Pose B Archives • Page 3 of 5 • Paper Thin Personas

A Paper Doll Pirate Outfit for the B Pose Ladies

July 22, 2018July 11, 2018

Printable Black & White PDF Printable Color PDF More Paper Dolls & ClothesBack when I posted this pirate set for the C Pose guy paper dolls, I asked if people would like to see more pirate paper doll outfits. And since I got an adamant ‘yes’ from Annemarie, I decided to go to for it. After all, pirate printables seemed like a fun thing to explore through paper dolls.

So, here is a lady pirate costume for the B pose paper dolls. It’s totally an exercise in fantasy, but than a lot of my paper dolls are. Along with her stylish outfit, our lady pirate has a treasure map and a handy sword. After the agony of trying to draw a flintlock pistol, I wasn’t doing that again.

I’ll openly confess that I think part of my love of pirates is directly linked to my love of boats. I adore being out on the water. I grew up in a family that commercially fished, so I grew up on the water. I find it very soothing and peaceful to be out in the ocean- though I am prone to seasickness on the open water.

I’ve had requests for pirates from a lot of parents who are throwing pirate themed birthday parties. I think this set of pirate printables and my other set for the guys would be really fun for kids. Paper dolls are great ways to encourage storytelling play.

That’s really all I have to say about this one. Tomorrow, there will be some clothes for the C Pose guys.

Meanwhile, if you want to support the blog, think about donating through Patreon.

Need a doll for today’s clothing? All the B Pose Dolls & Clothing

4th of July Paper Doll Clothing!

October 31, 2018July 4, 2018

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Happy 4th of July to those who celebrate!

I am back home in Alaska for the 4th and I am very excited about it. There will be fireworks at 12:01am on the Fourth, because it doesn’t get dark until then in Alaska. I am very excited about that. There’s always a big bon fire on the beach as well.

I decided to do a set of contemporary summery clothing for my 4th of July themed paper doll clothing set. I realized quickly that shorts and a t-shirt didn’t seem like quite “enough” so I drew an outfit for each of the Dames and Dandies paper dolls.

For the A pose, I did shorts and a boat-necked shirt. For the B pose, I did a blue dress with white polka-dots. For the C pose, guys I drew surf shorts and a t-shirt. All summer time clothing.

Anyway, enjoy the 4th of July if you are celebrating (or just have a wonderful Wednesday) either way!

Need a paper doll to wear today’s clothing? All the A Pose Dolls & Clothing, All the B Pose Dolls and Clothing , and All the C Pose Dolls and Clothing

A Summer Time Princess Paper Doll Dress With Matching Hat

June 27, 2018

Printable Black & White PDF Printable Color PDF More Paper Dolls & ClothesI always think of these big full skirted dresses as ‘princess dresses’ even though princesses wear all sorts of different dresses across time. It’s probably the influence of the 1980s on my childhood along with movies from Disney that makes me think of these dresses in that context.

I’d say there’s a bit of the 1860’s in today’s summer paper doll dress, but I’m not really sure there is. No lady of the 1860s would be caught dead during the day in a dress that showed off this much shoulder.

Usually, this is the point where I link my inspiration, but frankly this one came mostly out of my head. I don’t even think I did a thumbnail pre-sketch, which is a bit unusual for me. I do remember drawing the top of the dress first and then deciding I needed something on the skirt to fill up the empty space beneath the over skirt.

I wanted this dress to feel summery like my last foray into this style (back in February) felt wintery. I do think both this dress and the February dress come from the same universe, so to speak. I see them as sister dresses.

I have been debating drawing more of these dresses. I think there needs to be an autumn and a spring version as well. What do you think? Big skirted princess dresses? Let me know in a comment.

Need a doll for today’s clothing? All the B Pose Dolls & Clothing

A Superhero Costume Paper Doll, Because Superhero’s Should be Fashionable

June 1, 2018June 1, 2018

Printable Black & White PDF Printable Color PDF More Paper Dolls & ClothesI think I read last October that for the first time, superhero costumes outsold princess costumes. This makes me a little sad, because I am sucker for a good princess dress. It also highlights the popularity of superheros and helps explain today’s superhero costume paper doll.

I love a good superhero movie. I happily watched Deadpool 2 last weekend and Infinity War the weekend before that. I enjoy the splash and the explosions. I like seeing things blow up and I like seeing adventure.

When I design a superhero costume for my paper dolls I try to keep things fairly neutral. I don’t really want to decide too much about the superhero powers or anything. I want the person who colors the paper doll or cuts it out to be able to decide what she can do. It should be for them to decide.

So, with this superhero costume paper doll I went with a star motif (which I tend to use) and I made a magical sword for smiting evil doers. I chose colors based on the old three color printed comics, so red yellow and blue. All bright bold primaries.

I’m not totally pleased with the color scheme, but I think it works pretty well. Besides, this is just the first superhero costume paper doll, I can always make more. That’s the wonderful about paper dolls.

Let me know what you think of today’s paper doll in a comment. I always love hearing from you guys.

Need a doll for today’s clothing? All the B Pose Dolls & Clothing

Let’s Go to the Circus! A B Pose Outfit

May 30, 2018

Printable Black & White PDF Printable Color PDF More Paper Dolls & ClothesI don’t have a lot of familiarity with circuses, but I really like the colors and the shapes. I think the drama is awfully fun. I decided to create something fun and funky and maybe not very practical for average wearing.

Of course, the whole the idea of a circus based outfit, I suppose is that it isn’t very practical, but rather very showy. I mean, one doesn’t really associate circus with practicality.

Not that I know much about circuses except what I’ve seen on television.

There’s another version of today’s outfit over on my Patreon page for my patrons. Join if you would like to support the blog.

Need a doll for today’s clothing? All the B Pose Dolls & Clothing

Gothic Fashions (And a Little Momento Mori and a Little Rockabilly)

May 25, 2018May 25, 2018

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I’ve always had a place in my heart for gothic fashion. Perhaps, because I grew up in the late 1990s gothic fashion revival. Or just because I really like all things Momento Mori and always have.

When I am working on coloring gothic fashions, I do worry all the shades of dark grey I used to make things look black can end up obscuring some of the details. That’s why I’ve put the black and white version in front of the colored version this time, so you can really see the ruffles and a pleats.

I chose black, because black is the most common gothic color. I accented it in lavender, because in Victorian mourning traditions, lavender (or mauve) was considered half-mourning. In case you’re wondering, the complexity of mourning dress half myth and half real. There’s tons of references to it in fashion magazines and etiquette manuals, but how closely it was actually observed is hard to say.

Anyway, the purse is a bit of a reference to Momento Mori art (which I love) and also a bit retro. I suppose it’s a nod to retro rockabilly sensibilities. The shoes, blouse and skirt all owe a lot to the Victorians, though no Victorian would wear such a low cut garment during the day.

In case you are wondering- “Hey, where is your collab paper doll?” Well, life got busy and I lost track of time, so my contribution will be up Monday. But you can check out Julie’s and Missy’s contributions in the meantime.

I promise I didn’t forget. Things just got crazy.

Need a doll for today’s clothing? All the B Pose Dolls & Clothing

Punk Paper Doll Clothing for the B Pose Paper Dolls

May 21, 2018

Printable Black & White PDF Printable Color PDF More Paper Dolls & ClothesA secret fact about me a lot of people don’t know is how much I love classic 1970s punk. I’m talking classic stuff- The Sex Pistols, The Ramones, The Clash and Blondie (though their exact genre is a subject of debate). Anyway, this is the fact people rarely guess about me.

I suppose I just don’t seem like a punk rock fan.

Needless to say, I am. So, I knew I wanted to draw some punk paper doll clothing for the Dames and Dandies. One of the interesting things about Punk is that I really do believe it is a fashion movement that is tied to a place and time. 1970’s classic punk fashion is as unreproducible in the 21st century as 1890s fashion is.

Women in heavy eyeliner, torn clothing and bondage accessories just doesn’t carry the same punch as it did almost 50 years ago.

So, I don’t think this set of punk paper doll clothing is really 1970s punk (or I would have put it in the historical category). Rather this is some contemporary clothing with a nod to those styles. The truth is that the clothing worn by Punks was startling at the time. Today, I don’t think it has the same impact, as mentioned above.

The cropped biker jacket, torn tank and zipper skirt were all fun to draw. I really fell in love with both the skirt and the boots which you can see on my Punk Fashion Pinterst board.

My cousin Keri wore punk clothing and I remember I always admired her guts. I never had the guts to wear much that wasn’t mainstream. I thought of her a lot while I was drawing this set.

So, am I the only punk music fan out there? Are there other folks who enjoy it as well? Let me know in the comments.

P.S. I wrote this whole post while listening to Ramones songs. Just FYI.

Need a doll for today’s clothing? All the B Pose Dolls & Clothing

A Cyberpunk Mini-Wardrobe for the B Pose Paper Dolls

May 17, 2018May 16, 2018

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So, I’ve had this idea rattling around my head for a while to create mini-wardrobes. Not, you know, whole sets or anything, but like mini-collections around a theme for the Dames and Dandies paper dolls. This is the first of these sets.

This might also be the last of these sets, but I really like the concept. I suppose some of my theme weeks are a similar idea, but I don’t really think all the 1940s pieces are mix and matchable which is a central idea of the mini-wardrobe.

Today’s Dame and Dandie Mini-Wardrobe is for the B Pose paper dolls and is sci-fi themed, maybe cyberpunk, but maybe not gritty enough for that? I’m unsure.

The idea in my head was to combine these pieces in different ways. The long sleeved crop top can be worn alone or it can be worn as a layering piece over the corset or high necked top. The boots match, of course, and were super fun to draw. I was inspired by this pair.

People ask a lot about inspiration. For this mini-wardrobe, the whole inspiration was those boots. I loved those boots.

Need a doll for today’s clothing? All the B Pose Dolls & Clothing

Another Version of Bridget- This One With More Shoes

May 11, 2018

Printable Black & White PDF Printable Color PDF More Paper Dolls & ClothesThe first version of Bridget was made for St. Patrick’s Day. I knew though that I wanted a second version of Bridget with sandals as I have done for all the other Dames and Dandies paper dolls.

Why sandals? Well, because sandals show off a lot of skin. Skin-tone is the one thing about paper dolls that limits some of the mix and match possibilities. I call this the “shoe problem” and its an issue I’ve never really found a good solution for.

So, until I figure out a better way to solve it, I try as much as possible to make many shoes for my paper dolls. That way, the paper dolls will always have a shoe that matches the outfit.

These are the problems those of us who draw paper dolls really dwell on. I talked at lot about this a few years ago when I wrote this post on Playability. It was part of a series I did on drawing paper dolls, mostly from a theoretical perspective.

Anyway, Bridget has her white sandals and brown sandals for casual wear and her fancy black dress shoes. She also has a pair of sneakers from the St. Patricks day set

Love the paper doll? Not sure about the paper doll? Let me know what you think in a comment! I love to hear from you.

Need clothing for today’s paper doll? All the B Pose Dolls & Clothing.

Fantasy Armor or Fantasy Gown? Why not both? One B Pose Paper Doll Outfit

May 9, 2018

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Originally, this gown/armor thing was a design I had created with the intention of drawing it for the Sprites paper dolls. However, since that series ended, it was one of the few pieces I was so in love with that I couldn’t imagine getting ride of it. So, I redrew it for the B Pose paper dolls.

I’m not sure if this armor is decorative or not, but I loved the idea of a fantasy gown which was also fantasy armor. So often women in fantasy end up wearing men’s style armor and I wanted to engage in the idea of elegance and strength. I imagine this armored gown as something beautiful, but with an underlying practicality. It’s not really an armored gown as much as it is a gown that could also be armor.

I was inspired by this image, this image, and this image from Pinterest. Plus, probably a lot more from my Fantasy Armor and Fantasy Clothing Pinterest boards.

I feel odd picking out favorite paper doll outfits, because I love drawing my historical stuff as much as I love drawing fantasy stuff, but this is probably one of my favorites for the moment. What do you think of it?

Let me know in a comment and if you love the blog, consider supporting it through Patreon.

Need a doll for today’s paper doll clothing? All the B Pose Dolls & Clothing.

1940s Week: The 1940s Summer Paper Doll Dresses from Vintage Sewing Patterns

July 28, 2018April 20, 2018

Printable Black & White PDF Printable Color PDF More Paper Dolls & ClothesI posted the prompt on Facebook, the Patreon Page and here to ask me a question and that I’d answer it in a blog post. So far, Melissa and Laura Jay have taken me up on it.

Laura Jay asked: Where do you get your inspiration?

Well, Laura, that’s a short answer to that and a long answer. The short answer is: Everywhere, but mostly Pinterest.

The Long Answer is: I believe inspiration is a myth. We become inspired by doing. Don’t know what to draw? Just start drawing. Don’t know what to cook? Just start cooking. The word ‘inspiration’ conjours images of fairies who come and provide the perfect idea.

There is no perfect idea.

Take today’s 1940s paper doll dresses. The sources were Simplicity 1628, McCall 4280, and a hat and purse from The Met. But those weren’t what inspired me in the first place.

What inspired me in the first place was that I drew the straw hat, because I was looking for 1940s hats and I thought it was super cute. But I didn’t think it went well with Wednesday’s dark eggplant dress, by the time it was done. So, I decided to draw a pair of summery dresses to go with the straw hat. That meant pouring through the Vintage Pattern Wiki until I found two dresses I liked- McCall 4280 came first and then Simplicity 1628.

Once they were done, I realized I needed a purse or something and I went looking for a 1940s purse that felt summery. I was completely unsuccessful and on a deadline, so I used this purse and made it white. I still think that was cheating a little. I store all the things I see on Pinterest boards, like my 1940s fashion one.

I’m not sure I did a very good job answering your question, but I hope I gave some insight in how my brain works when I’m putting together a set. Meanwhile, don’t forget that on Monday there was a 1940s paper doll to go with today’s 1940 dresses and Wednesday there were two other dress options.

Meanwhile, let me know what you think of today’s dresses in a comment whenever you have a moment and if you’d like to ask me a question, please do!

Need a doll for today’s paper doll clothing? All the B Pose Dolls & Clothing, but I would recommend the 1940s Beatrix if you want period underwear to match the era of these dresses.

1940s Week: The Winter Dresses for the B Pose Paper Dolls

April 18, 2018

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This whole week of 1940s fashion would not have happened if it weren’t for the suit on the left from LACMA. Seriously, I feel in love with that suit and then I was like, Welp, I guess I’m going to draw a paper doll with 1940s underwear and things… they spiraled from there.

You can see the suit in photos here and it was designed by Gilbert Adrian. Who was Gilbert Adrian? Well, it was one of the names used by Adrian Adolph Greenberg, a costume designing legend of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Even if you’ve never heard the name Adrian, you have seen his work. He designed costumes for The Wizard of Oz,the 1938 Marie Antoinette and over 250 other films. During the 1940s, he began a commercial fashion line from which I assume this suit is related, based on the date.

Now, the dress on the right shouldn’t be neglected, just because it’s not from a famous designer. It’s from the McCall sewing pattern company, McCall 6533 to be specific. I liked how contemporary it felt, despite being from the 1940s. I am regretting that I didn’t draw a matching hat to go with it. Clearly, I need to do more 1940s clothing to fix that act of neglect.

The purse is a bit of a mystery to me. I noted the date 1940s next to it and usually I also write down the source, but I guess I didn’t. I’ve been through my 1940s Fashion Pinterest Board, where I try to keep these things, several times with no luck. I’m sure there was a source and I am going to leave things at that.

I tried to capture the strong shoulder of the 1940s with both these pieces, though I’m not entirely sure I was successful. The 1940s is much like the 1980s in that the shoulders are broad. If you missed it, on Monday, there was a 1940s version of Beatrix. Friday there will be summery 1940s dresses to round out the set.

Meanwhile, let me know what you think about today’s 1940s dresses in a comment. I’d love to hear from you.

Need a doll for today’s paper doll clothing? All the B Pose Dolls & Clothing, but I would recommend the 1940s Beatrix if you want period underwear to match the era of these dresses.