Commission Examples: From Reference to Cotton Doll

Every doll starts with a reference: OC art, a fursona sheet, or photos of a real person. Here’s how two of our dolls went from reference to design.

C000 · Our sample doll · about 40 cm (16 in)

From OC Art to Doll Design

Our own sample doll, drawn from our original character. The design keeps her dark hair, gray-brown eyes and crescent-moon clip, in a round, seated chibi body.

  1. SPROOVIA character illustration with a crescent-moon hair clip, short brown hair, a burgundy cardigan, a pleated skirt and Mary Jane shoes.

    OC art

  2. Front and back doll design: a chibi, seated doll with dark hair, gray-brown eyes, a moon hair clip, and a yellow star on the body.

    Doll design, front and back

Carried over:

  • Moon hair clip
  • Short dark hair
  • Gray-brown eyes
  • Seated chibi body
  • Yellow star on the front

Next: Both images are drawings. Our finished 40 cm sample is here, and we’ll add its photos and measurements soon.

C001 · Customer commission · about 20 cm (8 in)

Rain: From a Photo to a Cotton Doll

A customer commission based on photos of a real person, shared with their permission. Our illustrator drew the chibi design, then mapped the face out for embroidery.

  1. Photo reference of Rain, shared with permission.

    Photo reference

    A clear, recent photo, shared with her permission.

  2. Chibi doll design of Rain: dark middle-parted hair, a long side braid, and big dark eyes with star-shaped highlights.

    Doll design

    Middle-parted hair, a long side braid and star-shaped eye highlights. Her face is simplified into embroidered eyes and a small smile, so it still reads clearly at 20 cm.

  3. Embroidery layout for Rain’s face and body, shown in the embroidery software.

    Embroidery layout

    The face is mapped out stitch by stitch, and you approve it before production.

  4. Rain’s finished cotton doll, about 20 cm, in a cat-ear hat and denim overalls

    Finished doll

    About 20 cm (8 in). Photo lightly retouched.

Carried over:

  • Middle-parted dark hair
  • Long side braid
  • Star-shaped eye highlights

Want your character as a doll?

Send us your character references and tell us the details you care about most. We’ll talk through the design and what can work for your doll.

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