black hair

Opal in the 1950s

A 1950s fashion paper doll in period underwear with three pairs of shoes. She can wear any of the Jewels and Gemstones paper doll clothing including the 1950s outfits.

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Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
I love 1950’s fashion. So, clearly I wanted to make a 1950s fashion paper doll. I think it is one of the most beautiful eras of women’s clothing and probably that’s because I have a very 1950s figure myself. I tend to look good in 1950s dresses. Besides that, I think it’s sort of the last era where there’s really an idea of dressing for an occasion. There’s very clear lines in what is “casual” and what is “formal” and where things can be worn.

While I very much don’t want to live in the 1950s (I like that I can’t be fired from my job for getting pregnant), I really do love the idea of having outfits for different activities. Maybe it’s because I never feel like I know what to wear to anything and would love it if it was more clear cut.

I chose Opal for the model, in part because I never saw non-white historical paper dolls as a child and I try to be more diverse, especially in my historical paper doll creations.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
Okay, let’s start with shoes, because I love shoes. The sources for these shoes were all from the Met except one pair. So, these shoes, these ones and these ones all come from there. The middle pair is the outlier and it comes from LACMA and these are the source image.

Now, let’s talk underwear. Our 1950s fashion paper doll, Opal, is wearing a girdle and strapless bra combination. In order to make sure she could share clothing with Sapphire from the 1950s, I matched the shapes of their underwear. Opal’s girdle is based on this 1950’s American one and her brassier is based on this 1950s French model, both from The Met.

Opal’s hair is a nod to Ava Gardner’s short hair style (she had a few) which you can see here and here. I’ll confess I don’t think it came out quite as I’d hoped it would.

Specific Source Images:There’s a lot here, so here we go- this girdle, this brassier, these shoes, these shoes, these shoes, these shoes and this hair.

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & More 1950s Fashion for Paper Dolls
Around the Internet: Claricia Psalter from the Late 12th Century

Last Thoughts
I wanted to collect up all the 1950s paper doll dresses I’ve created for the blog and put them together, so you can easily grab some clothing for poor Opal here whose just in her undergarments. If you’re a 2 dollar and up Patron, there’s two more- a suit and a day dress both from the 1950s.

1950s Fashion Paper Dolls for the Jewels & Gemstones

Do you like the 1950s? Let me know in a comment. It is one of my favorite eras. Do you have a favorite decade for 20th century fashion?

Diamond as Frankenstein’s Monster: A Halloween Paper Doll

A fantastic printable Halloween paper doll featuring Frankestein's Monster and a stylin' lab coat.

Black and White PDF | Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls

Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
When I was making my list of Halloween monsters to draw as paper dolls, I really wanted to do some I’d never done before and I’ve never done a Frankenstein’s Monster paper doll before. And what says Halloween paper doll more than that?

I chose Diamond as the model for today’s paper doll. I am pretty happy with how she came out, though part of me thinks her hair looks a little too much like a skunk, but maybe that’s just me.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
The original novel Frankenstein was published in 1818, though it is set in the 18th century. I sort of abandoned that source material pretty quickly and went more to the Herman Munster direction pretty quickly. I considered for about 15 minutes the idea of drawing historical clothing for today’s paper doll, but decided I really wasn’t that excited to draw 1818 or 1700s dresses.

Her “dress” was meant to look a little like a lab coat. One thing you might notice with all of my Halloween paper doll creations is a lack of source images. The truth is that part of the fun of this time of the year, is that I don’t do research. I just sort of draw and see what happens.

Specific Source Images: Nothing specific this time I can point to.

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & More Halloween Paper Dolls
Around the Internet: More than you ever wanted to know about the Munsters!

Last Thoughts
When I was a kid, the Munsters played in Nick at Nite and it was one of my favorite shows. I don’t really recall much of the plots, but even then I had a fondness for supernatural plots. Something which later lead to my love of Buffy and continued affection for those sorts of TV shows and books.

Big thank you to all my Patreon supporters. With out you, the blog wouldn’t be around, so you’re all the best!

Also, I love this comic about Frankenstein.

Amethyst and the Ballet and Dancing Collection

A curvy paper doll with brown skin, black hair, a pair of modern dance shoes and a pair of toe shoes. Free to print and she can wear any of the clothing from the Jewels and Gemstones collection.

Black and White PDF | Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls

Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
There are several different styles of shoes worn for dance. The most iconic is probably the en pointe shoes and I made sure to include those with Amethyst today.

However, her other shoes are known as “lyrical shoes” they are usually worn for modern dance. The shoes leave the toes exposed and really only cover the ball of the foot for protection. Years ago, when I did tech theater work, we used to drape carpets over the edges of lighting rigs so dancers would feel the different fabric when leaving stage and know there was heavy piece of metal underneath the carpet.

Stubbed toes are not a minor issue when you’re a professional dancer.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
I was thinking of ballet of course and dance when I dis this paper doll. I wanted to do a companion to Pearl.

Specific Source Images: These dance shoes

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & More of the Ballet and Dancing Collection
Around the Internet: Discount Dance Supply is my go-to for images of dancing shoes & What is Lyrical Dance?

Last Thoughts
Can I just say that I love theatre. I have a Master Degree in the stupid topic. I know more about theater then most rational people do. However, I’ll be darned if I can figure out the difference between lyrical and modern dance. I am sorry dance people, but your nuances befuddle me.

Now, if anyone would like a talk on how Masque evolved into Opera and Ballet, I can hook you up. (No one wants this, I assure you.)

Did you know I have a Patreon? You probably do, but I’m always happy to remind you. Head over here if you want more paper dolls each week.

Okay, so I want to draw more dancing stuff that is not ballet, even though ballet was how we started. I’m thinking maybe hip-hop dance or modern or something. Any suggestions? Let me know in a comment.

Pearl & The Ballet and Dancing Collection

A ballerina paper doll with en pointe shoes and practice slippers. She can share any of the paper doll clothing from the Jewels and Gemstones series.

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Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
I was never a dancer. I just didn’t take to it as a kid. My lack of coordination generally leaves something to be desired. However, I do love to dance, even if I do so badly. Who cares? I’m also never going to be a professional weight-lifter, but I like lifting weights.

One of the things that is important to me is that all bodies have value and all bodies are beautiful. Ballet, to a high degree, profits from the deprivation of female bodies and the idealization of a form of beauty to which few can attain naturally. So, clearly I have mixed feelings about the whole thing, but what the heck? I have mixed feelings about all sorts of topics from drawing pulpy sexy armor to princess dresses.

Mixed feeling just means being aware of the complexities of the universe and that’s something I think is important to cultivate.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
All right, so I wanted to make sure to include pointe shoes with each of my ballerina paper dolls, because I wanted them to match the dolls individual skintone. There’s this concept in ballet called “breaking the line” and you don’t want the color of the toe shoes to break the smooth expanse of leg. However, toe shoes take up a lot of room, so there’s not a lot of space for other stuff on the page. Opps.

Specific Source Images: Well, I googled en pointe shoes and went from there? I mean, I don’t have a specific image to share here.

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & other Ballerina paper dolls
Around the Internet: There’s a super interesting article from New York Times about the introduction of brown pointe shoes in 2018.

Last Thoughts
True story, I will never forget my sister (who did ballet) being given a lecture by her dance teacher on the proper location for the bun on her head. It was one of those moments, when I recall thinking that the level of weird obsessive detail in ballet is… well, weird.

I do not know if Pearl’s bun would be considered acceptable, but I’m also pretty sure I don’t care.

I love creating paper dolls (as you know) and becoming a patron helps you partner with me to make this happen. So, consider joining us!

Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of today’s paper doll! I love hearing from you all.

Diamond and her Shoes

An Asian printable paper doll with three pairs of shoes. Print her in color or as a coloring page.

Black and White PDF | Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls

Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
This is the 51st post in the Jewels and Gemstones series. Dames and Dandies got to 129 last year, but I have no idea if I will get Jewels and Gemstones to that many. Life is been extremely busy this year and it doesn’t look like it will be slowing down anytime soon. I’m still drawing and still very happy to be creating my paper dolls. I’m just not naive about how much time I have these days to devote to my paper doll related activities.

And I actually have an absurd about of stuff in “progress”, but I have been having trouble finishing anything. There’s some big skirted princess dresses, three paper dolls with cocktail dresses, a mermaid, and a whole set of ballet stuff that’s all in various states of “not quite done yet.”

But I digress.

Here is Diamond getting her shoe set. I try to do some of these sets of every paper doll, because skin-tone is visible on shoes and shoes are hard to cut out while omitting skin tone. Those white and black strappy sandals would be nigh impossible to cut out, so I do these sets to help increase the mix and match options for my paper dolls while also having a bunch of diverse paper doll skin-tones.

The Jewels and Gemstones series, for example, has 8 skin-tones at this point.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
I really have been seeing a lot of pastel tennis shoes lately. Plus, I try yo give every paper doll skintone a pair of super absurd strappy heels for fancy dresses. As a kid, I loved paper dolls with fancy dresses, so I try to channel that.

Specific Source Images: Nothing really this time!

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls &  more armor designs in my Other Version of Diamond
Around the Internet: Along with collecting fashion images, I also keep a Pinterest board devoted to hair. Diamond’s hair today is pretty straight forward, but I did want to mention it in case folks were curious.

Last Thoughts
My hair goes down to my waist and I have to say, I love how it looks, but occasionally I get really annoyed at it. Mostly when it gets caught in like a car door or my cat attacks it.

Patreon gets you more paper dolls every week. Join here!

Don’t forget that if you want this paper doll to actually wear clothing, you’ll need to cut along between her hair and shoulders, also by her side. There’s dots indicating that, but I like to remind folks in case they don’t notice.

Meet Diamond, a New Asian Paper Doll with Practical Fantasy Armor

An Asian paper doll with practical fantasy armor and weapons for slaying/riding dragons or generally just having a good time. Print her in color or as a coloring page. Great rainy day activity.

Black and White PDF | Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls

Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
This Diamond, a new Asian paper doll for the Jewels and Gemstones family. I really wanted to draw a paper doll with some practical fantasy armor for slaying/riding dragons or making friends with them I suppose.

I just recently divided the Jewels and Gemstones into two subsections- one for dolls and one for clothing. I figure sometimes people want a doll and sometimes people want clothing (though all the dolls have clothing, so arguably my taxonomy isn’t perfect.)

But then, what is?

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
I keep a running list of themes I want to be sure to draw for any new series and “practical fantasy armor” is always on the list. While I love my pulpy fantasy armor (and I always will), I also think it is important to draw armor that might actually protect someone in a fight. Not that I recommend testing it.

Specific Source Images: This illustration and this Illustration, both from Pinterest

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls &  more armor designs in my armor tag
Around the Internet: I collect drawings of Fantasy Armor on my Pinterest board. See also, Women Fighters in Reasonable Armor and Bikini Armor Battle Damage from Tumblr.

Last Thoughts
Not to start a battle over the best armor, but which do you prefer? Practical armor or pulpy armor? I’m evenly divided on the topic. Meanwhile, do you have a favorite source of armor illustration that I missed? I’d love to see it.

Patreon is the best way to show the blog some love and get extra content each week. Join us!

Also, am I the only one who thinks Daimond’s hair here could also stand in for a punk look? I really should draw some punk clothing for the Jewels & Gemstones. I haven’t yet.

Opal & Her Favorite Shoes: A Curvy Asian Paper Doll

A beautiful curvy Asian paper doll with her shoes. Print her in color or in black and white as a coloring page. Unplugged fun for kids!

Black and White PDF | Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls

Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
Opal is my only Asian Jewels and Gemstones paper doll at the moment. I have another one drawn, but she’s not ready for prime time yet. It’s a hard balance because while I enjoy drawing clothing so much more than I enjoy drawing dolls, I also can’t deny the fact that I want lots of diversity in my dolls. However, there’s no point to that if I don’t have any clothing to dress them up in.

The whole point of paper dolls, after all, is to dress them up in clothing.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
I really wanted do a variety of shoes. Unlike some of the other paper dolls, the first version of Opal’s shoes aren’t very versatile, so I felt like I needed to get a lot of variety in here. That’s why there’s a pair of sandals, a pair of tennis shoes and a pair of strappy formal shoes.

Specific Source Images: This Hair.

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls & my other version of Opal from January.
Around the Internet: Honestly, I’m not sure what to put here. I do keep a Hair Pinterest Board that’s kinda fun (and super random).

Last Thoughts
So, my favorite of these shoes are the colorful tennis shoes, even though I doubt they’re the most practical. I just like the purple.

As usual, I want to thank the folks who are on Patreon. Your support means the world to me.

Friday’s round up archives post might be superheros or might be 1960s. I’m not sure yet, but I am leaning towards superheros.

Pearl and Her Sandals: A Curvy Printable Paper Doll

A free printable paper doll with warm brown skin, black hair and lots of sandals. She's printable in color or as a coloring sheet.

Black and White PDF | Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls

Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
So, today’s version of Pearl can, of course, share shoes with armored Pearl from January.

I really try hard to have a variety of skin-tones in my paper dolls. I also want versatility, which means limiting myself to some degree. It’s a hard line to walk and I am constantly debating the tension between versatility and variety.

There’s also a practical consideration which is that a lot of nuance doesn’t translate to print well. I assume most people print my paper dolls on home-printers and I’m aware their color registration isn’t always great. So, tiny variations in skin-tone or hair color won’t be picked up.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
Um…. I don’t really got much. I did want to celebrate summer with her sandals, so I tried to chose summery colors and I wanted at least one pair of have painted toenails. I love a nice pedicure in the summertime.

Specific Source Images:This pair of sandals.

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls and my other version of Pearl from January.
Around the Internet: I keep all my hair images on this Hair Pinterest Board, but I also use hair style magazines. I don’t recall the source of her hairstyle.

Last Thoughts
So, I confess that I’m not totally happy with her hair. I was going for a layered bob, but I don’t think I quite captured it.

If you don’t want to see my sketchbooks and things by joining Patreon, you can also follow me on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. I post a lot less there and much later, but I do post things. Also, I secretly hate Facebook, so it might be the worse way to get a hold of me. Just FYI.

And tune in tomorrow for Ruby whose getting a blond version. Anyone who has followed me for a while, knows that I seem to rarely do blond paper dolls. I think it’s because when I grew up there were so many blond paper dolls and I always wanted redheads.

What were your favorite paper dolls when you were a child?

Sapphire & Her Favorite Shoes: A Curvy Printable Black Paper Doll

A printable paper doll of a curvy black woman with microbraids styled into a bun. Available in color or as a coloring page.

Black and White PDF | Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls

Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
When I first began this paper doll series back in January, I created two versions of each of the dolls. One was the version I posted, the other version just had shoes (as I often do with dolls) and I held onto them until I had some clothing posted. Now that I have over 20 outfits for the Jewels and Gemstones, I figured it was time to introduce a few more dolls. So, today and tomorrow (and possibly the rest of the week) there will be second versions of dolls I’ve already posted who will have the same skin-tone and therefore can share shoes.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
I think I’ve waxed poetic enough time that folks know I love micro-braids. When I was designing these dolls I kept thinking about versatility. So, her black shoes are fancy evening pumps. Her sandals are fun and could be paired with jeans and her white and blue pumps are work appropriate.

Specific Source Images: I probably dug around on Pinterest to find a source of a person with the right angle of their head who had braids in a bun, but if I didn’t I can’t find it now.

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls and my other version of Sapphire from January.
Around the Internet: I keep all my hair images on this Hair Pinterest Board, but I also use hair style magazines.

Last Thoughts
So, I confess that I have got a super busy week ahead of me and I am recovering from illness from last week. Ugh, life gets so complex sometimes! But hopefully everything will go smooth and the blog should update as normal.

Get access to extra paper doll content and design boards and other things by joining Patreon.

Tomorrow, there’s a second version of Pearl, who previously debuted in some fun pulpy armor.

Regency Fashion Week: Amethyst with her Regency Underwear

A beautiful curvy paper doll with her regency period underwear based on primary sources. This regency paper doll has three pairs of shoes and several dresses forthcoming. You can print her in color or black and white for coloring.

Black and White PDF | Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls

Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
This is the first day of Regency Fashion Week. I am so psyched. I’ve been wanting to do historical clothing for the Jewels & Gemstones since the beginning. There’s this myth that in the past everyone was super hot and skinny (I blame Hollywood). I chose Amethyst as the model for this clothing, because there’s also this myth that everyone was white (I blame institutionalized racism).

Technically, the Regency only lasts from 1811 to 1820 in England. That’s just 19 years. However, the styles we think of as “Regency” stretch from about 1805 through about 1825 when the waist line begins to drop. It lowers steadily through the 1820s before settling at the natural waist around 1828 or so. Personally, I chose the term Regency for this week’s paper dolls, because I think it is the term most people know.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
Okay, now we get to get specific. There’s a myth that in the early 19th century women didn’t wear corsets. This is not true. Women totally wore corsets, but since the styles were changing rapidly, there wasn’t a single silhouette. No woman with actual curves wants to not wear some sort of bust support. The corsets (or stays) of this era were generally less boned than those of the 18th century and were short or long, depending on the style. I chose a long set of stays, because I have been told by folks to know more than me, that for bustier women (and the Jewels paper dolls got curves) this is a more comfortable style.

The shift our Regency paper doll wears was adapted from one I found in a museum. Shifts are kinda… not terribly changing garments and I made the sleeves a bit shorter than I think they would have been, so I could accommodate  evening gowns which often had very short sleeves.

One of the quirks of shoes of this era is that a lot probably laced up the ankles, but since the laces are often missing it is hard to tell from photos from museums of they had laces or not. I erred on the side of omitting the laces, but I am not sure that was the right decision.

Specific Source Images:
Stays: This pair from the Met 1811 and this fashion plate from 1813.
Shift: This Shift from the MFA 
Shoes (top to bottom):This pair from the Met from 1812. (I love these shoes so much I’ve drawn them before here).  This pair from the Met circa 1810s. (I made them yellow to match the Evening Gown later this week.) This pair from the Met 1795-1805 (I made them black for more mix and match options). This pair from the Met from 1810 (I put them on the doll and made them not white, which I am kinda regretting now, but oh well…)

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Regency Fashion Paper Dolls and More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls
Around the Internet: American Duchess on Regency Flats, A Nice Collection of Images of Free People of Color in the Regency from Mary Robbinette Kowal, the Regency Era from Wikipedia & A rare portrait of Marie-Antoinette’s sister-on-law, the Comtesse de Provence, wife of Louis XVIII, from 1810 (a very stylish plus-sized lady, love the crown)

Last Thoughts
I could write so much more on this era and why I chose what I chose for the paper doll, but we’ve got all week for this. I am going to try to space out my thoughts and if I get a bit pedantic than please, be kind. The truth is that I love history and I love historical clothing and I could talk about it for hours.

Regency week happened, because it won the poll I put out for my Patrons (actually Space Princesses surged ahead at the last minute and beat it, but I was already started on the Regency stuff, so Space Princesses will be later). I also chose it, because I really love this era’s clothing (and I have a soft space in my soul for a good Regency era romance novel.)

What do you think? Looking forward to Regency week? Not sure it’s your thing? Do you have a favorite era of historical clothing? Let me know in a comment!