This tutorial has been made for The GIMP 2.0, but I'm pretty sure that it will works with versions 1.2 or 2.2 too.
I was searching the web, but I found only a few tutorials for The GIMP. I think it is wrong, because it is really great open source application and the greatest thing on it is that The GIMP is FREE, which is quite good for people, which have no money to buy Photoshop or another graphic editors(as me for ex.).
(^^Hehe, shameless plugging)
But I think you can follow this tutorial if you are using other grpahic programs too

(I'm so sorry if I wrote some mistakes or wrong informations)

If you have just started with GIMP or if you think about downloading,
try tutorials at Xandorra's Place(explains how to install GIMP) and  Desdemona's Lab(explains how to save transparent gifs and much more) or Sarah's (she has awesome tuts for beginers)

base which I'm using during this tutorial comes from awesome Fainelloth Dolls


1. Well, lets say that you have got a doll saved in xcf. format. You should have it like this: first layer background - white, second layer - doll base, next layers - clothes. I always make the hair in the end, if you don't want to just forget about that clothes layers.

At the begining it should look like this. Well, your clothes and base are different, maybe. (Who said ugly folds??? Yes, the shading is weird, but this is a hair tutorial, lol) 2. Prepare three colours - darkest, medium, brightest (you can use ones from the palette, which I've prepared for you. Darkest colours are on the left, brightest on the right). (forget about that white, I was too lazy to put it away) Create a new layer(I¨m a very messy person, so I can't help you with naming, because I leave it blank, hehehe) Pick your(I call it a pencil tool), set it as exactly one-pixel size and, draw an outline of the hair. When it is maximized it should look like this, when it is in normal resolution then like this. 3. Pick your bucket tool and fill the outline of the hair with the medium colour. 4. Then take this tool and select the medium colour (it should help with staying the rest clean) 5. Using this tool (brush) you can draw single strands in the selected area. At first choose the darkest colour and draw strands with it, then take the brightest colour and draw bright strands between the dark ones. Still nothing much, am I right. 6. The most difficult part! Scared? (if not you should.... Don't worry I'm joking) Pick this tool (darken/lighten RGB) and at first set it as darkening, medium tones(oh, maybe a wrong translation, so use whatever sounds like this) and oppacity about 20-25 and select one of the bigger brushes (so not one pixel, okay?), I recomend you fuzzy circles 7x7 or 5x5, and draw shades, so it means: touch the hair somewhere around the shoulders and neck and ond the top of head It isn't clearly visible on my example and it shouldn't be also on your doll because, if it was too dark, the doll'd come up quite weird. 7. Pick this tool again , but now set it as lightening, bright tones and the oppacity about 20-25 again and touch the hair on the places, where should be highlights. Use the same or at least very similar brush as you used for darkening. 8. Add some shades, where the hair meets the face, ascesories, single strands etc = play with your creation as you wish Here is my finnal result. Well done, you!!! If you made a doll using my tutorial, you can send her to me and I will display your doll here as an example!!!!