Kangaroo: a pouch line on the tummy, a joey's head peeping over itTan, cream, black. A curved pouch line at the waist; a small face with two ears above it. Liner brush.
Sky set: night outside, then dusk, day, dawn and a small sunNavy, purple, blue, pink, yellow. One sky per doll; stars only on the largest. Flat brush.
Librarian: two fine rings for glasses, book spines around the hemPlum, white, black. Glasses drawn as two rings on the face; small upright spines circle the base. Liner brush.
Angler: green waders to the chest, one fish hanging down the backOlive, tan, silver. The waders end in a line at the chest; a small silver fish on a line behind. Liner brush.
Baby of the family: smallest peg in a onesie, one curlPale yellow, white, brown. Snap dots down the front; a single curl line on the crown. Dotting tool.
Family set: one sweater color each, the same two-dot faceFive colors, brown, black. Body one flat color per doll; hair shapes differ; faces match. Flat brush.
Florist holding a paper cone of flowers at the waistGreen, pink, yellow, white. A cone of paper at the waist; flower dots spill above it. Cotton swab.
Grandpa: gray hair at the sides, suspenders over a checked shirtGray, red, white, brown. The crown left as wood; two suspender lines cross at the back. Liner brush.
Librarian: two fine rings for glasses, book spines around the hemPlum, white, black. Glasses drawn as two rings on the face; small upright spines circle the base. Liner brush.
Mechanic: blue coveralls with a zip line, a name patch of your ownBlue, white, gray. A zip line from neck to base; a white patch on the chest for a name. Liner brush.
Pilot: navy jacket, gold rings at the hem, a cap bandNavy, gold, white. Four gold rings near the base; a white band around the head. Liner brush.
Scientist: lab coat, pocket pens, a goggle bandWhite, blue, red. A coat opening down the front; a blue band across the eyes. Liner brush.
Teacher in a cardigan, a pencil painted behind one earMustard, white, yellow. Cardigan edges meet down the front; the pencil slants on the head's side. Liner brush.
Twins: matching rings around both, the two colors swappedRed, white. Level rings around both bodies; red where the other is white. Tape.
Vet in green scrubs with a paw badge on the chestGreen, white, brown. A V neckline in white; one small paw print as a badge. Dotting tool.
Storybook folk with no named character 12
Deck hand: striped shirt, a red bandana over the crownWhite, navy, red. Level stripes around the body; the bandana knot painted at the back. Liner brush.
Dragon keeper: a green dragon's tail curling down the backBrown, green, yellow. A plain tunic; a small dragon sits on one shoulder. Liner brush.
Explorer with a map painted across the bodyTan, green, red, brown. A folded-map pattern on the front; a dashed route and one red dot. Paint pen.
Flower fairy: petal skirt in layers from the waist downPink, lilac, green. Three rows of pointed petals overlap to the base; a green bodice. Round brush.
Giant and child: the largest and smallest peg in one outfitBrown, blue, red. The same patched jacket on both sizes, so the pair reads as a tale. Flat brush.
Jester: red and yellow halves split down the middleRed, yellow, white. The split runs through the body; a collar of white points at the neck. Tape.
Knight: silver helmet with a visor slit, a chevron tabardSilver, black, red. Silver over the whole head but a dark slit; a red chevron on the chest. Flat brush.
Mermaid: scale scallops below the waist, hair to the waistTeal, gold, brown. Rows of scallops to the base; long hair covers the back. Liner brush.
Queen: a zigzag crown ring, a cloak with spotted fur trimGold, purple, white. Gold points circle the head; a white hem with black dots. Liner brush.
Shepherd child with a lamb painted at the baseCream, brown, white. A hooded cloak; a small white lamb sits against the hem in front. Round brush.
Woodcutter: check shirt, a bundle of sticks on the backRed, black, brown. Crossed bands on the body; brown stick lines tied with a cord behind. Liner brush.
Woodland sprite: leaf tunic, pointed ears on the headLeaf green, brown, peach. Leaf points along the hem; one ear shape on each side of the head. Liner brush.
Animals 12
Badger: a white stripe from nose to crown, black each sideGray, white, black. The stripe runs up the face and over the top; gray body. Flat brush.
Chipmunk: five dark stripes from the crown down the backTan, dark brown, cream. Stripes start between the ears and end at the base; cream cheeks in front. Liner brush.
Deer: tan with white back spots, antler lines on the crownTan, white, brown. Spots over the back only; two small branching lines on top. Dotting tool.
Giraffe: patches all the way around, two horn dots on the crownYellow, brown, cream. Brown patches fit together like paving over the body; a cream muzzle. Round brush.
Kangaroo: a pouch line on the tummy, a joey's head peeping over itTan, cream, black. A curved pouch line at the waist; a small face with two ears above it. Liner brush.
Llama: cream curls, a striped blanket across the back with tasselsCream, red, teal, yellow. Loops over the body; three blanket stripes behind; tassel dots at its ends. Liner brush.
Meerkat on watch: dark eye patches, a pale stripe down the tummySand, cream, dark brown. A cream stripe from chin to base; a patch around each eye; small ears low down. Round brush.
Otter: brown, a cream chest, whisker dots on the muzzleBrown, cream, black. Cream from chin to waist; three dots each side of the nose. Dotting tool.
Parrot: red head, blue and yellow wing bands on the backRed, blue, yellow, black. A hooked beak on the face; bands slant across the back. Flat brush.
Sheep: cream swirls all over the body, a black faceCream, white, black. Small loops cover the body and the crown; the face oval is black. Liner brush.
Squirrel: russet, a bushy tail painted up the backRusset, cream, brown. The tail rises from the base to the back of the head; cream chest. Round brush.
Tiger: stripes meeting down the back, a white tummyOrange, black, white. Stripes start at the white front and join at the spine. Liner brush.
Seasons and holidays 12
Beach child: a sunhat brim ring and a striped swimsuitAqua, white, tan. A tan ring around the head; level stripes on the upper body. Liner brush.
Birthday doll: a numeral of your own on the chest, dots at the hemAny color, white, brights. One white numeral; bright dots around the bottom third. Paint pen.
Firefly night: navy pajamas, yellow dots circling the body onceNavy, yellow, white. A loose trail of dots winds around from hem to shoulder; a white collar. Dotting tool.
First day of school: a backpack painted on the backBlue, red, white. Two strap lines over the shoulders; a zip line across the pack. Liner brush.
Kite-day child: a kite on the back, its string winding to the frontSky blue, red, yellow, white. A diamond kite high on the back; a white line circles the body once. Liner brush.
Leaf-pile child: rust sweater, leaves tumbling at the baseRust, gold, red, brown. Small leaves in three colors scattered around the bottom third. Round brush.
Maypole dancer: four ribbons spiraling around the bodyWhite, red, blue, yellow, green. Four colored lines wind from the neck to the base. Liner brush.
Pumpkin-suit child: orange body with ribs, a green capOrange, burnt orange, green. Upright rib lines around the body; green over the crown. Liner brush.
Raincoat child: yellow coat, a hood line, boots at the baseYellow, red, white. The hood frames the face in yellow; a red ring at the bottom for boots. Flat brush.
Season quartet: coats for blossom, sun, leaves and snowPink, yellow, rust, white. One coat per doll with a few dots of its season on it. Dotting tool.
Snow-day doll: an earmuff dot each side, a mitten stringTeal, pink, white. Pink dots on the head's sides joined by a band; a white cord at the neck. Dotting tool.
Winter doll: duffle coat with toggles, a scarf looped twiceCamel, red, brown. Three toggle dashes down the front; two scarf rings at the neck. Liner brush.
Nesting sets, largest to smallest 12
Apron set: one more flower on the apron at each size upRed, white, yellow, green. The smallest has one flower; each larger doll adds one. Round brush.
Counting set: one dot on the smallest, five on the largestFive colors, white. White dots on the front of each doll, arranged as on a number cube. Dotting tool.
Farm set: barn, cow, sheep, hen and an eggRed, black, white, brown, cream. The barn doors sit on the largest doll's join. Round brush.
Forest set: bear, fox, rabbit, mouse and an acornBrown, orange, white, gray, tan. Faces at the same height on every doll; the acorn is solid. Round brush.
Fruit set: watermelon, melon, orange, plum and a cherryGreen, yellow, orange, purple, red. One fruit skin per doll, a stalk dot on each crown. Flat brush.
Growing set: tree, bush, flower, seedling and a seedGreens, brown, pink. One plant on the front of each doll; the smallest is a plain brown seed. Round brush.
Kitten-to-cat set: a stripe added at every size upGinger, cream, pink. The smallest is plain ginger; each larger doll has one more stripe. Liner brush.
Sea set: whale, seal, penguin, fish and a shrimpBlues, gray, black, orange, pink. One animal per doll, the whale outermost. Round brush.
Sky set: night outside, then dusk, day, dawn and a small sunNavy, purple, blue, pink, yellow. One sky per doll; stars only on the largest. Flat brush.
Space set: sun, a ringed planet, a blue planet, a moonYellow, tan, blue, gray. Each doll one flat color with its bands, patches or craters. Sponge.
Spectrum set: red outermost through to violet innermostRed, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet. One flat color per doll, the joins left crisp. Flat brush.
Street set: tower, house, cottage, shed and kennelGray, brick red, cream, green, brown. Windows and doors scaled down doll by doll. Liner brush.
How it works
These 60 designs treat a plain peg doll as a round head on a one-piece body: a hairline, two dot eyes and an outfit that wraps all the way around. Twelve are for a blank nesting set.
Read the full guide
Wooden peg doll painting ideas, head first
With no arms or legs to paint, the head decides who the doll is. Scientist: lab coat, pocket pens, a goggle band is a white coat and one blue band across the eyes. On the animals the head is the whole face: Badger: a white stripe from nose to crown, black each side.
Nesting doll painting ideas
A nesting set is dolls of decreasing size, one inside another, and each one but the smallest opens at the middle. So the twelve set designs are orders: Sea set: whale, seal, penguin, fish and a shrimp. The smallest doll is usually solid, which is why it is an acorn, a seed or an egg.
Questions and answers
What paint do you use on peg dolls?
Acrylic paint is fast-drying, and most kinds are water-based and become water-resistant when dry. Whether a paint or sealer suits a toy a small child will handle is on its label: we do not test paints.
How do you paint a face on a peg doll?
Most of the people here share one face: two dots for eyes and, at most, a small mouth line. Family set: one sweater color each, the same two-dot face repeats it on five dolls, and the hair and clothes do the rest.
Can I paint a character from a film or a book?
None of the 60 is a named character: those belong to their owners. The storybook group uses stock figures anyone may paint, such as Knight: silver helmet with a visor slit, a chevron tabard and Jester: red and yellow halves split down the middle.
Which peg dolls suit a holiday?
The seasons and holidays group: Pumpkin-suit child: orange body with ribs, a green cap for October, Kite-day child: a kite on the back, its string winding to the front for spring and Maypole dancer: four ribbons spiraling around the body for May.