I make a lot of tea. I don’t always finish my tea, but there is something about heating up water in a kettle, filling my cup with water, adding a little honey and then slowly stirring it. So, I settled down last night with my cup of hot tea next to my usual spot on the couch and I tried to think about what to write tonight about this set of paper doll outfits.
And I got nothing.
Seriously. Crickets.
I designed these a while ago, but I can’t recall when. I colored them with a sea-side ocean inspired color scheme, because well… it is full of colors I like. Teals and blues and celadon greens.
And that’s really all I got.
I realized, as I sit here trying to think of what to write, that maybe that is okay. Maybe it is okay that these paper doll outfits are just outfits.
Not everything has to have an epic story. These are just some nice paper doll clothes. They expand the collection for the Ms. Mannequins. That’s all.
And I think that might be okay.
{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}{Click Here for More Clothes}{Click Here for Paper Dolls to Dress}
I hope everyone enjoys them. Prints them. Plays with them or not… up to you all.
And now I’m going to finish my tea and go to bed. And if you’re thinking, but why is this going up on Thursday? It is because I will be traveling on Friday and will be without access to any sort of computer until late late in the evening, so I decided to post a day early. Breaking my own rules already!
As always, enjoy the paper doll clothes.
On and We’re doing a round robin paper doll. Here’s some info about that if you want to join us!
I think it’s a nice wardrobe. Not everything in the world is epic and that’s ok!
Very pretty clothes! I am very fond of the teal dress!
Uhm, and clicking on the colored thumbnail takes you to some formal gowns that I can’t remember seeing before. Are they supposed to be up yet?
The link below works correctly though.
Err… no. Man I have been making many code mistakes this week.
*LAUGHS*
Third time’s the charm Rachel! Now it links to the black and white version!
Thinking words I can’t share on the internet…. Should be fixed now.
It is!
Have fun wherever it is your going tomorrow!
Very nice clothing. Not everything has to be special and dramatic. And the colors are great! One thing that puzzles me is the gray background on the doll & clothing pages. That is a distraction for me and I’ve wanted to ask about that for some time now. Care to tell us why?
Actually, there could be a long philosophical answer to this, but here’s the short version:
Years ago, I read a piece by Kwei-lin Lum, who draws paper dolls as well. She wrote that paper dolls should be beautiful when they are cut out, but equally beautiful before they are cut out. This really struck me.
I want to create paper doll pages that I think are attractive before they are cut out and attractive after they are cut out. Essentially, I think the paper doll sheet is not just a “holding pen” for clothing, but rather a piece of art by itself. Putting in a background (some of which I think work better than others) is a way of trying to treat the sheet as a single work worthy of respect as a cohesive whole. This is also why I try to create consistent color schemes for my sets.
So, that’s the short version of a much longer ramble I could do on my artistic philosophy (and I feel like a pretentious git even writing the words ‘artistic philosophy’).