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Amethyst and the Ballet and Dancing Collection

A curvy paper doll with brown skin, black hair, a pair of modern dance shoes and a pair of toe shoes. Free to print and she can wear any of the clothing from the Jewels and Gemstones collection.

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Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
There are several different styles of shoes worn for dance. The most iconic is probably the en pointe shoes and I made sure to include those with Amethyst today.

However, her other shoes are known as “lyrical shoes” they are usually worn for modern dance. The shoes leave the toes exposed and really only cover the ball of the foot for protection. Years ago, when I did tech theater work, we used to drape carpets over the edges of lighting rigs so dancers would feel the different fabric when leaving stage and know there was heavy piece of metal underneath the carpet.

Stubbed toes are not a minor issue when you’re a professional dancer.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
I was thinking of ballet of course and dance when I dis this paper doll. I wanted to do a companion to Pearl.

Specific Source Images: These dance shoes

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & More of the Ballet and Dancing Collection
Around the Internet: Discount Dance Supply is my go-to for images of dancing shoes & What is Lyrical Dance?

Last Thoughts
Can I just say that I love theatre. I have a Master Degree in the stupid topic. I know more about theater then most rational people do. However, I’ll be darned if I can figure out the difference between lyrical and modern dance. I am sorry dance people, but your nuances befuddle me.

Now, if anyone would like a talk on how Masque evolved into Opera and Ballet, I can hook you up. (No one wants this, I assure you.)

Did you know I have a Patreon? You probably do, but I’m always happy to remind you. Head over here if you want more paper dolls each week.

Okay, so I want to draw more dancing stuff that is not ballet, even though ballet was how we started. I’m thinking maybe hip-hop dance or modern or something. Any suggestions? Let me know in a comment.

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 Classic Pancake Tutu in Pink

A classic pancake style pink tutu for the paper dolls with en pointe shoes. Print in color or black and white for coloring.

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Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
There are several different traditional styles of tutus. One of them is a Pancake style tutu which is a shorter tutu style with a wired hoop in-between the layers of tulle to help the tutu keep its shape.

Moral of the story, tutus are complicated! (Also, the word “tutu” is fun to say.)

I didn’t pick a specific ballet to base this tutu off of. There’s a lot of ballets in this world and this tutu could really be in any number. Part of the point of this tutu was just to practice drawing this style of tutu which isn’t easy.

One of the things about my art, is that I tend to be a pretty tight artist. I have trouble loosening up my line work and tutus are very much a lose sort of thing. Tulle is like that.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
I wasn’t thinking of any specific ballet when I designed this tutu. I wanted to draw something that could be in all sorts of things. One thing that fascinates me are the traditions around ballet costuming, but I didn’t feel like doing the research to say for sure which ballet this costume would go with.

Specific Source Images: This tutu, This tutu, This tutu and This tutu

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & More of the Ballet and Dancing Collection
Around the Internet: I have a Ballet Pinterest Board, a Brief History of the Tutu and Types of Tutus from the Pacific Northwest Ballet

Last Thoughts
What’s interesting about the tutu is that the skirt doesn’t actually come out from the waist. It comes out slightly below the waist, closer to the top of the hip. That completely changes the shape of the garment. My paper dolls have fairly short torsos or it would be even more obvious.

Yes, for those of you paying close attention, I am reusing my toe shoes. A person can only draw en pointe shoes so many times before you get a little bored of them.

If you like the blog, consider becoming a Patreon. You get extra paper dolls and get to support PTP.

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.

Rose Dinner Dress: Princess Trousseau

A princess fantasy dress inspired by the 18th century and trimmed with roses. The shoes have matching garters and there is also a rose choker.

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Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
This dress is one of four I designed together. I wanted to create some rather traditional “big skirted princess dresses” for the Jewels and Gemstones paper dolls. Two of the dresses are Patron exclusives (join here) and the other two are being shared on the blog. This is the second one.

I have more in the works, but I started with four.

They all have the same muted color scheme. I really love muted colors, but I find I don’t use them that often. I think on computer they can get muddy really fast. I really liked the idea of having the same colors for all the dresses in the collection.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
This dress is the dinner dress of the set. It’s more formal than the music dress, but less formal than say the ballgown I shared with my Patrons. There’s something 18th century going on here, I think, but I didn’t really look at any reference images.

Specific Source Images: I doodle this before I drew it, but I can’t find that piece of paper- so you’re just going to have to believe me.

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & More of the Princess Trousseau
Around the Internet: The “Rococo/Big Skirted Absurdity” section on my Fantasy Pinterest Board & some actual 18th century dresses

Last Thoughts
I love drawing big skirted fantasy gowns. The width of the skirt gives space to explore decorative elements that are harder at a smaller scale. Plus I grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, so I am somewhat a child of the big skirted Disney Princesses.

If you’re a Patron, remember that there’s a ballgown in this series here for you all. If you’re not a Patron, here’s how to join.

The Firebird: A Ballet Costume

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Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
The Firebird is a ballet based on Russian folklore that opened in 1910. There was a real fad for all things Russian in the early part of the 20th century. Sergei Diaghilev created the Ballet Russes in Paris in 1909 to take advantage of this obsession. While he was at it, he decided to commission a new ballet that would be very much Russian in themes. He hired Igor Stravinsky (at the time largely unknown) to compose the work.

The Firebird is a pretty short ballet (it’s only about 45 minutes) and it tells the story of a young man, Prince Ivan Tsarevich (the Russian version of Prince Charming) who captures the Firebird while she is eating a golden apple at night. She offers him a magic feather and warns him about Koshi (also spelled Koschei or Kochi) the Deathless, an evil sorcerer. In the morning, Prince Ivan spies thirteen dancing princesses and he falls in love with one of them. Like you do. So, he decides to rescue them.

Prince Ivan confronts Koshi and uses his magic feather to protect himself from Koshi’s magic. Then the Firebird is summoned, she casts a spell on Koshi and his followers causing them to dance until they collapse (this is a ballet, after all). Prince Ivan than destroys a magical egg which holds the key to the sorcerer’s immortality. Once the spells is broken, the princesses are freed and everything is happily ever after.

Listen, it’s a ballet with a magical dancing bird- no one said there needed to be a logical plot.

Koshi the Deathless, the Firebird and Ivan Tsarevich are all figures from Russian fairy-tales and folklore, but the combination of all of them is pretty much just from the ballet.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
In ballet costumes, there is tradition stacked on tradition. The Firebird, the principle dancer role in the Ballet, is strangely one where there isn’t so much tradition stacked on tradition. Perhaps because the character is a mythological beast, or perhaps because the Ballet Russes was always a bit cutting edge and innovative, the Firebird costume isn’t very standardized. You see all sorts of versions around from traditional tutus to unitards to other.

Specific Source Images: This one was a big influence on my Firebird design.

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & More from the Ballet and Dancing collection
Around the Internet: The Firdbird on Wikipedia and the Danish Royal Ballet preforming the Firebird on Youtube (their costuming is fantastically non-traditional)

Last Thoughts
I love and have always loved Russian fairytales. I grew up hearing them. My favorite was Tsarevitch Ivan, the Firebird and the Gray Wolf which I made my mother read to me over and over again. She probably got so sick of that fairy tale.

I’d like to give a shout out to my Patreon supporters, because without you all, the blog wouldn’t happen.

Empress Fantasy Gown

A fantasy gown for the printable paper doll series Jewels and Gemstones inspired by the Tang Dynasty of China, but not historically accurate at all. Printable in color or black and white for coloring.

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

Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
One of my favorite things to look at on Pinterest are these fantasy versions of Tang Dynasty dress, an imperial dynasty of China spanning the 7th to 10th centuries. I don’t know enough about the history of Chinese clothing to even begin to consider drawing actual historical Chinese dress, but I really like looking. I think these gowns are all so flowing and elegant.

While I know enough about most eras of Western Fashion to at least approach them, Asian clothing (particularly China) is kinda a black box for me. I should do more reading on it, but sources are pretty difficult to find for anything before the Qing Dynasty. I own one book, but my collection is pretty limited in that area.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
Occasionally, I like to dip into my own archives and draw a new gown based on an older paper doll set, especially if it’s a set that I really like. So, today’s paper doll gown was inspired by a set I did back in 2015 called the Elven Empress. While I didn’t actually look at any Tang dynasty reference images, this is definitely got some Tang Dynasty influences.

Specific Source Images: Elven Empress paper doll set from 2015

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & the Elven Empress set from 2015
Around the Internet: Tang Dynasty Dress example and a Tang Dynasty sculpture, Tang Dynasty style screen & another example of Tang Dynasty dress

Last Thoughts
As life has been nuts lately since I am moving at the moment, my goal has been one post per week for the foreseeable future and, of course, a Friday post for my Patrons over on Patreon. Thanks to everyone who supports the blog through Patreon!

Ballet Practice Clothing

A set of dancing clothing with two leotards, two skirts and two wrap sweaters with tights and toe shoes for the curvy Jewels and Gemstones paper dolls.

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Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
I love drawing pretty things like tutus, but I also wanted to draw practice clothing, because in reality many folks who dance, dance for the love of dance. They are not automatically dancing with the goal of performance before a crowd.

I have mixed feelings about ballet’s relationship with body shape, as I have said before. The stats on dancers and eating disorders are troubling. One 2003 study from the journal Psychopathology found that non-professional ballet dancers reported the highest prevalence of eating disorders (anorexia nervosa 1.8%; bulimia nervosa 2.7%; eating disorders not otherwise specified 22.1%) compared to gymnasts and bodybuilders, two other performative sports with high prevalence of eating disorders. I should add that the study looked at non-professional dancers, so I’m not saying these are the stats for people actually dancing in the National Ballet company or something.

Anyhow, I couldn’t in good conscious draw ballerina paper dolls for kids without feeling like I needed to mention the issues of body image and ballet. I try so hard not to preach on this site, but I know too many people in recovery from eating disorders, so I take that stuff really seriously.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
I don’t do a lot of mix ad match sets anymore, but given that I couldn’t fit clothing and en pointe shoes on the same pages as the dolls I drew to go with this series, I thought I would make sure to give a variety of practice clothing to be mixed and matched. If you’re paying close attention, you’ll notice the en pointe shoes duplicate. I didn’t feel like drawing the same thing over and over again.

Specific Source Images: Dancewear Solutions and International Dance Supplies were two of the sites I used to find images of dance clothing.

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & other Ballerina paper dolls
Around the Internet:Eating Disorders and Body Image Disturbances among Ballet Dancers, Gymnasium Users and Body Builders, Why Ballet Hasn’t Yet Caught Up to the Body Positivity Movement from Medium & Big Moves Dance Company: Beyond Body Positive Towards Fat Liberation

Last Thoughts

So, right now life is super crazy busy for me and I don’t see it slowing down for a while. I keep thinking- next month won’t be so bad and then next month rolls around and it is just as insane. So, thank you for your paitence as I work through everything happening in my life.

Meanwhile, don’t forget that becoming a patron means getting an extra paper doll/outfit every Friday.

I’m thinking I should also draw some non-ballet stuff. I specifically called this collection Ballet & Dancing. What other sorts of dance should I include? Leave me a suggestion in the comments.

The Music Frock with a Draped Skirt: Part of the Princess Trousseau

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Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
Today’s dress is one of four I designed together to be classic “big skirted princess dresses” for the Jewels and Gemstones paper dolls. Two of them are Patron exculsives (join here) and two of them are going up on the blog here. I plan to create more, but at the moment, I just have the four.

Four dresses doesn’t make a full trousseau though, so stay tuned for additional dresses for this collection.

Princesses get a bad rep. It’s easy to look at the idea of a Princess and argue they have no automony, they get rescued and they are valued only for their appearance. Despite that, and despite being a feminist, I continue to draw regularly and often my Princess dresses.

It’s not that I’m not aware of the issues surrounding the concept of the Princess. It’s not that I don’t have serious issues with Disney and the commodification of girlhood. It’s not that I don’t occasionally prefer the idea of full-plate armor over full-skirted gowns. It’s that I don’t think femininity should in anyway be associated with weakness.

The only problem with Princesses is when they are offered to young girls as the only acceptable way to be.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
I really did have a lot of fun designing this one. It pretty much came out of a doodling session on my phone using the Procreate app on my phone, which I am sort of enjoying when I don’t have pen or paper with me.

Specific Source Images: This doodle

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & More of the Princess Trousseau (which at the moment is just this dress)
Around the Internet: I do keep a “Rococo/Big Skirted Absurdity” section on my Fantasy Pinterest Board

Last Thoughts
As my long time readers know, I have a strange obsession with the idea of different dresses for different activities. I think I read to many Victorian novels at an impressionable age. So, this is kind of an excuse to indulge in that fantasy.

Yes, I know actually having to change my clothing for each activity of my day would really be annoying. I don’t even like putting on gym clothes.

If you’d like an extra paper doll each week, check out Patreon. It’s a great way to get more paper dolls and support PTP.

Lapis and her Summer Shoes

A dark haired paper doll with summer shoes. Free to print from paperthinpersonas.com

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

Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll
You know, I really don’t do a lot of paper dolls with fair skin and dark hair. I’m not sure why I don’t… but I don’t. So, here is one today.

It’s kinda strange that I don’t, because my favorite two Barbie’s as a kid were a Jasmine Barbie from the movie Aladdin (which my sister melted in the microwave, true story) and a really pale doll with super dark hair. I don’t think either of those dolls were actual Barbie branded, but that’s neither here nor there.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll
I was working on my summery clothing for the paper dolls and I realized I have never done a Lapis paper doll with shoes. I’ve done a medieval fantasy one and a cybergoth one. Both of those were super fun to design, but I did find myself thinking- maybe I should have one that’s got like just some shoes.

Plus, I do love drawing shoes.

Specific Source Images: I used Instyle March 2019 issue– their big Spring Fashion report. I like getting away from screens when I draw. That’s why I haven’t gone digital yet for my art.

Learn/See More
On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls
Around the Internet: All the colors (except her hair and eyes) come from Pantone’s Spring 2019 Color Report

Last Thoughts
Just so folks know, there is a bunch of stuff related to my personal life and work happening. None of it bad, but all of it time consuming. So, the blog posts are going to continue to be super erratic until… well, things settle which might be like 2020. Ain’t gonna lie.

However, my Patreon content is my main priority. So, if you do want more regular content, come over and join up.

As always, I love hearing from you and I try to respond to questions, so feel free to leave a comment if you like.