A Stylish Paper Doll July: Fantasy Adventuring Armors

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And now I am pleased to say we are all caught up with this paper doll project! Woo!

I wanted to do something that really let me play with fantasy stuff like armor since I hadn’t done much of that. I had ideas for chainmail, but never could get it to look right without manually drawing every link. I almost bought a brush for it, but then I have have mixed experiences paying for brushes. Some are amazing and some are kind meh. It’s tough, because you can’t really test it before you pay for it.

Anyway, I’m really happy with how both of these came out even if I didn’t end up sorting out my chainmail challenges. Rather then chainmail, I went with a padded gambeson (which I think is the right name… for the quilted padded jackets people wore as armor back in the day or sometimes under plate armor) for one and the other I did a bit more of a fantasy breastplate thing. All five pieces can mix and match, so there really quite a few options.

One thing that this digital process does that my physical process doesn’t do is that it is MUCH faster. The speed at which I can go from sketch to inking to posting is massively increased. Mostly, this is a good thing, but there is one major downside.

One of those downsides is that the human eye tends to miss things. We see as much what we “think” we are seeing as we see what is actually there.

So, I do find when I look at some of these posts I notice little things I don’t think are quite right- like I am not sure about the gauntlets on both the sets. The angles seem… maybe not quite right.

In the long term, this probably means building in a “rest” period and learning some tricks for looking at my digital art more critically. Learning things like that was sort of the point of this whole project.

Pearl as a Pulpy Fantasy Warrior

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Yes, I did watch a lot of Xena: Warrior Princess at a young impressionable age, why do you ask?

Seriously though, I get the whole idea of the male-gaze and I get the whole idea that this sort of armor isn’t practical and I understand that there’s a lot of patriarchal sexist BS wrapped up in the whole “women warriors must be sexy” concept. I get it. I really do.

And yet, I just like drawing sexy pulpy armor. It is important to acknowledge the problems of the patriarchy, but still like what you like. And lord knows I’ve done by fair share of non-pulpy armor over the years (here and here and here and here and here and here and…. I could go on.)

Meanwhile, this set began with my first ever Pearl paper doll from 2019 which was inspired by Callisto’s Armor from Xena: Warrior Princess. I really liked that armor when I used to watch that show as a kid, but now I look at it and I think- Wow, it’s so short! I can’t imagine it was comfortable for the actress, but I digress. I tried to use the elements from the original paper doll set to design the additional pieces so that it would feel like a cohesive piece.

Next week there will be a round-up of all the 2021 Jewels and Gemstones paper dolls (and yes, I know it is 2022 already but I drew all these in 2021). And then I am taking a few weeks off to continue resting and recovering from some surgery (in case you are wondering, almost everything I’ve posted here and on social media was pre-scheduled, because the internet is like that). I hope to be back in time for Valentine’s Day (as you know, I love Valentine’s Day) and with some new paper doll content. We’ll see!

Lapis the Swashbuckler and Adventurer Paper Doll

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Okay, so here’s a wild thing I learned when looking up where the term Swashbuckler came from. The term originates back in the 1550s and meant something like “blustering, swaggering fighting man.” I find that so fascinating, because I’ve always associated the term with Errol Flynn and other sort of pirate films of the 1950s. So, I assumed it was a more modern term. Who knew?

Anyway, Wikipedia describes it as adventure literature that focuses on a heroic protagonist stock character who is skilled in swordplay, acrobatics, guile and possesses chivalrous ideals. Sounds about right. I do love me a good fun adventure movie with sword fights.

Yes, I watched too much Highlander in the 1990s.

Anyway, I really wanted to diverge from my usual fantasy gown looks into something a little more adventurer, though let’s be clear- it isn’t any more practical. Practical fantasy clothing sort of seems to defeat the whole point, I think.

Did you know I have a newsletter? I do! And you get a paper doll in ever erratic issue. Subscribe Here!

Ninja Paper Doll for the End of 2020!

It’s the end of year and I am happy to wrap up with this little cute ninja warrior. You might be wondering- why a ninja paper doll? There’s nothing winter thematic about a ninja?

And you are right! There isn’t.

However, I have a new logo which I love (see top of the site) and I want to start putting it on all of my printables and that means some reformatting. So, rather than try to make something wintery to end out 2020, I decided to use my last finished piece and then have a clean slate for 2021.

Hence the ninja paper doll, who has been sitting quietly in my “to be posted” folder for longer than I like to admit. Poor Diamond deserves better than that, but these things happen.

A ninja paper doll coloring page with six mix and match pieces to print and color. Her accessories include a sword, throwing stars and some other fantasy weapons.

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I originally planned to do this a very traditional ninja set with lots and lots of black, but in the end, I concluded that it was sort of boring. So, I guess my ninja is just really into the color blue. I don’t see why ninjas have to wear just black. The origins of which I think have to do with Noh theater, but I’m not 100% positive. If you know, feel free to correct me in the comments.

A ninja paper doll with mix and match pieces, weapons and fun style. Great indoor play for kids!

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As 2020 comes to an end (and thanks goodness for that), I am so pleased to say I will be taking a few days off to rest and recoup. Patreon will be on pause during January (no content, but no one is being charged either, a feature I love of Patreon), but feel free to join us to check out the wrap up for the 365 Day Project!

Okay, it was 366 days, because when I named it I forgot that 2020 was a leap year.

Also, it will be available as one huge download on Etsy once I get it all combined. It’s um… pretty large.

My big new project for 2021 is an email newsletter. I am so excited! Sign up here if you’d like to or read more about it, if you’d like. There will be a paper doll coloring page in every issue and links to neat stuff and ramblings from me.

Guardian of the City with Sapphire

I drew this paper doll back in… like early March? Way back a decade ago when I didn’t have to wear a mask and time had meaning. I knew from the start of it, I wanted to do something that really let me play with armor and I feel like warrior paper dolls are always fun to draw. I never had any as a kid, so I might as well make them now.

A knight paper doll coloring sheet with six mix and match pieces. Great indoor activity for kids.

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I feel like blond hair and dark skin is a combo I like, but I really struggle to get right. This one came out pretty well, I think. Still not really sure how I feel about the pink and teal color scheme, but I wanted something more interesting then just blue or brown. Blue and brown are the colors I tend to lean on heavily with my warrior sets.

A knight paper doll with six mix and match pieces. Super cute black paper doll with lots of accessories.

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Someday, I swear I am going to put together a bunch of my warrior and princess paper dolls into a collection and calling it, “Knights and Nobles.” Obviously, haven’t done it yet, but maybe next year I’ll get around to it. Adapting and expanding things from the blog to items I can sell on places like Etsy is such a smart idea, but somehow I never get around to it. I never want to stop offering lots of free paper dolls, because I like offering free paper dolls. However, it is nice to get paid for my work and time sometimes. Patreon does help, of course.

The real problem is that I don’t usually like going back to my old work, so there’s always that.

As some of you know, I am creating a newsletter in 2021. It’s a scary new project, but I am super excited about it. Head over here if you’d like to sign up or read more about it here.

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

Ninjas, Can be Lavender, too? Right?

Paper doll ninjas design with armor and weapons.

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Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
Let me start by saying that I don’t really believe in “artist’s block,” because I think the way you get over such things is by actually drawing. I will confess that sometimes when I am stumped on what to draw, I end up looking at my Master Paper Doll Index and picking out a theme I haven’t done yet for the Jewels and Gemstones.

The four I know I need to work on include gothic, punk, astronauts, and ninjas.

Well, gothic, punk and astronauts will have to wait. Today, I decided to explore ninjas.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
One of the perks of having drawn a lot of paper dolls is that sometimes I go back to my own older work for inspiration, but I also wanted to look at other things as well. One thing I knew I didn’t want to do was an all black ninja outfit. Seriously, coloring things in all back is kinda boring. This is likely why I haven’t done that gothic set yet, now that I mention it.

Specific Source Images: This Illustration and This Image from Pinterest & This Ninja design from Last Year

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & More Ninja Stuff
Around the Internet: Some info on actual Ninjas

Last Thoughts
Mostly, I base my ninjas outfits on wrap designs, but I wanted to draw a qipao inspired piece instead. Maybe I should have said that up under my inspiration…

Joining on Patreon means getting extra paper doll content and now is a great time to join, because I just posted the August rewards.

Adventurer and Duelist Paper Doll Outfit

An fantasy adventurer in paper doll form with a leather bodice and leggings for the Jewels and Gemstones paper dolls.

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Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
Well, I’ve always loved swashbuckling films like Three Musketeers, the Princess Bride, and basically anything with pirates. I do love pirates. (Not like actual pirates, but the fantasy of pirates. Let’s be clear here. I’m not in favor of actual violence.)

I love drawing my fancy princesses, but I also like thinking about what a more practical fantasy adventurer might wear.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
I do keep an entire section of my Fantasy Clothing Pinterest board devoted to “Ladies in Pants/ with swords/leather bodices”. I also keep a Pinterest Board of Fantasy Armor, but I don’t really think of these designs as being armor. I think of them just as adventurer clothing.

Specific Source Images:This outfit from Pinterest and this outfit for the Mini-Maidens

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls
Around the Internet:My “Ladies in Pants/ with swords/leather bodices” Pinterest Collection

Last Thoughts
I love princess gowns as much as I love adventurer clothing, so I am curious, what are your favorites? Fancy gowns or more practical paper doll clothing? Let me know in a comment.

Right now there is a lot going on my life, so please be kind as I work on figuring out how to get from point A to point B. I keep thinking things will smooth out/slow down, but thus far that goal has been elusive. In the meantime, remember that I’m always sharing a weekly and monthly paper dolls on Patreon, depending on your pledge level.

A Noble Female Knight & Her Armor

A set of female knight armor with swords for the paper dolls today! Not as heavy duty as full plate, but I had a lot of fun designing it. As always, there's a black and white version too if you want.

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Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
I draw a lot of warrior paper dolls, because I really enjoy designing both pragmatic practical looking armor (like today’s) and totally absurd insane impractical looking armor (like this one) and I think both have a place. I tend to think of my paper dolls that wear more practical plate style armor as knight paper dolls, even though there’s nothing that really specifies such a thing.

When I am dealing with plate armor there’s always going to be a lot of grey, so I try to find colors to accent it. For some reason, I really like purple with gray and brown, so that’s what I went with here. I also liked that it was a little unexpected.

Also I can’t decide how to describe this. I’ve settled on “female knight armor” which I like slightly more than “lady knight armor” or “woman’s knight armor”, but I’m not smitten with any of those descriptions. It really only matters for SEO reasons, but still… sigh.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
Hmmm… well, armor of course. I just wanted to do a plate armor design that didn’t go over maile (which is my usual default) so I ended up with this.

Specific Source Images: This fantasy armor illustration and this fantasy armor illustration

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & More Warrior Paper Dolls
Around the Internet: I keep a whole fantasy armor board on Pinterest for inspiration when designing these sorts of things.

Last Thoughts
I know there’s a word for these quilted coats that go under plate armor, but I’ll be darned if I can remember what it is. Maybe someone can help me out in the comments?

One of the blessings/curses of having done so many paper dolls is that I sometimes feel like I am repeating myself. I try not to let that bother me, because when it comes to paper dolls the process is what I really enjoy. I think of it like knitting or sewing. You can buy a shirt or a you can buy a hat, but if you enjoy the process of making one than who cares how many you have made? I do try to seek out variety though- both because it entertains me and because I think I would get really bored if I didn’t.

As always, comments are always appreciated and if you would like to support the blog than consider becoming a patron.

Viking Woman Warrior Inspired Fantasy Outfit with Weapons

A viking woman warrior fantasy outfit with trousers, tunic and weapons. The weapons are critical to the design. A free printable art design in color or black and white.

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Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
On some level, I draw the sorts of paper dolls I wanted as a child. I wanted hundreds of outfits. I didn’t want 100s of dolls, but one doll with a huge wardrobe. Well, now a days I also recognize the importance of doll variety (being that I am no longer 12) and I have too much fun drawing different dolls to just have one.

Beyond all that, I draw things that I feel like drawing. This isn’t great for the sites stats, but it does make me happy. Sometimes, that means I draw a Viking woman warrior in the form of a paper doll outfit. I firmly believe anything can become paper doll clothing. (Not anything SHOULD become paper doll clothing, but that’s a whole different issue, you know?)

Now, I admit things get a little random around here. This week they certainly will, but I hope everyone has as much fun as I do with the random.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
In my head, I sort of organize my fantasy paper dolls in to several categories based on their general aesthetic. There’s Asia inspired or Renaissance inspired or Russia inspired. Today’s set was Viking inspired, but I mean… it’s a fantasy outfit, but it feels Viking to me.

Specific Source Images: This Viking Woman Warrior which I found on Pinterest and couldn’t find a source for, sadly. It’s lovely digital art. Let me know if you know the artist.

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Viking Inspired Paper Dolls & More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls
Around the Internet: The Viking Inspired Section of my Fantasy Pinterest Board

Last Thoughts
Today’s Viking inspired fantasy outfit will be followed by some professional wear tomorrow. See, I said this week would be random.

This week’s random collection would have gone up last week, but cybergoth won the poll I gave those who support me on Patreon. If you want some input into those things, you can join us there.

Now, I know I will always sometimes have random weeks, because I don’t always want to draw a bunch of the same thing, but I am curious. Do you prefer weeks with themes or weeks of random? I feel a little divided. I think theme weeks are great if you like the theme, but maybe little dull if you happen to hate cybergoth or something. What do you think? Let me know in a comment.