Clothes

Playing with Pattern on Ms. Mannequin Paper Doll Clothes

logo-ms-mannequin-6Today is Friday the 13th which is apparently bad luck, though I have no idea where that came from. Does anyone know? Anyway, I figured a good way to get rid of bad luck was to post some paper doll fashions. 🙂

As a lot of my longtime readers know, I am often playing around with patterns for my printable paper doll clothes. I think pattern, while a pain in the behind, is important for the diversity of paper doll outfits. Solid colors are all well and good, but most of us have some patterned things in our closets and there’s not real good reasons why paper dolls shouldn’t be the same.

When thinking about pattern, I tend to fall into the same styles repeatedly. I suppose I can only be so creative on any given paper doll set. Still, I am always looking for new pattern inspirations- even if they don’t make their way onto the blog. I really admire the pattern work of Julie of Paper Doll School. Her patterns rock.

(She can also use Illustrator. I’m so jealous. I have the program, but I think that like a wild dog it can smell my fear.)

Anyway… Miss. Mannequin and friends are getting pretty girly today with their full patterned skirts and rose printed strapless dress.

ns-clothes-6 ns-clothes-6-BW

{Download a PDF in Color} {View a 150 dpi PNG in Color}{Download a PDF of to Color} {View a 150 dpi PNG to Color} {Get some Paper Dolls to Wear these Clothes} {Get More Clothes for These Paper Dolls}

Before I forget, I wanted to mention that I recently stumbled across a Peal Chang paper doll. Soft Film is a blog devoted to Chinese film, as far as I can tell, and the author commissioned a fantastic paper doll of Pearl Chang, who was an actress. I confess to not being at all familair with Pearl Chang, but I knew the name Kwei-Lin Lum from her incredible paper doll work. Check it out, it’s a pretty neat paper doll.

Of course, now I have to go on Netflix and see if I can find any of these movies. Does anyone know anything about her?

Some more paper doll clothes for the Mannequins…

logo-ms-mannequin-5So… personally, I would love to own that orange dress.

I would wear it around here and people would say, “Are you an Auburn football fan?”

And I would say, “Nope, but I have on a sassy orange dress.”

See? Everything is better when you’re wearing a sassy orange dress. (By the way, I’m neither an Auburn or an Alabama fan, but I’ve learned it’s best not to mention football at all around here unless you really want to be dragged into a conversation about it. Since I can’t stand football, I keep my mouth shut.)

I have no idea how the Ms. Mannequin paper dolls feel about football… I somehow seem them as being more polo types, but that’s perhaps an unfair sterotype of the rich. Not being rich, I really have no idea what absurdly wealthy people do for fun. (I always assume my paper dolls are absurdly wealthy, since they have such large wonderful designer clothes.)

ns-clothes-5 ns-clothes-5-BW

{Download a PDF in Color} {View a 150 dpi PNG in Color}{Download a PDF of to Color} {View a 150 dpi PNG to Color} {Get some Paper Dolls to Wear these Clothes} {Get More Clothes for These Paper Dolls}

And yet more clothing for the Ms Mannequin Printable Paper Dolls

logo-ms-mannequin-2Paper doll blogs are odd creatures. I think all craft blogs are odd creatures, but I don’t do a general craft blog, I do a paper doll blog, so I don’t think I’m qualified to talk about all craft blogs.

The thing about paper doll blogs (and all craft blogs, I suppose) is that you, the author, is creating all the content. It’s not a matter of reviewing something which exists or responding to the latest news story, it’s a matter of producing work. Work production takes time, energy and inspiration, but mostly work. Hard work.

And I tend to work in spurts. So, I would be lying if I said that I drew these dresses this month. I didn’t. I drew them… I don’t even remember when. At least one sketchbook ago. They’ve been sitting, finished, on my computer waiting to go up until I had something coherent to say about them.

Well… I don’t have anything coherent to say about today’s printable paper doll clothes, but I knew if I didn’t get them up than I would regret it. I don’t have anything else to post today and I wanted to get a post up this week.

I’m not ashamed of that and I’m not ashamed of the paper doll clothes. I think they’re pretty darn cute.

ns-clothes-3 ns-clothes-3-BW

{Download a PDF in Color} {View a 150 dpi PNG in Color}{Download a PDF of to Color} {View a 150 dpi PNG to Color} {Get some Paper Dolls to Wear these Clothes} {Get More Clothes for These Paper Dolls}

Another sheet of paper doll clothing for Ms. Mannequin

ns-clothes-2 ns-clothes-2-BW

{Click Here for a PDF in Color} {Click Here for a 150 dpi PNG in Color}{Click Here for a PDF of Black and White} {Click Here for a 150 dpi PNG in Black and White}

So, I actually drew this, colored it and re-sized it before I left for Alaska and before my apartment flooded. It feels weird to be posting it now, but also very nice to be getting back to the blog a little. A tiny moment of normal in what has been a very insane few weeks.

I normally tend to be someone who carefully considers options, procrastinates, gets distracted, gets bored and then, after much dawdling, finally does something. If my parents are reading this, then they are saying… Yeah, that’s about right.

Except my apartment flooded.

So, suddenly all of my procrastination habits went out the window and I found myself having to just get things done.

Finally, I’m sitting at my tiny dining room table in my new place feeling good, dislocated, confused, frustrated, but…. at least not homeless. And not homeless is a pretty impressive state at the moment.

I’m still unpacking, organizing, looking for things that got thrown into boxes. I am pleased to say that none of my sketchbooks were ruined (a few were damaged) and none of my journals were ruined (a few were damaged). I still have my master copies of all my paper dolls (thank the heavens for plastic containers). I’m pleased and thankful for all of this and for the kind words I’ve received from readers.

I don’t know if I’ll get a Marisole up next week or when the next post will happen, but hang in here with me guys. I’m trying my best.

Look! Clothes for Ms Mannequinn Paper Dolls

ns-clothes-1 ns-clothes-1-BW

{Click Here for a PDF in Color} {Click Here for a 150 dpi PNG in Color}{Click Here for a PDF of Black and White} {Click Here for a 150 dpi PNG in Black and White}

Ms Mannequin has some clothing, because without clothing a mannequin has no real purpose in life and the last thing you need are paper dolls having existential crises.

I’m not very comfortable sharing private stuff on the blog. I’ve never been much for public confessions and I have no desire to gain notoriety, but as Rosh Hashanah approaches, I always find myself getting introspective.

I’m a pretty secular Jew, but it’s the new year and I think it’s a good time to pause and think about things. Truth be told, as I sat down to write this post, I was expecting to say negative things, because lately I’ve been feeling a little overwhelmed by the blog, but in truth I have no real bad news to share.

Here we are on the eve of 5774, and really… there’s nothing to moan about. Now, don’t get me wrong, I can always find something to complain about, but the truth is the blog has been more regular this year than last year. I’ve managed to sell a few pieces to various museums and I’ve managed to pretty much do what I’ve wanted to get done.

I am, in fact, fairly happy and content with the blog. I wish I could post more, but I know that unrealistic. I wish I had more readers, but then I always wish that. I do need to get some sort of child paper doll up, since that was the winner of the poll at the usual New Year.

So, all in all… not a bad 5773. Bring on 5774, I say.