black paper dolls

Space Princess: Jade & Her Space Gowns

I know I’ve told this story before on this blog, but for those of you who are new, I shall tell it again. When I was a child, my grandmother sent a space princess paper doll card to either me or my sister. Our birthdays are within just a few days of each other. Anyway, I don’t remember much about that era, but I darn well remember that card.

In honor of that, I have a history of creating space princess original paper dolls from this one to this one to today’s, which is made up of my favorite gowns from my Space Princess Week last year. Like most of my Friday paper dolls these days, this paper doll is a “reboot” of older materials, except I’m posting her on Monday, because she’s finished.

Original paper dolls of a space princess and her gowns to color. Beautiful curvy fantasy paper doll.

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Back in 2019, my patrons voted for this space princess paper doll over many other options. I seem to recall I was a little surprised that this was the winner. Space princesses not being typical paper doll topics, but I like letting my patrons have input.

Designing my original paper dolls is always fun, but this one was particularly joyful. Guo Pei’s collections were a big influence on all these gowns. She has a wonderful, almost fantastical style with a strong traditional Chinese influence. A nice article on her work- Guo Pei: Couture Beyond.

A few more inspirations this hair, this gown, this gown both from Dior 2006. Space princess paper dolls need over the top clothing. I recently bought this book on Star Trek Costumes. I keep thinking about what makes something feel futuristic.

Original paper dolls of a space princess and her gowns to print. Beautiful brown curvy fantasy paper doll.

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I associate purples and gold with futuristic space clothing. So, they made sense as the color scheme for the space princess and her space princess gowns. I don’t entirely know why purple always feels futuristic to me. It’s a very old dye color.

What do you think of today’s space princess? Are you into sci-fi paper dolls? I love them, but they aren’t very common. Let me know what you think in a comment.

A link to the exclusive Friday paper doll content on Patreon

Polka-Dots: Celebrating a 2020 Fashion Trend

I love reading the fashion magazines in March when they publish the big spring fashion reports. It’s probably my second favorite time to buy fashion magazines. September is my other favorite time. So, one of the things I look for in those magazines are the trends for inspiration when drawing paper dolls with clothes.

One of the trends of 2020 it polka-dots. I knew I wanted to draw some! I love polka-dots. They’re whimsical and playful which is the best way to create paper dolls. There should be something playful about them, don’t you think?

Paper dolls with clothes coloring page, featuring a black paper doll and her polka-dot inspired wardrobe.

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Each of the clothing items I drew for this paper doll was a bit girly-ruffles for sleeves, pleats and such. The grey and coral is a color combination I love and there’s something feminine about polka-dots. Hence the pinks and ruffles.

I also wanted to repeat the circular shape in the dolls hair and her purse. I thought the afro would be a fun match to the polka-dots. Plus, while I have drawn a fair number of black paper dolls, not very many of them have afros.

Paper dolls with clothes printable paper toy, featuring a black paper doll and her polka-dot inspired wardrobe.

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A few of my other favorite polka-dot paper dolls over the years include this fun red dress, these gothic leggings, some sandals with this paper doll and Dot, a paper doll from back in 2010.

If you want more original paper dolls, join us if you like on Patreon.

I also used polka-dots when I was showing how I put patterns on my paper doll clothes. So, if you’re wondering how this paper doll with clothes got her polka-dots, read this tutorial. I still use this method.

What do you think of polka-dots? Are you a fan? I confess I love them, but I rarely wear them.

By the way, you might notice there’s some new layout things around here. I’m trying out a new theme to try to speed up the sites load time- which tends towards the awful. Let me know if anyone notices the change!

Paper Dolls in Masks! (A Pandemic Paper Doll Extra)

I have been really debating what to do about the pandemic. On one hand, I am not in anyway qualified to give anyone medical advice. (I’m qualified to maybe give archives/library/paper doll advice.) On the other hand, I wanted to respond to the current crisis somehow. It felt weird to pretend it wasn’t happening out in the outside world beyond my small isolated corner of it.

So, I decided to respond in paper doll fashion, plus I figure people need kids activity ideas right now. You need to occupy children at home and while I don’t have kids, I have a lot of empathy for folks who do.

So, behold- paper dolls in face masks!

Sapphire, Ruby and Pearl With Face Masks

Three printable paper dolls in black and white.
Three paper dolls in color to print- Diverse curvy paper dolls with different skin-tones.

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When Alaska mandated facemasks a few weeks ago, I pulled out my trusty fabric stash and sewed up a few for me, my partner and some friends who didn’t sew. I’ll openly confess I’m not a great seamstress and mostly I work in doll clothing creation, but the mask pattern was easy enough. I used the New York Times pattern for the pleated mask. Now the mandate is lifted, but I still wear my mask when grocery shopping, as the CDC recommends.

Originally, I had planned to make the face masks for the paper dolls removable, but my prototypes did not work. So, instead, they are permanently attached to each doll. I thought about doing extra heads- the way Dolly Dingle sometimes does- but frankly that kind freaks me out. Paper doll decapitation feels weird for a kids activity idea.

Opal, Amethyst and Lapis With Face Masks

Three printable paper dolls in black and white. A kids activity idea for dress up. Three fun curvy paper dolls.
A kids activity idea for dress up- three paper dolls to print in different skintones- diverse curvy paper dolls.

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I’ve done all the Jewels and Gemstones paper dolls here, so each page has three dolls and there are 9 dolls in total- Sapphire, Ruby, Pearl, Diamond, Opal, Topaz, Amethyst, Lapis, and Jade. I try not to have favorites, but I really like how Opal’s bangs came out in this set.

I also wanted to do a variety of mask styles. None of these are N-95, but rather the sorts of masks you might wear to the store. There seem to be two major styles- the curved one and the pleated one. I have a pleated mask, but I have seem lots of patterns for curved masks and those seem more popular among the folks I see during my rare grocery forays.

Topaz, Diamond and Jade with Face Masks

A kids activity idea for dress up- three paper dolls to color- diverse curvy paper dolls.
A kids activity idea for dress up- three paper dolls to dress- diverse curvy paper dolls.

Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones 2.0

These cute girls can wear any of the Jewels and Gemstones 2.0 clothing, so they can dress up as princesses, evening gowns or to go fishing. They can wear any of the Jewels and Gemstones 1.0 clothing by printing those outfits at 80%. There’s dozens of different outfit options at the moment.

I think my favorite mask might be Topaz’s one all covered in abstract roses/flowers/swirls. Do you have a favorite?

Everyone stay safe out there.

Winter Geometric

Today’s paper doll might be familiar to folks, because she’s made up of pieces from Jewels and Gemstones 1.0. One of the things I knew I wanted to do with Jewels and Gemstones 2.0 was take advantage of the 1.0 content to create sets as well.

So, you might recall these pieces from Winter Fashion Week 2019.

A paper doll coloring page with 12 clothing pieces.

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I did decide to re-color this set though. I wanted to make some changes and I really do enjoy coloring paper doll sets.

A black paper doll coloring page with curly hair and 12 clothing pieces. She's a printable from paperthinpersonas.com.

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I chose a warm, autumn color scheme with warm reds and oranges. I wanted it to feel different from the Original Winter Fashion Week, but I like teals and reds, so I’m not sure how different it really is.

If you want even more paper doll content and to help support the blog, I have a Patreon page. Thanks to my Patrons financial support, I’ve moved server companies this year, been able to pay for better website security and, hopefully, have a few more upgrades coming down the line.

A link to the exclusive Friday paper doll content on Patreon

Spring Evening Gowns for Paper Dolls

I like starting paper doll series with evening gowns. I don’t 100% know why, but I think because they are fun to draw and everyone needs a few amazing evening gowns, don’t they?

Plus a lot of things I like draw are evening gown adjacent like fantasy dresses and evening gowns help me plot out how many pieces I can fit in a single paper doll page.

See… there is a method to my madness.

A paper doll coloring page with three evening gowns and three pairs of shoes.

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These dresses are all based on designs from David’s Bridal and other online retailers. I could spend hours looking at fancy dresses that I have no reason to wear. My life is not that exciting.

Anyway, some of the inspirational dresses were this corset bodice and this one. Other dresses included this one shoulder gown and several other dresses like this one and this one.

I guess this paper doll could be subtitled: Rachel Spent Time on David’s Bridal Website while Social Distancing!

A paper doll with contemporary spring evening gowns, dark skin and blond hair. Free to print from paperthinpersonas.com.

Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones 2.0

And since it is spring, or so the calendar tells me, even if there’s 24 inches of snow on the ground outside, I wanted to focus on a color scheme that was spring colors- pastels mostly, but since I find a lot of pastels overly saccharine, these are pretty smoky.

I am excited by the fact that I can fit three pairs of shoes along the bottom of each paper doll sheet! This is a little thing, but I get joy out of small things.

I hope everyone is staying safe and doing okay in this strange time we’re all living in.

By the way, I am still sharing weekly extra Jewels and Gemstones outfits with my Patrons.

Jade in Her Evening Gown

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Somehow I often come back to evening gowns when I’m feeling unsure of what to draw. I’m sure I’m not the only artist who has things they come back to over and over again, but I like drawing evening gowns and they don’t require a lot of thought. I think of them as like the chicken and dumplings of my drawings- comfort food.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper

This dress is based on a lovely gown from the Gabriela Hearst’s Spring/Summer 2019 Ready-To-Wear collection. The original is more of a sundress, but I wanted to make mine more of an evening gown. Jade’s hair was based on this picture of a black woman’s updo I found on Pinterest. I really liked the draped bangs look of the micro-braids.

Learn & See More

On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls
Around the Internet: My Formal Gowns Pinterest Board

Last Thoughts on Today’s Princess Fantasy Paper Doll

If you want an extra paper doll piece every Friday, than join us on Patreon. There’s a bunch of great projects going over there including my 365 day paper doll project, extra Jewels and Gemstones and my lovely Vivian paper doll series. It’s super fun and I am so grateful to everyone who helps support my art.

Not exactly sure what will go up next week, but I’ll no doubt make some decisions as I start scheduling those posts.

Sapphire Goes to a Party

A curvy black paper doll with long hair and a part dress with matching shoes. Printable in color or black and white

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

Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
I usually describe these dresses as cocktail dresses, but I don’t think many people do cocktails anymore? I don’t, but then I don’t really drink. So, I’m not 100% sure that description still makes sense to anyone but me. As a result, I decided to just go with the description “party dress” and figured that would work for now. It’s not really a formal gown, but it’s fun and maybe a date-night option? For people with more formal lives than mine, I suppose.

My paper dolls all live much fancier lives than I do.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
I wanted to do a series of paper dolls with party dresses for the blog. I also realized it had been a long time since Sapphire got any love, so it was easy to combine the two instincts to this paper doll set of Sapphire and her cocktail dress.

Specific Source Images: My Inspiration Dress from Pinterest

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls
Around the Internet: My formal gowns and cocktail dresses Pinterest Board

Last Thoughts
A big thank you to my Patreon supporters who are amazing and awesome.

Also, cocktail dresses. Is that a term anyone uses anymore? Am I just insanely old fashioned? I can live with it if the answer is, Yes, but I am curious.

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.

Winter Fashion Week: Meet Jade & Her Booties

A curvy black paper doll with curly hair and three pairs of boots. Each paper doll can wear any clothing from other paper dolls in the Jewels & Gemstones collection.

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

Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
I wanted to do a collection of contemporary fashions that were all winter themed and all in coordinating colors, so everything this week can be mix and matched. I also wanted to practice drawing tight curls (something I always need practice on).

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
So many things… Okay, so for this paper doll I was kinda obsessing over open toed booties. I’ve linked to the reference images below.

Her hair comes from one of my favorite resources for hair which is hairstyle magazines. Sophisticate’s Black Hairstyle and Care Guide shows lots of different hairstyles (updos, natural hair, treated hair, weaves, the whole nine yards). These magazines are a great way to help built a photo reference collection. I pick mine up at the local grocery store, but if you live in a place without a large black population, you might need to order it online.

Specific Source Images: Theses booties, these sandals, which I thought felt kinda wintery, and these booties.

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Black Paper Dolls, One of my favorite Winter paper dolls, and More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls
Around the Internet: Did you know that Oprah’s stylist Andre Walker developed a hair typing system for curly hair? There’s some controversy around it (isn’t there around everything?), but it’s an interesting idea. I liked this guide, because it has photos.

Last Thoughts
Don’t expect me to continue this “theme week” and then “random week” pattern. It just happened, because this was what I had finished. I don’t want people to think there’s going to be a pattern, because then I’ll feel pressure for there to be a pattern.

My Patreon have been helping me plan for my next few theme weeks by kindly voting on ideas. If you are a Patron, please vote here, if not, than join us! Patron support keeps Paper Thin Personas around.

Tomorrow there will be another contemporary winter outfit for the ladies and then we’ll continue from there all week! How do you feel about the winter? Are you a fan of cold weather or do you prefer the summer?

Steampunk Sapphire with her Fantastic Top Hat

Today's black steampunk paper doll has her own fancy top hat and a great outfit, plus two pairs of shoes. You can print the paper doll in color or black and white, if you like to color.

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

Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
Continuing my Gemstone naming theme, Sapphire is today’s black steampunk paper doll. I probably should get better at spelling Sapphire, because I keep wanting to give the word two Rs.

Steampunk, which is today’s paper doll style, is a style based on the idea of Victorian clothing crossed with anachronistic styles. So, corsets, bustles, top hats and such combined in ways they never would have been combined in the actual 19th century.

Personally, I’m a bit conflicted about steampunk (especially the fiction), because I rarely see the genre engaging with the inherent colonial and racist underpinnings of British and American empire building in the 19th century. So, while I love the fashion, but I don’t want to glorify that period in history, or any period, actually. There’s no magical Golden Age.

One interesting thing I recently discovered is steamfunk which is an afro-futuristic approach to steampunk and engages in this same issue. I need to learn more about it. I literally discovered it last week.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
I wanted to do a steampunk paper doll. That’s all really. Also, I’m kinda in love with her hat.

Plus, I know I have some Patrons who love steampunk fashion and I couldn’t imagine starting out the new series with out doing at least one steampunk set.

Specific Source Images: This Wig & King’s Road Corset from Violet Vixen (the corset isn’t on their website anymore, hence the Pinterest link)

Learn/See More
On the Blog: Steampunk Paper Dolls, Victorian Inspired Paper Dolls, & More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls
Around the Internet: Steampunk as Defined on Wikipedia, My Steampunk Pinterest Board, The Intersection of Race and Steampunk from Silver Goggles (from 2009, but still well worth a read), & Chronicles of Harriet article on Steamfunk

Last Thoughts
Is it wrong that a part of me still sees steampunk fashion as super close to old school Victorian inspired goth fashion? I feel like there are steampunk purists who would question that.

I do have a Patreon page where I have exclusive content and such, if you’re interested.

Steampunk? Are you into it? Not into it? Have a book recommendation for me in the genre? Drop me a note in the comments.