Esthetics Disguising bubbles as a scar?

I think you could hide it within a scar mod if that's something you want to do. I have done this with a deep scratch before and I used white school glue to give it a little more scar like texture then blush it, that is completely non permanent and come off with the face up. I would just ask myself if it's an area I would even see or look at depending on how the doll is going to be styled. You might forget all about it if the doll wears a shirt all the time.

 

Bubbles are just a thing that happens sometimes, along with marbling, seam lines and sanding marks, and I personally am not really bothered by them. Real people have skin imperfections more often than not, so I don't mind if resin does. But I totally understand wanting to hide those imperfections too if they do bother you!

I'll second the white glue scar method! It works really well, and you can build up layers if you want more texture. Then you can paint it as you would anything else with some pastels, watercolor and sealant, maybe a little semi-gloss depending on the scar type you're going for. All of that is easily removable if you decide you don't like it or ever want to sell him.

Another possible option would be a tattoo. You could fill in the holes with the glue method, then just paint over it or add a temporary tattoo. If you're painting it, you might not even need to fill in the holes unless they're pretty big.

Depending on the size and pattern of the holes, and your doll's character, you could also cover them with a piercing, I've seen dermal piercings on a collarbone before and I think they're really pretty.

Last idea, maybe freckles? Just add a teeny tiny bit of paint to each one to look like a little freckle cluster. It probably wouldn't really even be obvious that they're bubble pits.

 

As someone with no real freckles or "beauty marks" that stand out, I've always been envious of those who do. I think they're so pretty, which is why several of my dolls are freckled or have moles. They can be tricky on dolls because they often look too patterned or evenly spaced, but with naturally occurring bubbles, that gives you the perfect opportunity for some natural beauty!

 

I had some resin that had a bad reaction with the faceup stripping solvent I was using. Part of the doll's right cheek softened and "bubbled" before going flat (oh the horror!). I decided to give her glue scars, layered to offset the flatness of the damaged part of her cheek. For the most part, her unusual reconstructive surgery was successful.


Fronds by Yela Gatchalian-David, on Flickr

 

As someone who makes home cast dolls and so is very familliar with the anoying little imperfections that just loves to show up on otherwise perfect pieces (insert frustrated rant here), I second the idea of freckles.
If the bubbles are either small enough (like the microbubbles you get if you cast during too high air humidity) or shallow enough (like most "pock marks" caused by air bubbles in the mold expanding with the heat from the curing resin) you probably don't even have to paint them, as such. Just seal as usual and then blush the area lightly and the pastel will catch in the bubbles and form subtle freckles. You can of course target a few spots in slightly different shades or fill them in further with paint to get a more varied and realistic look as well.

 

Depending on your preference and how the bubbles look, you could consider freckles, moles, or acne. I think they can make your doll stand out and give them personality

 

One of my first faceups on a doll had a bit of dust get stuck in it, so I painted over it with a birthmark. Now many faceups later I'm still giving her that birthmark.

 

This might not appeal to people, but human beings also get acne scars on their chest. Depending on their back story, might add some character or make a doll a bit more relatable.