In this dresses case I almost prefer the black and white version, because you can really see the line work.
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Need a doll for today’s clothing? All the B Pose Dolls & Clothing
Anyway, this set was actually inspired by an old paper doll set I drew back in September 2012 for Marisole Monday.
In the process of drawing this set, I did realize I have no idea how long an arrow in ratio to a bow is actually supposed to be.
So, what do people think of today’s paper doll? I’d love to hear in the comments and if you enjoy the paper dolls, consider supporting the blog on Patreon.
Need a doll to wear today’s paper doll clothing? All the A Pose Dolls & Clothing
But even as I thought this, I realized that was the reason to explore it. Because it is not what I am naturally drawn too. And because it is a style where one badly drawn line out of place can make a huge difference in how the finished paper doll dress looks.
There is no hiding in details in minimalist styles. They are so simple that they reveal all my messy linework and misshapen pieces.
So, when I come back to fashion minimalism, as I do on occasion (and I am today), I am reminding how critical every line is in pen and ink based art.
Every line matters when there are very few of them.
While there’s a simplicity to today’s paper doll clothing, there is also a challenge to drawing it. Sometimes the simplest things are the most difficult to illustrate. Today’s top, pants and bag were harder than they look and that, I suppose, is the whole point.
Besides, as hard as they were to draw, they were so simple to color. There’s something to be said for that as well. I went with white and blue, because I didn’t want to obscure the line work by going with black (the favored color of many minimalist designs).
If you’re not sure what minimalist fashion is, here’s Vogue’s article on it. (I really hate all the ads on the Vogue website, but the gallery there does give a good overview I think.)
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Need a doll for today’s clothing? All the B Pose Dolls & Clothing
However, upon attempting the activity, I end up falling down a lot.
Never the less, I do like the clothing people wear to go ice skating and since I draw paper dolls, it seems to me that the clothing is the important part. Plus I thought these ice skating clothes would be a fun winter coloring page. It’s cold and dark outside, so coloring in front of a fire sounds like a pretty good time.
So, here we have a set of practice clothing for ice skating and a performance dress. I chose purple and black, because I like purple and black.
Not being an ice skater, I can’t speak to the accuracy of today’s ice skating ensembles, but I hope I didn’t screw up too badly. Maybe someone who does ice skate can let me know in a comment.
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Need a doll for today’s clothing? All the B Pose Dolls & Clothing
At least I’m honest, right?
Meanwhile, I really wanted to design a steampunk paper doll costume that wasn’t “fancy” and felt a little more like what a working person in a steampunk world might wear. I decided to do a similar color scheme for today’s outfit as I did for steampunk Changrui which was a big inspiration, I confess.
Sometimes when I am drawing one paper doll set quickly brings me to another paper doll set in a sort of paper doll cascade.
What do you think? Do you prefer your steampunk more “street” or more “fancy” with ruffles and top hats? I’d love to hear your thoughts in a comment.
Need a doll for today’s clothing? All the B Pose Dolls & Clothing
There’s also a spring inspired one, a winter one and a purple bow covered ballgown.
Also, if you hop over to Patreon, there’s a second color scheme for today’s down. While you’re there, check out my poll about the blog post images over on Patreon. You can vote even if you’re not a Patron and I hope you do! It’s all about how the post images I create of each paper doll set should look.
And do let me know what you think of today’s gown in a comment. I love hearing from you all.
Need a doll for today’s clothing? All the B Pose Dolls & Clothing
But I’m actually pretty happy with how it came out once I solved the problem of the fit.
I do try to test everything in Photoshop before I finish it, even if I don’t test everything physically. If I had to cut out every paper doll set I ever designed, I would basically spend my entire life cutting out paper dolls.
Not that I don’t cut them out sometimes just for fun.
I really do enjoy designing these fantasy outfits. They are probably my favorite things to design. I think I watched too much Hercules and Lord of the Rings as a young person. I love the costumes from Game of Thrones, but I confess I haven’t been able to get into the actual show. There’s a little to much violence for me to actually watch the show.
What shows are you watching right now? I’m super enjoying the X-men show, Gifted and I am slowly getting into Doctor Who which I never watched before. I have a long time before I catch up.
Need a doll to wear today’s clothing? All the C Pose Dolls & Clothing
If there’s one thing rounding up all the B Pose paper dolls a few weeks ago made me realize, it was that I hadn’t done any short party dresses for them. That seemed like a omission worth rectifying. So, today I have some cocktail dresses for the B pose Dames. After all, the holidays are coming and maybe there’s a party they need to attend.
I tend to make two dresses when I do these sets, because I feel like one dress “isn’t enough”, but I’ve also been thinking about trying to go back to a daily update schedule in which case, think one dress would have to be enough. I haven’t decided yet what makes the most sense. I miss updating daily, but I’m also nervous if I could keep up to it.
The black and blue color scheme was inspired by what I’ve been seeing in the department stores this season. But if you want a more autumnal or summery color combination, hop over to the Patreon page where there’s a second color scheme you can download and print. It’s open to everyone, not just Patrons, but while you’re there I would ask that you consider helping out and giving a little each month to support the blog.
And, as always, I love to hear whatever you’d like to tell me in the comment.
One thing you must know about me is that I was a child of 1980s and 1990s. That means, I grew up with Disney movies like Beauty and the Beast and The Little Mermaid (which terrified me so much as a child I refused to watch it again until I was in my 30s.) I also grew up with paper dolls of these movies and the paper dolls of Peck-Grande who made the most amazing fairy tale paper dolls. Seriously. Check out their Beauty and the Beast paper doll or Sleeping Beauty paper doll. Also big skirted over the top dresses were sort of a thing in the 1980s and early 1990s.
So, in my head, fairy tale dresses with huge skirts and crazy decorations are just what princesses wear. Plus the big skirts give lots of room for added decoration.
Today’s foray into the big-skirted-princess-gown genre has a bit of a steampunk vibe. I really wanted this dress to feel autumnal, just like I think the other big-skirted dresses I have done feel like they are from other seasons. This one was my winter dress and this one was my summer/spring dress.
Do let me know what you think of today’s post in a comment. I love to hear from you. If you want to support the blog, think about donating through Patreon.
Need a doll for today’s clothing? All the B Pose Dolls & Clothing
The truth is that while I enjoy drawing historical paper doll clothing, there’s always some pressure there. I want things to be accurate (to the best of my ability) and well cited.
So, sometimes I just want to draw something that is inspired by a period of time without feeling like I need to do track down a source to justify my decision. This was one of those times. I just wanted to drawn an apron-dress.
I didn’t want to mess around with trying to decide of dwarf brooches were worn by unmarried women and how long the dress was based on fragments of braid found in graves.
I mean, that’s all fascinating stuff, but… sometimes I just want to draw a worm ouroboros and be done with it. That’s the symbol on her apron. It’s a serpent biting its own tail and it shows up all over the world.
In Norse mythology (for those of you who weren’t obsessed with the ouroboros in high school), the serpent Jörmungandr encircles the earth, biting its own tail forming an ouroboros. Ragnarok (the end of the world) will begin when Jörmungandr lets go of its tail. Thor, the God of Thunder, will fight Jörmungandr, slay it and then die from the poison of the serpent.
Anyway, along with her apron-dress, she has a pair of fur wrapped boots, a knife, cup and comb.
This dress went through several different color schemes. This color scheme was my second one. My first attempt was yellow, reds and greens and I just didn’t like it as much as this blue and yellow version. I did toss up on my Patreon page. Head over there to download and print it, if you want a second color scheme for today’s dress or to build more of a fantasy viking wardrobe. While you’re there, think about joining to help keep the blog on the internets. It really does help offset my costs.
Need a Doll to wear today’s outfit? All the B Pose Dolls & Clothing