Pages of Paper Dolls:
352
Latest Poll
Search
Categories
- Announcements
- Antique Paper Dolls
- Black & White
- Blogging Advice and Thoughts
- Filler Doodles
- Full Color
- Magnetic Paper Doll
- On the Bookshelf…
- Printable Paper Dolls
- Ramblings
- Research Resources
- Sets of Links
- Tutorials
- Work-In-Progress
Tags
1870s asian paper doll ballgown black paper doll blond blue boots contemporary corset dress edgy fantasy full-figured gloves green hat high heels historical jeans jewelry kid friendly latino paper doll medieval inspired mix and match orange paper dolls of dolls and toys pattern pink pleats princess purple red regency sandals shadowed short hair stockings straps stripes teal victorian victorian inspired vintage wig yellowArchives
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
Category Archives: Mia
Marisole Monday & Friends: Mia Goes to the Bathing Place… and gets some colors…
{Click Here for a PDF to Print} {Click Here for a PNG to Print} {Click Here for the rest of this series}
So, as I mentioned last time, I always liked the idea of multiple costumes for various activities that was such a part of the Victorian way of dressing. Personally, I think it would be rather fun to have a special outfit I wore while visiting or yachting, but jeans and a t-shirt seem to see me through nearly all of my social engagements. I suppose that says something, perhaps not flattering, about the nature of my social engagements.
The outfits today, are, as I mentioned last week, a grey and teal skirt which can be paired with either the corset, jacket, and top hat to make a traveling or promenade suit or can be worn with the bodice trimmed in pleats for a dinner toilette. The yellow and white yachting costume is sort of practical (barely) and the bathing dress (a swimsuit to most of us) has matching slippers. All things considered I think Mia would do quite well for herself with this set on vacation. Of course, she can share her dresses with Marisole and Margot.
Personally, I just got back from gallivanting around Alabama for work and then finishing up my taxes (I hate doing taxes) and now I can consider all of my obligations for filled for the moment. As always, enjoy the paper doll and, as always, feel free to let me know what you think. Next week, there will be elves.
Posted in Full Color, Marisole Monday & Friends, Mia, Printable Paper Dolls
Tagged asian paper doll, fantasy, hat, swimsuit, teal, victorian inspired, white, yellow
3 Comments
Marisole Monday & Friends: Mia at the Bathing Place…
{Click Here for a PDF to Print} {Click Here for a PNG to Print} {Click Here for the rest of this series}
The thing I think I find most fascinating about the Victorians is how many times a day they changed their clothing and the idea of having a specific dress for a specific activity. I love reading through old fashion magazines to find out what was proper to wear for a carriage ride or afternoon tea. As a child, I loved the idea of having special outfits for riding or hiking or going for a walk. It felt exotic and fancy.
My original idea was to do a bride and her trousseau inspired by the Victorian inspired styled I love so much. I always think of this as a chance to draw Victorian inspired fantasy clothing with no guilt about lack of historical authenticity. I realized, after I started that I wasn’t sure I wanted to draw that many items, so instead focused on a smaller set of “bathing place” costumes for Mia.
So, there’s a yachting costume, a traveling suit with an alternate dinner bodice and a swim suit with slippers to match. All in all, she can handle a weekend in on the coast rather well, I think.
Posted in Black & White, Marisole Monday & Friends, Mia, Printable Paper Dolls
Tagged asian paper doll, boots, fantasy, hat, swimsuit, victorian inspired
1 Comment
Marisole Monday: Dead Roses- In Color
{Click Here for a PDF to Print} {Click Here for a PNG to Print} {Click Here for the rest of this series}
I feel a little weird saying this is in color when the color is mostly black…
Not the most cheerful color scheme ever developed for a paper doll. I almost made it all black, but that seemed a bit much, even for Gothic Marisole. If you look closely, you’ll see one of my usual tricks for keeping things from looking totally “flat” is to use shades of the same color. So while everything is “black” there is still some definition between the various parts of the garments. I actually did this Marisole in four shades of very very dark grey which look black, but still allow the line work to be seen.
It’s all an illustion.
So, Meredith asked: I think a ballerina paper doll would be cool or mabey a pool / summer themed doll also for some ting tiffrent you could do dolls theamed ot colors of the rainbow
how long have you been drawing paper dolls for?
could you do a cow girl paper doll that would be cool and diffrent
To answer the easiest question, I have been drawing paper dolls for as long as I can really remember. It began when my mother would draw me a doll as a bribe for cleaning my room or other activity and then I had to draw the clothing. Eventually, that evolved into drawing my own paper dolls, though I still prefer clothing to the dolls.
As for your requests, I have added them to my list of ideas. I usually keep a running list of ideas, but since most paper dolls are drawn weeks (sometimes months) before they eventually get posted, I can’t promise anything as far as doing any of those ideas. And I probably won’t to the ballerina, because tutu’s scare me.
To answer a related question, Tawny asked: What is your favorite sort of paper doll to draw? I mean… I think eeery thing you do is great, but what do you like to do the most?
I like drawing everything. I do find I tend to return to certain themes a lot. I like things that are a little alt-fashion inspired and a little fantasy inspired. I often draw from fashion magazines, because it makes deciding what to draw simpler. I always fear that I will fall into a rut and draw the same thing over and over again. I try to keep things interesting using reference images and other materials.
Got a question you want me to answer on the blog?Ask me here.
Posted in Full Color, Marisole Monday & Friends, Mia, Printable Paper Dolls
Tagged asian paper doll, black, boots, contemporary, corset, gloves, gothic, jacket, lace, mix and match, parasol, purple, red, skirt, straps, victorian inspired
5 Comments
Marisole Monday: Dead Roses
{Click Here for a PDF to Print} {Click Here for a PNG to Print} {Click Here for the rest of this series}
There are paper doll sets that go together all smooth and easy and I’m like, wow… this was so simple. And then… then there are sets like this one. It took me four tries to get everything to fit on one page and when it finally came together properly, I found myself thinking- “Why was this so easy? It as hard the last three times I tried it…”
Seriously… ugh…
On the upside, I have here, in honor of Halloween and October and things, a traditional Gothic paper doll. When I was in high school, a longer time ago than I like to admit, the big trends were Gothic and Punk, now both seem to have given way to Steampunk and various forms of Gothic Lolita sort of styles.
And yes, I am using capitalization in the proceeding paragraph for emphasis, because I Like doing that.
Clearly spending a Sunday afternoon trying to get little paper pieces of clothing to fit on a page puts me in a grouchy feisty mood… so I shall go away now and work on the rest of this weeks posts.
I don’t think its too much of a spoiler to say that the color version will feature a lot of black. She is Gothic after all.
Posted in Black & White, Marisole Monday & Friends, Mia, Printable Paper Dolls
Tagged asian paper doll, boots, contemporary, corset, gloves, gothic, jacket, mix and match, parasol, skirt, straps, victorian inspired
2 Comments
Marisole Monday: Spring has Sprung
{Click Here for a PDF to Print} {Click Here for a PNG to Print} {Click Here for the rest of this series}
Yay, it’s a printable paper doll.
I promised myself I wouldn’t spend this post whining about everything i have been trying to get done or making excuses. I had this last week off for spring break and I did get some stuff done, so I can’t be all unhappy about it. I don’t seem to be getting as much done I had hoped, but perhaps I have less then realistic expectations of myself.
Today’s Marisole recycles a few things I’ve done before such as the shoes and the sewing machine. I really wanted to have a sewing machine for the paper Marisoles as well as the magnetic ones and I am just pleased that it came out well. The grey shoes are recolored from the set I drew for my Mother’s quilting retreat and the other shoes were drawn at the same time, but not used because she thought the heels were too high. I personally think high heels are fun.
I can’t decide how I feel about the patterned shirts in this set. I like them, but I’m not sure how much I like them… I was trying to do more patterns, but I’m not sure I should have. I really don’t like the black background that seems to happen when my pictures open in a new window… is it just me or do other people see it too? And does it annoy you all as much as it annoys me?
Posted in Marisole Monday & Friends, Mia, Printable Paper Dolls
Tagged asian paper doll, bangs, blue, contemporary, grey, jewelry, knitting, mix and match, pattern, pink, sewing machine, sweater, yellow
9 Comments
Marisole Monday: Practical Princess
{Click Here for a PDF to Print} {Click Here for a PNG to Print} {Click Here for the rest of this series}
From a kingdom high in the mountains, Marisole has come. It’s a harsh, rocky landscape and its princess is a practical oriented woman with a love of sword fighting and literatre. Her mother insists she still practice her stitching for when she is married, but would rather be out riding her horse. Someday, she will marry and rule this hard beautiful land, but until then she must study and wait.
I don’t usually think about characters when I’m drawing Marisole, but after the Yellow Princess set, I wanted to do a more practical princess and I began to wonder what sort of world would spawn such a logical and down to earth member of the royalty. I choose cool calm colors for her clothing and decided to rely on gray rather then brown as my neutral. My favorite of her costumes is her grey leather jumper over her purple skirt. I imagine this is a fencing outfit to go with her sword and her practical boots.
I have done quite a few “princesses” over the years, often based on color. Princess In Pink was one of my first with a very pink and blue based color scheme. I love her hair style, but the color is redder then I think it should be. Before her, there was Green Princess who had a unique crown and only two dresses, because I forgot to draw a left sleeve onto the other dress and didn’t notice until I’d scanned and colored it. Opps… And then in June of last year, there was the Elven Princess who had pointy ears, purple eyes and one of my favorite sets of clothing. Lastly, there was the Yellow Princess who went up just a few weeks ago.
So, Marisole has been a princess quite a few times, though this is the first Marisole with Asian features to be a princess. I wanted her to resemble Filipino coloring, but I’m not sure I liked how her skin tone turned out. I think she looks a little sickly.
Posted in Marisole Monday & Friends, Mia, Printable Paper Dolls
Tagged asian paper doll, blouse, corset, fantasy, grey, medieval inspired, princess, purple, renaissance inspired, straps, sword, teal, warrior
3 Comments
Marisole Monday: Enchanting Evening
{Click Here for a PDF to Print} {Click Here for a PNG to Print} {Click Here for the rest of this series}
It’s 90 degrees here today and while I’m enjoying my day off, I do wish it wasn’t quite so hot. I spent most of the day roasting in my apartment debating turning on my air conditioner- I am glad I eventually did- and working on this post. I could have done it yesterday and had it up by midnight, but I decided to go to a friend’s house and play board games and eat burgers. I do not regret this decision. I did have my sketch book with me which caused the following conversation.
Random guy: What are you drawing?
Me: Paper dolls.
Random guy: Long awkward pause.
I love that pause. 
In other news, Paper Doll Garden is a new paper doll blog I found (Okay, new to me, it’s actually been around for a while) and the art is very good, plus there are males. Males, I tell you. This is highly exciting to me. I do wish she’d post in larger images as well as PDFs since I don’t usually print out, I just like to look. Though there was a time when I only had PDFs on the site, so I won’t judge too loudly.
I love her watercolor based style and I wish her much luck with her blog. The more paper doll bloggers the better, I say. Speaking of paper doll bloggers, if you have a blog of any kind, paper doll or otherwise, please comment and let me know. I’m always looking for new paper doll or paper doll related blogs.
Also, I have a poll as many of you know. Is sticking a poll about my blog schedule on a late post ironic or just amusing?
Posted in Full Color, Marisole Monday & Friends, Mia, Printable Paper Dolls
Tagged asian paper doll, contemporary, evening gowns, formal, jewelry, party dresses, purses, sandals
7 Comments
Marisole Monday: Streets of China
{Click Here for a PDF to Print} {Click Here for a PNG to Print} {Click Here for the rest of this series}
So, I hope you’ll forgive me Monica for the tardiness of this post. Monica won my last contest/drawing and asked for a Chinese girl paper doll wearing street-fashion from China. This caused a fairly long series of internet searches during which I attempted to figure out what the heck Chinese street fashion looked like anyhow. I feel rather bad because Monica was kind enough to send me some more reference images after her first set, but by that time I had already scanned and colored this paper doll, so they will have to wait for a sequel.
So, the inspirational images for this post included these. The fluffy green skirt was inspired by a picture of a pink one. More obviously, the red coat was based on this image. And then I decided to make some obnoxiously bright pants which came from another image from flicker. Of course, since I didn’t bookmark all the images I ended up using, I don’t have as many as I used, but those are a few of my inspirational shots. There are plenty of other Marisole posts which include items that could be added to this set to expand the paper dolls wardrobe. Sweater Style has some neat boots that would go well with today’s set and the sweet version of the retro pin-up set has some short white shorts that would layer well over the black leggings and pretty much all of Modern Girl would work as well, though it’s a little bright in some respects.
As I mentioned yesterday, the blog is obviously being reformatted as we speak. I just have to ask people to be patient while I get things looking at least decent and get everything relinked and some images which were lost when I lost my formatting reloaded. Be patient with me and promise I will get it all done eventually.
Posted in Full Color, Marisole Monday & Friends, Mia, Printable Paper Dolls
Tagged asia inspired, asian paper doll, contemporary, green, mix and match, red, sandals, yellow
4 Comments