, is on Sunday the 16th of June. You’re welcome!

So it’s probably also a good time to let you know that – although technically I am fully booked for commissions waaay past Father’s day this year, I DO have a few of my “faceless” Super Dad peg dolls in my shop, ready to personalise with just your favourite guys’ face.

when is Father's Day this year, fathers day gift, gifts for dad, gifts for him, gift for husband, anniversary gift, wedding gift, superhero gifts, personalised peg doll, fathers day ideas

Each Fathers Day Gift peg doll is wearing the Super “D” of a Super Dad emblazoned across his chest, underneath an unassuming outfit of jeans and a shirt. True hero style!

There is a choice of two colour ways. You can pick either a plain blue shirt, or a red checked shirt, depending on your Dad’s personal style. The shoes are also ready for colouring anyway you’d like me too.

when is Father's Day this year, fathers day gift, gifts for dad, gifts for him, gift for husband, anniversary gift, wedding gift, superhero gifts, personalised peg doll

After placing your order, I’ll get in touch with you within 24 hours for some photos to work from. This enables me to add the hairstyle, glasses, facial hair, bald patches, eye patches or whatever else will make the perfect representation of your dad. Of course any skin tone is possible too. A truly personal and perfect Fathers Day Gift Idea!

fathers day gift, fathers day, super dad, super hero, gift for him, gifts for nerds, gifts for geeks, when is Father's Day this year, fathers day ideas

These plain Daddy Peg dolls are just waiting to be transformed ready for your Fathers Day gift this year. But grab them quickly – I’ve only got two of each colour. They are very exclusive this year!

If I can make one for you, you know the drill! Pop over to the shop and snap yours up. I’m waiting to hear from you.

And if you’re really going to spoil that special man this year, take a look at my Fathers Day Ideas Pinterest Board too. It’s full of DIY ideas, crafts for the kids and other gift ideas to accompany my peg dolls! Go on, show him how much he means to you this year!

doli dwt, peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, peg doll, peg doll family, cake topper, wedding cake topper, personalised wedding gift

Large Peg Doll Family Order – Fisherman’s Friend!

I love commissions for large peg doll family orders! This was a lovely request, as it was for a returning customer who had previous bought some of my Christmas peg dolls. She loved those so much that she also wanted a personalised commission.

large peg doll family, peg doll, peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, peg doll family, personalised gifts, fishing gift, personalised peg dolls, peg doll family, personalised gifts, wedding gift, wedding cake topper

The stars of the show were the grandparents, who were to be the recipients of the peg doll family set. Granddad is a keen fisherman, so he was drawn in his fishing gear with a prize catch!

peg doll, peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, peg doll family, personalised gifts, fishing gift

It was brilliant creating this! It was completely different for me – my first fish on a peg doll, and a big one at that! I loved burning in the details and adding the blue and green colours to his fishy friend. It was interesting trying to make him colourful but still in tune with Granddad’s more neutral outfit colours.

peg doll, peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, peg doll family, personalised gifts, fishing gift
peg doll, peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, peg doll family, personalised gifts, fishing gift

Not to be outdone, Grandma also had some special details of her own added to her peg doll. I decorated her with her favourite handbag and a very special scarf that was full of memories.

peg doll, peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, peg doll family, personalised gifts, fishing gift

These two handsome, cheeky little monkeys were also so enjoyable to create. Check out their awesome outfits! So much tiny detail and brilliant bright colours.

peg doll, peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, peg doll family, personalised gifts, fishing gift

To give you an idea of the scale I was working on with the boys, here is a picture while I was drawing on the details. The tip of my forefinger is roughly the same size as his little peg doll head! Working in such small detail really does test my eyesight, but I love the challenge.

peg doll, peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, peg doll family, personalised gifts, fishing gift

Mum’s outfit was really colourful too, literally from top to toe!
Even her grey tights had pink and aqua polka dots! Amazing! In addition to her jumper being covered in bright coloured hearts, her corduroy skirt was a beautiful fuchsia pink. It had embossed spots all over it, which I hinted at using subtle light and shade.

peg doll, peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, peg doll family, personalised gifts, personalised peg dolls, peg doll family, personalised gifts, wedding gift, wedding cake topper

What a lovely large peg doll family to recreate. I had such positive feedback too when they were received, with my lovely customer letting me know that she thought the peg doll of her dad might be the best one I’ve ever made. Such lovely words! Reactions like this make me smile so much and keep me doing what I do!

large peg doll family, peg doll, peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, peg doll family, personalised gifts, wedding gift, wedding cake topper

As always, there’s lots of information about our personalised peg dolls on our dedicated page. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if we can make a truly unique gift for you or someone you love. My 2019 order books really are filling up fast already. I’ll look forward to hearing from you! *wink*

doli dwt, peg dolls, personalised peg dolls, peg doll, peg doll family, cake topper, wedding cake topper, personalised wedding gift

Personalised Peg Doll Set ~ Pretty Little Parents

I love creating peg doll sets that have a special meaning for the family. When my fellow creativepreneur and Instagram friend Gemma asked if I could create something special for her Mum’s birthday I was of course super excited!

Gemma runs the beautiful Etsy shop Little Wishing Well Company. She hand-makes the most beautiful wedding accessories, gifts and homewares with a rustic, vintage touch to them. Her thoughtful creations really are a must-see.

Here are the pretty little peg doll portraits I created of her parents.

personalised peg doll, parents, peg doll set, handmade gifts, one of a kind gift

I loved recreating Mum’s beautiful rose-printed top and bright, chunky necklace. Will I ever tire of drawing roses? I think not! I love them, and recreating patterned clothes with them.

personalised peg doll, parents, peg doll set, handmade gifts, one of a kind gift

Mum’s cardigan had a subtle textured, self-pattern which I gently added using a tiny amount of acrylic paint and the tiniest paint brush in my collection!   I always choose the most suitable material for the project and the effect, pattern or texture I’m trying to recreate. Although I work proudly and predominantly with high grade artists pencils to colour my dolls, sometimes a spot of paint or watercolour is called for to enhance the design and give the best overall finish.

personalised peg doll, parents, peg doll set, handmade gifts, one of a kind gift

There were a couple of requests to personalise Gemma’s Dad’s doll. Firstly, he needed his watch on his wrist. In all the reference photos that she had sent me, his shirt appeared tucked in, and sleeves rolled up. In addition, she asked if I could create a chain necklace above a little cheeky vest, just visible under his shirt neckline.

personalised peg doll, parents, peg doll set, handmade gifts, one of a kind gift

They were a lovely couple to make, for an equally lovely customer.

personalised peg doll, parents, peg doll set, handmade gifts, one of a kind gift

So, who in your life deserves the peg doll treatment?! Take a look at our little gallery for some ideas, and then drop me a line using the contact form to chat about your ideas!

Cwtch ♥ Mawr,

peg doll family, personalised peg doll