Isadora Goes to Prom: Paper Doll Coloring Pages


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A paper doll prom dress for the Mini-Maiden series featuring a high-low hem and some beaded details. From paperthinpersonas.com.

These high low dresses certainly seem to be sticking around. I confess when I first saw them, I thought they looked kinda absurd, but the whole style has grown on me. Now, I rather like them. I’m also starting to kinda like skinny jeans. Clearly, there is something wrong with me.

At the top of this paper doll dress, I put some beading/sequin/ruching detail. I think it could be any of those things, depending on how you color it. I was thinking a combo of sort of a beading and ruched detail when I drew it, but don’t let that stop you from coloring it anyway you like.

That is, after all, the power of paper doll coloring pages- You get to decide what it becomes.

Friendly reminder- the dark lines on the skirt should be cut along carefully, so you can wrap the back of the skirt around the back of the paper doll. The shorter front of the skirt will fall over the front of the paper doll. This kind of trimming sometimes easiest to do with an Xact-o knife or razor blade, but if you use one, I would do it on a cutting board or some cardboard or something.

If you don’t, you will cut your countertop and then you will pray your mother never notices. (Ask me how I know…)

The Rest of This Week’s Isadora Prom Paper Doll Coloring Page Posts

 

All right, so I hope everyone enjoyed this week’s paper doll prom series. I certainly had fun posting them.

Now, I’m going to go get ready for my weekend and also be grateful that my parents replaced that counter-top before I ever had to explain any youthful antics involving paper doll coloring pages and Xact-o knives.

Ignoring my childhood misadventures for the moment, please consider taking a second to tell me what you think of this new pattern of posting and/or support the blog by becoming a patron.

Isadora Goes to Prom: Accessory Thursday


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Paper Doll Prom Accessories!

So, I have the best boyfriend ever for two reasons. First of all, he puts up with me when I am at my worst which is something only someone who loves me would do. Secondly, he not only listened to me talk about the blog for three hours one day, but he came up with a fun idea of his own- “Accessory Thursdays”.

Some Thursdays I’ll be posting accessories for that week’s paper doll. One thing, he noticed was most of my paper dolls had cool accessories . So, he thought I should post them all on one day. I’m not promising every week will have an Accessory Thursday, but here is the first of this new tradition.

In this paper doll prom related accessory set, we have a three pairs of strappy high heels to go with any of the dresses. I don’t think it comes to a shock to ANY of my readers that I like to draw paper doll shoes. After all, I kinda have a thing for shoes. Meanwhile, she also has four different handbags, since any girl needs her cellphone, lipstick, and a flask to spike the punch. Where else is she going to put all that?

(I am not condoning anyone spiking their prom punch.)

Lastly, I added in a pair of long gloves. I just think gloves are so darn elegant, though I have never worn a pair.

Tomorrow, there will be a round-up of all the posts this week and then, of course, another dress. So that’ll end the first week of this new format.

I’d love to hear what people have enjoyed or not enjoyed so far, if you like to support PTP, than consider becoming a patron.

Need a Mini-Maiden paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick a Mini-Maiden Paper Doll Here.

Isadora Goes to Prom: Part 3


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Two short prom dresses for the Mini-Maidens paper dolls. Print and color from paperthinpersonas.com

Two paper doll dresses today for the prom going paper dolls. (Here’s Isadora whose got the hair-do for these dresses)

So, in my prom dress research, I learned that short prom dresses are in right now. I’ll confess, I don’t like short dresses. I am a maxi lenght girl, but I’m also pretty tall. I have been told by my height challenged friends that short dresses are nice when you’re not tall.

(I have no clue what it feels like to not be tall, but I trust my non-tall friends to know things about being short that I will never know.)

Anyhow, the prom trend for short dresses seems like a nice option for people who don’t like long dresses. The paper doll dress on the right is a more sophisticated cocktail sort of option. Very modern with that obi-sash detail. The paper doll dress on the left is actually a take on a dress I drew years ago for this Marisole Monday Prom Paper Doll set back in 2010.

So, my question is, who was into short dresses for their prom? I wasn’t, but I suspect I have readers who went the short dress route.

So, tell me in a comment. I’m quite curious.

Also, if you want support the blog, I have a Patreon page.

Need a Mini-Maiden paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick a Mini-Maiden Paper Doll Here.

Isadora Goes to Prom: The Sequel


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A prom dress for a paper doll with a wrap bodice and some beading detail. This dress fits any of the MIni-Maiden paper dolls and it's free from paperthinpersonas.com.

If there is one thing I noticed while looking at way more prom dresses than any person not planning to go to prom should have to look at, it was the amount of beading detail on these gowns. Every gown it seemed like had some sorta beading or sequin detail.

Made me feel weird for not really liking sequins that much.

I wondered if maybe I liked sequins when I was sixteen, but I don’t think I did. In fact, I can’t remember ever being like, “Yay! Sequins.”

However, I am not the average prom-goer, so on the right side of the bodice of this paper doll prom dress there’s a little beading detail, just to keep things interesting. You might have to look closer to really get to see it.

Otherwise, this is a pretty basic long gown with a wrap bodice. I confess I don’t have much more to say about it.

I’ve drawn similar gowns before, I know. There’s one here, one here and one here. Clearly, it’s a style I like, but I also notice that it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Do you need a doll to wear this stylish dress? Here’s Isadora ready for Prom!

As always, I love to hear comments or, if you’d like to support the blog further than become a patron.

Need a Mini-Maiden paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick a Mini-Maiden Paper Doll Here.

Isadora Goes to Prom


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A prom paper doll set including a doll and a prom dress in black and white for coloring.

All right, for those of you who missed Friday’s post, here’s the new plan for the blog:

Every Monday (which is today), I’ll post a doll and an outfit or accessories.  Each day for the rest of the week, I’ll post another outfit to fit that doll. Most of the time, each week will represent a theme like 1860s children’s clothing, steampunk attire or, as this week, prom night!

(Regrets and bad decisions on Prom night will not be illustrated in paper doll form. You’ll have to add your own.)

On Friday, a gallery post of all the paper doll pieces and links to every post will go up, so if you missed one you can pick it up then, plus that day’s outfit.

Than, I’ll do it all over again.

All righty, so this week’s theme is formals or proms or possibly red carpet, but I confess I was thinking prom when I designed this set of gowns. Our model is Isadora, one of the Mini-Maidens. Not for any reason, except she’s got fewer sets than all the other Mini-Maidens. I felt bad for her. What can I say?

Her first dress is a floor length number with a boned bodice. She has strappy high heeled shoes and her hair is up in a formal undo. I once had my hair styled like that for a winter formal in high school. It looked pretty wonderful, but it made me almost taller than my date who was 6’2”.

Anyway, it gave me a life long love of curly undos.

Lastly, if you like PTP and want it to stick around than consider becoming a patron.

Going Back to My Roots…

roots Lately, I have been loathing the blog.

Okay, okay. I know that sounds a little melodramatic- cue the violins, but seriously, it has been a slog for me for the last year.

I’ve been trying to sort out why.

I started this whirly-gig of fun back in 2008. I had just graduated college. I was single, living alone in Alaska, and working two jobs to make ends meet. In the evenings, I came home to my apartment (which was one of the nicest apartments I have ever had) and drew paper dolls.

I’ve been trying to sort out why I did that. Why I started this.

Here’s the story I normally tell people:

In 2008, during a long cold Alaskan winter, I got addicted to a blog called Liana’s Paper Doll Blog and I decided to start my own blog inspired by hers. It was a way of passing the time in the cold and dark.

There’s the problem with that story. It doesn’t address the “why” I did it.

Because it sure as heck wasn’t to make fame and fortune.

For nearly three hours last Saturday, my boyfriend and I discussed the blog. He asked me tons of great questions about why I started and what I liked. The whole conversation started with me stating, “I’m going to delete the blog.”

And him saying, “I don’t think you really want to do that.”

Why I Got into this Blog in the First Place…

  1.  I have a compulsive need to finish my work. Just drawing is not enough. I need to feel like I have “completed” something and the blog closes that loop for me
  2. In an effort to be more mainstream, I have diversified my content; however, I really didn’t get into this to write tutorials on how to draw or to talk about historical costume (though I love those things), I got into it to draw paper dolls.
  3. My readers don’t get to dictate what I do, so I should so what I want to do and if it pleases or displeases people, they can get over it.

So, things are going to change on Monday.

The New Plan Is….

Each Monday there will be a doll posted from one of my series and an outfit. Every day for the rest of the week, there will be another outfit or accessories. On Friday, I’ll post a round-up with another outfit and links to all the proceeding outfits.

The next week, I’ll do it all over again.

I hoping this new format will get me excited again about doing what I made the blog to do: Draw paper dolls.

It also removes the pressure of layout work which is actually one of the most time consuming parts of the paper doll process.

Process posts will continue, but they’ll be posted on my Patreon page. If you love the blog, than please consider supporting it. Shocking as this may sound, there are quite a lot of expenses involved in running this site.

And while I don’t know for certain that this new plan will cure my ennui about the blog, I can say this: I have been excited to draw for the first time in what feels like a long time and that has to be a good sign.

This is actually the format I had for the first two years of the blog, before the crash in 2009. It feels both good and a little strange to be returning to my roots like this, but I’m excited.

I hope y’all are excited, too.

Happy 4th of July… Here is a Paper Doll!

4th-of-july-logo Happy 4th of July! There are a lot of 4th of July printables out there, but I don’t see a lot of 4th of July printable paper dolls and is there anything better than a paper doll activity for the small ones coming to your bbq?

I’ve been thinking a lot about the 4th of July, also known as Independence Day lately. Politics in the United States this year have gotten horribly vicious, I think everyone can agree. It’s a strange thing to see. But the 4th of July should be a day when people in the United States can celebrate the fact that even when our politics get nasty, we’re still living in a pretty fantastic place.

So, I’m pretty proud to be American, even though right now I’d like to get to stop hearing about our Presidential elections. Actually, I was sick of hearing about the Presidential elections about four months ago and we’ve got a long way to go it feels like.

And that is all the politics you’re going to get from me today.

Meanwhile, here’s a 4th of July printable paper doll!

A 4th of July printable paper doll with short dark hair and brown skin. She has a 8 piece wardrobe. Free to print from paperthinpersonas.com.

{Download a PDF of this paper doll to Color} {View a 150 dpi PNG of this Paper Doll to Color} {More Bodacious & Buxom Paper Dolls}

In a change of pace from my other 4th of July paper dolls, I went with short hair. I had fun with cookout accessories including a burger and a drink. I was going to draw a hotdog, but did you know?

Hot dogs are actually really very hard to draw. Huh.

I don’t think anyone will be shocked that I went with a red, white, and blue color scheme.

A 4th of July printable paper doll with short dark hair and brown skin. She has a 8 piece wardrobe. Free to print from paperthinpersonas.com.

{Download a PDF of this paper doll to Color} {View a 150 dpi PNG of this Paper Doll to Color} {More Bodacious & Buxom Paper Dolls}

So, I was originally going to color the drink like it was lemonade, but it looks kinda unpleasant once it was colored, so I went with a sorta coca-cola color.

May everyone have a great 4th of July if you’re celebrating or a delightful Monday if you’re not.

4th of July Paper Dolls!

It’s nearly the 4th of July! One of my favorite holidays. In Alaska, where I grew up, the 4th was a big deal. Among our close knit group of friends, there was always a huge bonfire on the 3rd (usually with a theme- one year a t-rex, another year, the iron throne) and at midnight the fireworks would go off, calling in the 4th of July. This might seen an odd choice, but remember, that the sun didn’t set until about 10 pm, so it took a while to get completely dark.

I remember one of our hosts, spraying down their house with water to make sure it was safe from the very high bonfire raging on the beach.

Over the years, I have done a few different 4th of July paper dolls and I wanted to share them here.

Four 4th of July Themed Paper Dolls

Now, I’ve also done a lot of paper dolls which that are not specifically “4th of July” themed, but could be used that way if you wanted too. So, here are some paper dolls with red, white and blue color schemes and one Majorette, because that screams parades to me.

Red White & Blue Paper Dolls


Or, if you would rather, get your paper dolls all dressed up for the holiday, here a few outfit sets that could be wonderfully patriotic. Perhaps the Poppets are going to be in the local parade? Or maybe Ms. Mannequin is planning a barbecue and needs to look fantastic.

Red White & Blue Paper Doll Outfits

There MIGHT be a 4th of July paper doll on the actual 4th. She’s inked, but I don’t know if I’ll get her done. Fingers crossed!

In the mean time, I think there’s enough 4th of July content to keep people busy over the holiday.

(Also, I have been told paper dolls are a great coloring activity to keep kids occupied. I can’t promise it’s possible, but I’ve heard rumors. Sadly, I don’t have any kids around top “test” my work much.)

Lastly, I noticed in Monday’s poll that Mini-Maidens did a last minute surge into the lead which makes me wonder about the voting. Anyway, since I already had my 4th paper doll figured out, I’m reopening the poll, below.

[poll id=”16″]