Black & White

Fashion Doll Friday: Flora’s Spencer Jacket and Walking Costume

This has been a busy week here among the corn. I’ve been working and schooling. I got to listen in on a fascinating lecture about the history of bibles (not the text, but the printing history of the book) and that was amazing. And, of course, I’ve been working on homework and other things while work is very busy. It’s been fun, but hectic.

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Neither of these costumes for Flora were based on specific fashion plate. I felt like she needed a spencer jacket (the short jacket) which is such a well known early 19th century garment. It was named for George Spencer, 2nd Earl Spencer. The story goes he burned the tails off his coat while warming himself by the fire and just decided to cut them off. It seems doubtful this actually happened, but it’s a neat story. Jane Austen’s World blog had somebeautiful photos of spencer jackets. I confess to actually not being a big fan of Austen, but people keep telling me I should reread her novels. I keep telling them I have other things I’d rather read. This is a hard case to make to my good friend who wrote her Master’s thesis on Jane Austen.

Curves: Garden Fantasy

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I have been trying to play with pattern, which helps explain this set of paper doll costumes. I also saw that fantasy was the most requested type of paper doll, so I am also trying to draw more fantasy costumes. That’s really all I’ve got to say about these dresses.

Fashion Doll Friday: Flora’s Short Stays and Morning Dress

So, I just realized I actually have three paper dolls on the site all named Flora (one short run doll, one pixie paper doll and the regency doll) and I don’t even like the name Flora that much… I feel a little like a ditz as a result, but I don’t plan on letting it get to me too much. I mean, all ready pretty much have accepted that I’m a bit spacey (usually I try to blame this on a combination of work, school and everything else).

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Today Flora (the Regency one) has a morning dress and a set of short stays. According to Ewing’s book Fashion in Underwear (which is being reprinted by Dover), the short stays were common through 1800 with this example I drew dating from 1790. There was a dramatic drop in the number of stays manufactures in the early 1800s. I always thought stays and corsets were distinctly different objects, but I have recently learned that, according to both Ewing and a few others, that the terms were used interchangeably for most of the 19th century before “corset” survived into the 20th and “stays” stayed (bad pun, I know) in the 19th century.

Her morning dress is based on this illustration from the New York Public Library Digital Gallery which dates from and, of course, she has a cap to go with it. The morning dress was considered undress by the women of the era (there was also full dress and half dress) and was not usually worn outside of the house. It’s a beautiful garment though and the style of sleeve was called the “Juliet Sleeve” which I think is rather romantic and also.. um… does not bode well for the person wearing it.

Also, there’s a new poll. I’m enjoying polls. They take the stress out of decision making. 🙂

Curves: On the High Seas

One quick announcements, before I forget. One, is that I have been getting some questions about the paper dolls and I thought it was time I added a FAQ. As always, I am reachable by email, but check the new FAQ if you have any questions. Also, if you email me, please understand that I work, I go to class and I don’t always have time to check my email every night. I do get back to people, it just takes me a little while sometimes.

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Ever since I read Treasure Island as a child, I have had a love of pirates that I can’t quite explain. Even at their most nasty (and Long John Silver is nasty), I love the ideas of high seas and high adventure. There’s something about swash-buckling that makes me smile. I blame it equally on my Mother and her love of adventure stories and my own natural inclination. Neither of these paper doll costumes has anything to do with history, but when you’re drawing a pirate paper doll, who needs history anyway?

History was fairly dark and full of nasty things like rickets. I prefer my pirates Hollywood style and rickets-free.

One of the things I have started doing is adding tabs to the Curves paper dolls when I draw them rather than later with Photoshop. I don’t think anyone but me can tell the difference and I think it saves time when I actually scan the paper dolls since I don’t have to add tabs as well as re-size, clean up and futz with. It may be the only time that is saved in psychological, but I’m okay with that. Anything to make me more likely to keep up to date with my posting.

Flora, A Regency Paper Doll: Her Chemise and Petticoat

Flora is a paper doll based on wooden dolls of the Regency era. She has underwear in this plate. She's free to print and color.

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So, I am a little late with this post. I had planned on putting her up last night, as I usually do, but ended up spending more time working on homework then I’d originally planned. After that, I put in some time studying my Latin and crashed early. No paper dolling time really at all. So, I got up early the next morning, finished my Latin homework and then had enough time to prep the images, but not enough time to post. Annoyed more then anything else, I went to Latin, went to work, went to dinner and now, finally, have gotten home.

With a slight delay, I am pleased to introduce Flora, my new regency paper doll and yes, her name was chosen because it was alliterative. Don’t judge me for my adoration of alteration. The paper doll is based on wooden dolls of early 1800’s. Her body is the same as that of a manikin doll shown in The Complete Book of Doll Making and Collecting which contains many photographs of antique dolls. The hair style was adapted from a wooden tuck comb doll though without the comb since it would make bonnets difficult.

Her full slip is based on illustrations from Dress and Undress: A History of Women’s Underwear which is considered to be one of the best works on the topic. I agree that it is fantastic, but I wish it had more pictures. All of the paper dolls underwear designs come from this text which was one of the few that discussed the differences between early 1800’s underwear compared to later when the corset returned. To go with her slip, I have included a simple chemise which was drawn from this one in the Fashion Museum in Bath, England. I adore the Fashion Museum site and wax on about that more on my Research Resources page.

That is all I think I need to say about the paper doll. Of course, if you haven’t all ready done so, you may wish to vote in my poll.

Curves: Angelic Devil

There was a time in my life when I thought I wanted to be a psychologist. I seem to recall even taking a course in the topic or two in college and writing a paper on toys and child development (I know I wrote the paper. I might have written it in a different class). My second- cousin once removed (I think) was a Freudian psycho-analyst long sense retired who took a real interest in my possible choice of career and suggested I read the works of Freud. After about ten pages into them, I decided I didn’t really want to be a psychologist that badly. Never the less, I took away from Freud a certain respect for the discipline and the knowledge of the Super-Ego and the Id. Usually portrayed as an angel and a devil in cartoons, the Id and Superego are both definitely alive and well in pop culture today.

I don’t think anyone has drawn them as a paper doll though.

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Truth be told, I’m not entirely satisfied with this paper doll anyway. The halo and the horns, I don’t know how they would stay on the paper dolls head after she is printed and that kinda bothers me. I try to make sure the paper dolls are actually playable and I know this particular paper doll isn’t. I’m trying to not let it bother me and I’m only mostly succeeding.

Also, I dislike her hair.

But not paper doll is perfect and at least this Curves paper doll is on time.

And there’s a poll. It’s not just about my random curiosity, I can almost promise that the results will be used in deciding what I draw more of… unless I get bored which has been known to happen.

Curves: Goes to Court

The trouble with fantasy dresses is knowing what to call the posts since I usually sort of doodle them when I am bored in class. I doodle a lot in class which shouldn’t surprise anyone. I was inspired partly by regency costumes and partly by the topic of “Relational Diagramming of Databases” which was the class in which I doodled these.

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I don’t think these are the costumes of a princess, but rather of a lady of the court. Someone who is wealthy, but not expected to dress to a certain code. Royal costumes were often symbolic or influenced by ritual attire and needs, so I tend to avoid them unless I can decide what the “rules” were. One of my favorite thing about the costumes of Queen Amidala in the new Stars Wars films (actually, her costumes are the only redeeming feature of those movies) is that they feel like the attire of a queen- ritual and restrictive.

And while I intended this paper doll to symbolize a “Royal Court”, it is totally possible she is actually going to criminal court for having done something like poisoning her husband, or not, depending on how nice you want your paper doll to be.

Curves: Snowflakes

Originally, I drew this paper doll to try to draw things I really wear on a regular basis to work, though I ended up sort of modifying them both since my standard work attire just isn’t that interesting. It’s cold out today with frost and snow on the ground. The sun has been setting early- though I know it’s past the solstice- it seems dark. I find I sleep more when there is a lot of darkness.

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School hasn’t restarted yet, so I’m working full time to make up some missed hours and spending a fair bit of time working on things for the site. I’m trying to end up ahead of the curve for the next year and not behind it as I usually am.

Of course, we know what they say about good intentions and roads to hell.

So, speaking of good intentions, I have been thinking a fair bit about goals for the upcoming year. Some of my goals for the blog are concrete like getting my Gallery page up and running (which should be up, fingers crossed, on Friday) and trying to post at least once a week even if it is a filler doodle. Other goals are more… abstract- like trying to do things with my paper dolls that scare me.

A year ago, I never would have through I could really do a weekly full color paper doll and now I have two (Marisole and Pixie), or that I would end the year having posted 106 paper dolls here on PTP. I’m proud of those achievements, but there’s so many other things I’m afraid of- shiny fabric, hands, figure drawing, draped fabric, animals, any kind of mechanical object or furniture, shading in photo-shop, color in physical mediums… the list is long. So, my other goal is to do one thing that scares me every week.

New Year’s Party: Printable Paper Doll

I don’t celebrate Christmas, so there was never going to be any sort of Christmas paper doll from me though I have enjoyed other’s forays into that genre. But I do celebrate the New Year in traditional style which is to say, I get together with friends and party.

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I wanted to draw some party dresses for Curves and that meant sketching a pair of short flirty dresses. Though I must confess openly, that the dress on the left (with the puffed top) is not the most flattering thing I have ever drawn for Curves. Of course, I suspect it wouldn’t be that flattering on anyone.

In other website news, I’m excited to offer a preview of something coming starting in January. I’ll be starting a new paper doll series and here is a little preview of what they’ll be looking like. So, you can expect a new full color printable paper doll set starting January 2nd, which is a Sunday for those who are counting.

Oh, and as long as you’re here, why not vote in the poll on the sidebar and help decide the future layout of this little corner of the web?

Florence’s Dinner or Wedding Dress: Victorian Paper Doll Dresses

A wedding dress for Florence, a paper doll based on a French fashion doll of the 1870s.

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And so, today is the last Florence paper doll post. Actually, I can’t say its the LAST, because lord knows I might decide in five months that what I really want to do is draw the paper doll something new and then I will, but it is the last committed Florence post.

So, since we are on the eve of the New Year (which is quite exciting) and I am considering the future of PTP, I have decided a few things. One is that the short run dolls are ending. I don’t know how I will post my paper-dolls that aren’t serial, but I think some sort of gallery might be the right format for them. I ended up having to reformat them in strange ways to get them to fit with the rest of the site and I didn’t always like the outcome. For the moment, Sundays will be paper doll free- however, I will be working on a Gallery for the site. We’ll see how long it takes me to produce it.

If you missed the first Florence post (which seems not surprising since this is the last Florence post), that is where you get the Florence paper doll.

Fantasy Girl: Elven Printable Paper Doll

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The Curves paper dolls I originally drew while on a ferry traveling from Juneau, Alaska (where I am from) to Prince Rupert, Canada (where I got on the highway.) That was over a year ago. I still enjoy drawing the paper dolls, but I must confess I’m a little low on ideas for them. As a result, I am requesting assistance. Sounds so official.

People can either post their ideas in the comments or drop me an email (paperthinpersonas(at)gmail.com). If you want to include photos, please use the email option. There is no reward for this except that I’ll draw it and put your name on it (unless you’d rather I didn’t). The only guidelines are that the Curves paper dolls are always in black and white and they are always in sets of two.

Black and White Printable Paper Doll from the Marisole Monday Series

Black and white printable paper doll Marisole Monday

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I had a request from a regular commenter named Sara to do a Marisole as a black and white printable paper doll. I thought- Sure, I can do that. How hard can it be? I forgot what I learned from doing a Marisole post in two different color schemes (a gothic scheme and a pastel scheme) that it’s harder than you might think.

Still, I think the outcome is rather fun. I openly confess that I never thought of Marisole in black and white, but I think the paper doll is cute in that format. And it gives people a chance to color if they wish.

When I was working on it, I did think maybe I’d start regularly posting in both styles, but then I decided that was just too much work.

Want more paper dolls? Check out my Master Paper Doll Index. If you love the mod style of today’s paper doll, I have a few more paper doll forays into the 1960s that you might enjoy.