Black & White

DDJ: Color Blocking with Twilight

A black and white paper doll with a mix and match wardrobe of 8 clothing pieces.

Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Dolls Du Jour Paper Dolls

A black paper doll with a mix and match wardrobe of 8 clothing pieces.

Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Dolls Du Jour Paper Dolls

Color blocking is one of my favorite fashion themes. I just love how it lets me play with different colors and experiment with how different lines look on a set of garments. I first drew this paper doll set last year, but didn’t manage to actually get it done until a few weeks ago. Sometimes, I am a little slow on finishing up my own artwork.

Let’s not talk about the large number of 80% finished projects lurking on my hard-drive.

By the way, this is only my 6th Dolls Du Jour paper doll. I created this series in May of 2020 as part of my move towards drawing more diverse figures. Figure drawing is my least favorite part of paper doll making and it is the part I think I am worse at. There’s dozens of abandoned attempts at figure drawing in my notebooks. I still don’t think my figures are as diverse as they could be, but I also can only bang my head against the things I don’t like doing so long.

Just let me draw silly shoes and ignore when my people look off, which they often do.

Want a free paper doll coloring page in every issue? Subscribe to my Very Occasional Newsletter!

Want to support the blog and access to more paper dolls every month? Join us on Patreon!

1930s Suits and Dresses with Amethyst

A printable 1930s vintage fashion paper doll coloring page with four dresses, two shoes and hats.

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

A printable 1930s vintage fashion paper doll with four dresses, shoes and hats.

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

No secret that I adore doing my historical costume paper dolls and the 1930s is a time period I feel like really has two sort of looks happening. The first is a very soft, floral, feminine, lots of little details kind of country look from the feed sack prints of the era. This is not the look of today’s paper doll.

Contrasting with that aesthetic is a sophisticated, shoulder details heavy, suits and jackets of the 1930s. There are still plenty of bows, but the lines are sharper. The dresses don’t feel soft, but almost prickly to me. This is the look I wanted to explore with today’s 1930s vintage fashion paper doll.

A few references- her hair is based on the hair of Gertrude Micheal in this 1935 promotional photo from Paramount Studios, her swimsuit is from the V&A, and one of her dresses is from McCalls 8461. Over on Pinterest, I have more of my inspiration images for this 1930s vintage fashion paper doll, but I also used several books, including A Decade of French Fashion, 1929-1938: From the Depression to the Brink of War which I just picked up and Everyday Fashions of the Thirties As Pictured in Sears Catalogs which I’ve owned for years.

Want a free paper doll coloring page in every issue? Subscribe to my Very Occasional Newsletter!

Want to support the blog and access to more paper dolls every month? Join us on Patreon!

A Little Mermaid in the 1830s

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

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

To end the month of Mer-May, I wanted to share this Little Mermaid paper doll. As you probably know, the Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen is the classic tale of a mermaid who becomes obsessed with a prince, gives up everything for him, ends up in agonizing pain until he marries someone else, nearly kills him, kills herself, and gets to spend 300 years doing good deeds for humans, so that she might someday win a soul to go to heaven.

Most illustrated versions of the tale I’ve seen place the story in a orientalist fantasy setting, but I wanted to draw on fashions from around 1837 when the story was written. So, the paper doll’s dress is based on this dress from 1837, this dress from 1833-1837, plus this dress from 1837-1839. Her hair is from the early 1830s and I love those silly hair styles. I used this fashion plate. Despite appearances, it’s actually simplified.

The men’s outfit references a line in the story where the Prince has a page outfit made for the Little Mermaid, so she could ride with him. My paper dolls’ riding costume is based on this coat from 1830 to 1840 and this suit from the 1830s. Though the cut is a bit more regency than it is 1830s and the boots are very regency, I confess.

The knife with the paper doll is the one that the Little Mermaid’s sisters trade their hair for to try to save the Little Mermaid’s life by having her stab the Prince to death. By the way, if you’ve never read the original, I think you should. It is not the Disney tale most people think of.

If you’d like, I do have a lot more mermaid paper dolls. Check out my Mermaid tag and another Jewels and Gemstones Mermaid, if you’d like more mix and match mermaid options.

Want to know more about my paper dolls? Subscribe to my Very Occasional Newsletter!

Want to support the blog and access to more paper dolls every month? Join us on Patreon!

Aces & Queens: A Playing Card Inspired Paper Doll

A playing card inspired paper doll with dreadlocks and a mix and match wardrobe.

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

A playing card inspired paper doll with multicolored dreadlocks and a mix and match wardrobe.

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

This paper doll set was my partner’s suggestion for a playing card themed paper doll creation. When I think of playing cards, I sort of inevitably end up thinking of retro glam, show girls and a little bit punk. That maybe helps explain why this paper doll’s clothing is a little all over the place. However, I do think there’s some neutrals like jeans you could steal from Polka-Dots, Retro-Beach Summer or Flowers and Showers. I am realizing though, as I write this, that I haven’t done that many contemporary fashion sets for the Jewels and Gemstones 2.0 ladies.

By the way, I’ve had a few people reach out over my long absence. I was dealing with some family things. It’s all resolved and I have a wonderful support network. Thank you for your kind words and things will slowly be ramping back up here as I get more settled.

Want to know more about my paper dolls? Subscribe to my Very Occasional Newsletter!

Want to support the blog and access to more paper dolls every month? Join us on Patreon!

Summer Crop Tops with Jade

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

I am fascinated by the return of crop tops in fashion these days. Unlike in my teenage years, they are now paired with high rise pants which I think is a much more flattering look than the low hip-huggers of the early 2000s. 

All the colors in this set are based on the Pantone 2021 Spring color scheme. 

You will need to cut along the dolls shoulders to fit these items on. I have put a dotted line there, but with the long dark hair it can be hard to see.  

Crocus inspired Princess Gowns with Jade

To view this content, you must be a paying member of my patreon!  Join us here and help support Paper Thin Personas. Already a qualifying Patreon member? See below on how to access the content.
To view this content, you must be a member of Rachel's Patreon
Unlock with Patreon
Already a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to access this content.

DDJ: Retro Space Paper Doll Adventures with Dawn

An Asian paper doll coloring page with four dresses and a space suit in a retro-1960s sci-fi theme.
A color printable Asian paper doll with a space wardrobe theme, She's got four dresses, boots and a space suit in 1960s inspired colors.

Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Dolls Du Jour Paper Dolls

There’s something really fun about retro futuristic clothing of the 1960s and I had fun drawing it for today’s printable paper doll. I was tickled when I saw it mentioned in the latest issue of Paper Doll Review. Anyway, I’m always up for drawing paper dolls with retro space clothing. I’ve been watching Star Trek: The Original Series with my partner during the pandemic and it’s a hoot. So, here we have four space mini-dresses, a totally impractical space suit and some very important space boots.

Want to know more about my paper dolls? Subscribe to my Occasional Newsletter!

Want to support the blog and access to more paper doll every month? Join us on Patreon!

Pearl and her 1860s Gowns

To view this content, you must be a paying member of my patreon!  Join us here and help support Paper Thin Personas. Already a qualifying Patreon member? See below on how to access the content.
To view this content, you must be a member of Rachel's Patreon
Unlock with Patreon
Already a qualifying Patreon member? Refresh to access this content.

1860s Fashion Paper Doll & Her Dresses to Print

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

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

My patrons on Patreon voted for the 1860s to be my next historical paper doll foray. (Join here if you’d like to vote next time.) I hadn’t drawn anything from this era in years, so I had some fun breaking out my costume history books, doing more research on 1860s fashion, and then crafting is 1860s fashion paper doll and her dresses. There’s another 1860s paper doll who will be the March exclusive for my Patrons.

My Newsletter this week will be a special issue all about 1860s fashion with sources!

Want to know more about my paper dolls and get a free paper doll? Subscribe to my Newsletter!

Want to support the blog and access to more paper doll every month? Join us on Patreon!

DDJ: A Renaissance Fantasy Princess Printable & Her Gowns

Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Doll Du Jour Paper Dolls

Maybe because I saw Ever After at a young age, but I have a deep affection for Italian Renaissance inspired gowns and these are a few of them. Fantasy paper dolls rival historical paper dolls as some of my favorites to draw. This set of printable fantasy paper dolls is from my Dolls Du Jour series, lovingly known as DDJ. Named by a Patron (thank you!) these paper dolls are part of my goal to make some more curvy paper doll ladies. Each doll is named after a time or day, so this is Twilight.

Want to know more about my paper dolls? Subscribe to my Newsletter!

Want to support the blog and access to more paper doll every month? Join us on Patreon!