tan skin

A Lady Knight and her Fantastic Armor to Print

Many years ago, I met a 3 year old girl who was super into knights. Ever since then, I’ve thought a lot about the importance of lady knight paper dolls. Don’t get me wrong- I will never abandon princesses, but knights are important, too! Two different sets combined here, along with additional armor pieces have been added. The first was Diamond and her Armor from April and the other was this set of armor from May.

I also drew several new pieces to complete this knight paper toy set. Paper toys is my non-gendered way of describing paper dolls, because somehow people don’t look at me so weird when I say I am into paper toys rather than paper dolls.

(I actually have a whole theory about this involving gendered toys, but I’ll spare you all.)

A lovely paper doll knight and her paper wardrobe to color and print.

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I confess that when I design armor I do spend a bit of time on my Pinterest Fantasy Armor board, but I also grant that I am not super knowledgeable about full-plate armor designs/functionality. It’s just not a topic that has ever really been enchanting to me the way historical clothing is. (Sorry historical armor fans.)

So, mostly I try to just design things that look like they could be realistic and not worry too much about actual practicality/functionality.

A paper knight and her paper wardrobe to print and play with. Scree free paper toy for kids of all ages.

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Color schemes for armor are a little challenging. Mostly, I am making things grey or goldish. However, I do like to pick a few accent colors to make things a little more interesting. In the case of this set, I was thinking about winter (which is pretty much here in Alaska) so I chose a soft blue and soft purple. Neon yellow just doesn’t feel knight like to me.

Don’t forget there’s even more paper doll content over on Patreon, starting with extra Friday content. Who doesn’t want a little Friday pick me up?

A link to the exclusive Friday paper doll content on Patreon

As Winter Comes, Here’s a Viking Fantasy Paper Doll

Occasionally, I create a paper doll outfit and I know I want to continue for another outfit in another style. For this paper doll set, I wanted to take this Viking Woman Warrior inspired outfit from last January and create a whole Viking fantasy paper doll collection around it. The original design was inspired by this drawing, but I didn’t look at it until I was finished with these new designs.

Today’s paper doll outfits were based on Viking clothing, such as apron-dresses, but I also just had fun with the motifs on the first tunic inspiring motifs on the other pieces.

A printable black and white paper doll coloring page of a Viking fantasy woman with outfits, weapons and accessories.

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The paper doll’s hair was pretty much inspired by stereotypes of Viking hair. I wanted it to feel fantasy, but not be overly elaborate. Actual Vikings were very into personal grooming and took care of their appearance. We know this from the number of combs, tweezers and other tools found in the graves of Vikings. This is Viking fantasy, but I object to the whole idea that they were scruffy.

Printable Viking fantasy paper doll page with a mix and match wardrobe and some fun accessories.

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I did a lot of research on Vikings a few years ago back in 2015 and wrote up a quick over view if you want to read about actual Viking dress. I really enjoyed learning when I did that research. Though I openly confess that I don’t really go with historical Vikings very often. I know enough to know I don’t know enough.

But since I love playing around with different historical periods and creating fantasy paper dolls based on them, I don’t feel too worried about the historical accuracy here.

Meanwhile, if you’re a fan of the blog, than consider joining us over on Patreon. There’s ever more paper doll content. And who doesn’t want more paper dolls?

Among the Waves: Amethyst is a Mermaid

I didn’t really love mermaids as a child. I was never really a mermaid person, so to speak. The Little Mermaid movie scared me. However, I really have found there’s a lot of fun to be had drawing mermaid tails and that’s where today’s mermaid doll came from.

She’s made up from some of the different mermaids I drew last year and this year. Along with her tails, I thought one dress for land based adventures would be useful and a trident for defense. After all, there are predators in the ocean. I chose Amethyst to show off these tails.

A beautiful mermaid doll coloring page with interchangeable tails. Printable paper fun for all ages.

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One of the wild things about tropical fish is that even though I think of them as being blue, they are actually super not blue. Anyway, I had a lot of fun looking at tropical fish photos and then picking out colors for the mermaid doll’s tails. This is certainly a tropical mermaid.

A beautiful mermaid doll with interchangeable tails. Printable paper fun for all ages.

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I had so much fun with these mermaid tails. I think mermaids are always fun, don’t you? I’ve done a few other mermaids like these.

Remember, if you enjoy the blog and would like to get even more paper dolls, check out Patreon. I’ve got fun things from 2 dollars and up including two other paper doll collections and more Jewels and Gemstones content.

Evening Gowns for Paper Dolls with Diamond

There’s something super relaxing for me in drawing evening gowns for paper dolls. I don’t know if I like it so much because it’s one piece garments or if I just like drawing clothing I am never going to need to wear.

I do not live a lifestyle that makes sense to wear evening gowns very much.

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

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I really went back and forth about color schemes. I actually did two different color schemes. You can see the other one on my Patreon page. It’s open to everyone, so you don’t need to be a patron to download it. It’s a more light pastel color scheme.

However, maybe because my Spring Evening Gowns set, I thought some more rich colors would be fun. This set feels winter to me, though I don’t really know why. It’s not like these gowns look very warm.

A colorful paper doll page with an elegant Asian lady and her three fantastic evening gowns.

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The dress on the far left comes from Gabriela Hearst Spring/Summer 2019 Ready-To-Wear collection and the dress on the far right is from Christian Siriano Spring 2019 Ready-to-Wear Fashion Show. However the dress in the middle is my own design. You can see a lot more of my evening gown inspiration on my Pinterst Board.

Remember you can hop over to my Patreon to grab the other color scheme. And if you want, consider becoming a patron.

Topaz With 12th Century Clothing

In my second Topaz paper doll of the week, here’s some 12th century clothing to go along with the Tudor paper doll from Tuesday. If I had a chose a period of fashion I both really like and know very little about, it would be the 12th century aka 1100s. 12th century clothing in Western Europe is both super interesting to me (I love the sleeves) and very alien.

As much as possible, I try to work from primary sources, ideally illuminated by well written analysis by scholars who know more than me. However, the books I have tend to start in 1200 which is more well documented period and leave 1100s out entirely.

Perfect historical accuracy is impossible, so knowing that I did my best on this paper doll and her 1100s dresses.

A printable paper doll coloring page of 1100s dresses with a paper doll and two gowns.

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Topaz is wearing a shift based one illustrated in Roman de Giron le Courtois on Folio 87v. The manuscript dates from between 1370-1380 even though this is 200 years after the 1100s. Illustrations of women in shifts are just super rare, so you have to use what you can find. I made my version shorter and tighter than the originals, because paper dolls have to layer. Paper doesn’t fold like fabric.

Additionally, Topaz’s shoes all come from Stepping Through Time by Olaf Goubitz, a book on archeological footwear finds. It’s fascinating, but very densely written work. Her hair and headdress are based on illustrations from Women’s Hats, Headdresses and Hairstyles by Georgine de Courtais. Her veil is based on the one seen on the Ushaw Virgin, a brass from the British Museum, as is the dress on the right. The statue, Enthroned Virgin and Child, from The Met, was another source for the dresses. I also used some of the manuscript images from this German site on the Bliaut. All the illustrations are properly cited and that always makes me happy.

A printable paper doll with clothing from the 12th century. Great homeschooling history idea.

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The bliaut is the subject of a lot of debate. Statues of the time show a very wrinkled, almost pleated fabric effect (like this), but illustrations by and large don’t. When they do show horizontal wrinkles across the abdomen they tend to be more subtle. I went with the more subtle option and the no wrinkles option. Inevitably, drawing fashions from history requires making editorial decisions, but I try to capture the silhouette of the period.

Books consulted in the creation of this paper doll included Stepping Through Time by Olaf Goubitz, Women’s Hats, Headdresses and Hairstyles by Georgine de Courtais, Medieval Dress and Fashion by Margaret Scott and Fashion in the Middle Ages by Margret Scott, though this last one was not helpful, particularly.

This is an era I’d like to learn more about. So, if anyone has a book recommendation I’ll happy accept it. Most of my books don’t cover this early period very well.

Today’s set was put together from pieces posted here on the blog last year and on Patreon.

A Celebration of Tudor Clothing

Today’s paper doll is my second Tudor clothing paper doll. My amazing patrons voted for Tudor as a historical era to explore, hence the focus on Tudor. Also, I realized I still didn’t know a lot about the clothing of this time period. My first Tudor clothing paper doll from the Jewels and Gemstones was Ruby and today’s paper doll is Topaz.

A little about this Tudor clothing- this portrait of a young woman from 1567 and this portrait of Susan Bertie inspired the dress on the left. The dress on the right is a Henrician gown. This portrait of Mary I and this portrait of Katherine Parr feature this style of dress in lighter colors than you usually see it. These portraits also show off French Hoods, a very popular headdress style. This portrait, often identified as Helena Snakenborg, is where I saw the court bonnet. I should note that the identification as Helena Snakenborg has never been proven.

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First rule, I gave myself was that I was not going to make any dresses black. Don’t get me wrong, black fabric was wildly expensive in the 1500s and therefore very popular for portraits and people of wealth. Black is, however, one of my least favorite colors. It obscures line work, so I only used it for her hair and the veil for the French Hood. I didn’t see any French Hood’s that had veils of other colors. Also, I have no idea if French Hood is a proper noun and should be capitalized, but I am anyway.

I wanted to use colors I knew were common/referenced in source materials. According to sumptuary laws of the time only nobles could wear blue and there’s references in The Art of Dress by Jane Ashelford to tawny colored gowns. That’s why I chose to make one gown blue and the other a sort of beige color.

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Topaz’s underwear is based on illustrations from the Tudor Tailor by Ninya Mikhaila and Jane Malcolm-Davies. The bodies are based on the famous Pfaltzgrafin Dorothea Sabine von Neuberg’s pair of bodies from around 1598. All of her shoes come from Stepping Through Time by Olaf Goubitz. Her underwear, as I noted on the paper doll, has been simplified to facilitate playing with the paper doll. An actual extant 16th century shift is at the V&A and you can see it here.

Other books I consulted about Tudor clothing were, in no particular order, were Tudor Fashion, The History of Underclothes, In Fine Style: The Art of Tudor and Stuart Fashion, and Tudor Costume and Fashion. And you can see some of my reference image so on my 16th Century Dress Pinterest board.

You can see all my Tudor paper dolls here. Up next on the historical paper doll front will be the 1970s and the 1890s. That was the other winners when I polled my Patrons.

Dolls Du Jour: Days in Denim

Sharing a new paper doll series is always a little stressful. When I design paper dolls to dress, I think about body poses and I think a lot about how many different styles I think I can get from a single body pose. A few perks of this pose are the 3/4 view and the spread legs, which open up some design options.

She will be hard to make into a mermaid though…

Anyway, the first version of this paper doll showed up on Instagram back in 2018. I had to do some extensive redrawing, because the sketchbook was ruined while traveling to Alaska.

Fixing her right foot was also a priority.

A huge thanks you to my Patrons! Sheryl helped me name the series and had the amazing idea to name the dolls after temporal themes. I love this! Because I tend to like giving my paper dolls names that are not really names. I mean, you can find people named Dawn, but like there aren’t a lot of Dusk or Evening named folks running around.

A coloring page with paper dolls to dress with jeans and other contemporary clothing pieces.

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I like to test out new series with sets that show me how many clothing pieces I can fit on a page. After all, the whole point of paper dolls to dress is that you want to dress them. Otherwise, why have the clothing at all?

Denim is the base of most modern wardrobes. Knowing that I have denim done, so to speak, allows for more variety in later sets. Every person (or paper doll) needs a good pair of jeans after all.

Paper dolls to dress with jeans and other contemporary clothing pieces.

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Color scheme wise, I had no idea what to do with this set. Denim is mostly blue, after all, so I went with a green, purple and pink scheme.

I have done occasional random denim themed paper dolls over the years. A few of my favorites- Weekend Denim, Paper Doll Guys Need Jeans, Girl Paper Dolls Need Jeans, Hearts Denim and Bows, Jeans and Tank Tops, and my first ever- Stylish Denim. I’ve heard that denim maxi skirts are back and I am secretly super excited about this.

What do you think of this new series? Let me know in a comments! And head over to join us on Patreon if you want to someday help name a paper doll series.

A Gothic Lolita Paper Doll

Every year I ask my patrons for ideas. I don’t promise to draw those ideas, but I always like to know what my patrons are interested in seeing. Plus, I run out of ideas sometimes.

One of my long time patrons, Denise, asked for some Gothic fashions and let me decide what genre to explore in that larger subgenre. I have been wanting to draw some Gothic Lolita clothing for a long time, partly because I really wanted to draw a bonnet.

So, Denise, here is a gothic Lolita paper doll for you.

A gothic lolita paper doll with curled hair, 3 dresses, tights, shoes and accessories.

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Gothic Lolita clothing is often called “Victorian Children’s Clothing Inspired”, but it is not really Victorian clothing. It is a ruffle and lace obsessed fever dream of Victorian clothing. And that’s part of the fun!

Historical accuracy has no place here.

If you hop over to my Lolita Fashion Pinterest Board, you will see a lot more of this style. A few specific sources for these dresses include this gothic look and this purse and this dress and this dress. I actually drew a few more dresses that didn’t fit on this page, so they’ll be going up for my Patrons in the next few weeks.

A gothic lolita paper doll with lavender hair, 3 dresses, tights, shoes and accessories.

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A few things I love about Lolita fashion, in no real order-

  • I like drawing ruffles
  • There’s a super high level of coordination, so I tied everything together with ruffles and roses.
  • There’s something really refreshing about a fashion style that is both super modest and super feminine. It’s not something you see a lot in fashion, I feel like.

The color scheme here is black, red and lavender. I feel like if there’s one downside of doing gothic fashion it is that it is… well, it’s black. Don’t get me wrong- black is a perfectly nice color- but it is all black. I try not to make my paper doll clothing all black, because I feel like it obscures the line-work a lot. However, since you have a black and white version of this gothic Lolita paper doll, you can make this one all black (or all purple, or all green) if you wish.

In fact, with a different color scheme, this set could totally be sweet Lolita or classic Lolita.

In the words of the college students I work with- You do you.

And on that note, I wanted to pause here to thank my Patrons who have supported me. Consider joining us if you want! You could get your idea drawn.

Topaz: Casual Shoes

A printable paper doll with tan skin, short curly hair and three pairs of sandals. She can wear any of the Jewels and Gemstones paper doll clothing.

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Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
Every-time I introduce a new Jewels and Gemstones paper doll. I try to makes sure I do a “shoe set” for her, so she has lot of shoes to wear with the different outfits I create for the paper dolls. Shoes aren’t as mix and match able, because skin-tone is often visible.

This doesn’t matter with black and white paper dolls, of course, because you can color their skin any way you like. But while I do offer coloring page versions of the Jewels and Gemstones, the paper dolls are, in my head at least, very much a color collection.

I was never a big colorer as a kid and so I think I tend to prefer paper dolls in color, though there are some artists whose black and white work is really beautiful and doesn’t need to be colored.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
Her hair was inspired by a hairstyle magazine I picked up. I love hair style magazines for ideas. Anyway, it reminded me of a sort of modern take on a 1930s wave.

Specific Source Images: One of my many hairstyle magazines.

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & the other Topaz paper doll
Around the Internet: I do keep a Hair! Pinterest Board 

Last Thoughts
Quick shout out to myPatrons– thank you all for your amazing support.

I’ve been watching absurd amounts of the Great British Baking show and I find that I now really want to learn to make a jelly-roll cake, which probably isn’t something I really want to do, but watching other people make them is intriguing. Actually, the one thing I would love to learn to make are French macaroons.

I do sometimes think the thing that keeps me from eating French macaroons all the time is that I don’t know how to make them. Maybe I should keep it that way.

Meet Topaz In the Cyberpunk Future

A cyberpunk inspired paper doll with multi-colored hair and an outfit to print from paperthinpersonas.com.

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Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
I love all things cyberpunk. Not only do I love William Gibson’s books, but I play a game called Shadowrun which is a magic meets cyberpunk sort of setting. Anyway, I do love me my 1990s and 1980s cyberpunk futures. They fill me with a strange sort of joy. No lie.

One of the things I like about cyberpunk is that it is often a near future setting, rather than a far future one. It really engages in questions of what the current path we are on involving technology might lead us too. It’s a dark genre, unlike a lot of steampunk, but I still enjoy it. I think it’s partly because I also have a soft place in my soul for noir and they share a lot of stylistic elements.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
Topaz was born out of a desire to have a paper doll with lighter skin than Pearl or Amethyst, but darker skin than Ruby or Lapis. Her clothing is, obviously, cyberpunk inspired, but there’s a bit of the Fifth Element futurism in there too, I think.

Specific Source Images: These Shoes and This Dress

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & more Cyberpunk paper dolls
Around the Internet: A Nice list of Cyberpunk Books, most of which I have read and some of which I haven’t.

Last Thoughts
While this clothing isn’t specifically cybergoth, you could share some of the cybergoth pieces from that collection with Lapis with theses. This set and this set would mix and match particularly well. Honestly, cybergoth, cyberpunk, futuristic… it all sort of flows together after a while, I think.

If you didn’t know, over on there’s an extra paper doll outfit every Friday for members. Join if you’d like.

Topaz is probably my last new Jewels and Gemstones family member for a while, I think. I have a second version of her already drawn, but I don’t know yet when that’ll go live.