Ensemble Eclectica

Haunting Couture: A Foray into Gothic Fashion

A gothic wardrobe paper doll template printable for coloring. She has a 13 piece mix and match wardrobe. A little Halloween fun.
Gothic wardrobe paper doll template printable. She has blond hair, blue eyes, and a mix and match wardrobe. Some fun halloween things for you to enjoy.

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Today’s paper doll with her gothic wardrobe was inspired by a lot of different things from my my gothic fashion pinterest board, including this corset, this top and this dress. I really wanted to do a take on Morticia Addam’s famous dress, but I added a bit of a puff sleeve, as those are very popular right now. Of course, Morticia Addams is timeless, but I didn’t want to copy the gown in all the details, in part, because I don’t love the bottom of the skirt. It reminds me a little too much of tentacles (true to the comic, but still.)

(Speaking of Morticia Addams, Julie Matthew’s did a nice write up about her paper doll of Morticia Addams.)

Lastly, I wanted to make a gothic baby doll dress which was 65% just a chance to play around with lace and a new procreate brush set. My first plan was to do see through lace sleeves, but then I couldn’t seem to get a version of that which I liked, so I ended up abandoning that idea. I did keep the lace around the neckline with the openings for some detail.

I can’t claim that I meticulously assembled my gothic wardrobe paper doll, because really this was not that organized (am I ever that organized?). I do think of all the pieces of the Ensemble Eclectica: Gothic Glamor Collection as sort of. mixing and matching together. I think the ruffled skirt from Dark Demigoddess, for example, would go well with any of the tops in this collection.

Anyway, stay tuned for more gothic paper doll fun Friday and Tuesday of next week.

Dark Demigoddess: Some Classic Gothic Fashion

A gothic fashion paper doll printable with a little mini-wardrobe of 15 different pieces.
A gothic fashion paper doll printable coloring page with a little mini-wardrobe of 15 different pieces, long straight hair, and lots of outfits you can make.

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Not sure what to wear to a graveyard? Need something to carefully cut the roses off a bouquet? Consider this gothic fashion paper doll printable, because even if I think swaning around a graveyard would just get my skirts dirty, I can at least pretend. (Seriously, graveyards are muddy.)

Sources of inspiration for this gothic fashion paper doll printable include Evangeline Ghastly (a Tonner doll I used to want when it first came out and I was broke college student who never could have afforded it.) There’s not a lot about Evangeline Ghastly online, so I used the Evangeline Ghastly Archive. There’s also a nice detailed review of the doll on Toy Box Philosopher. Also, things on my gothic fashion pinterest board, particularly photos of fantasy headdresses like this one and this one.

This all started with me wanting to draw something for Halloween. I had this idea in my head that I would get this done earlier in the month, but that clearly didn’t happen. Anyway, since I work best in “groups” there’s actually four of these dolls which are all part of the Ensemble Eclectica: Gothic Glamor Collection. The librarian in me really values linking together sets that people might correlate with other sets. It’s a little bit Dr. S.R. Ranganathan’s fourth law-Save the time of the reader.

(For the non-librarians among my readers, Dr. Ranganathan’s 5 Laws are core to the mission of libraries and still apply almost 100 years after he created them. Soap Box Moment: Libraries are really under attack right now in the USA, and if you value your public library and the librarians there, please pay attention. It’s a scary time to be a librarian.)

Anyway, not that we’ve had a quick diversion into library science 101, we can return to paper dolls!

The Gothic Glamor Collection was originally planned to contain three dolls, but I ended up with enough content to expand out to 4. Originally, I planned for a “skirts and corsets”, “fancy gowns”, “modern goth fashion” as my themes. So, much fun was being had drawing the various pieces that I ended up with a fourth set.

What can I say? I like drawing corsets and fishtail skirts.

Rose, Coffee, And Mint Redux

A black and white children's paper doll printable with a mix and match wardrobe. She has two dresses, pants, two skirts, four tops, a pair of shoes and two purses.
A children's paper doll printable of a fashionable black woman with a mix and match wardrobe. She has two dresses, pants, two skirts, four tops, a pair of shoes and two purses.

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Today’s paper doll really feels like a children’s paper doll to me. Don’t get me wrong, I would give any of my paper dolls to my niece (or nephew, if he showed any interest.) However, occasionally, I have a paper doll that I make that I think… this is super kid friendly. Today’s paper doll is one of those very kid friendly designs.

When I think about what makes a children’s paper doll different from one I’ve drawn for adults, it mostly boils down to how easy it is to play with. I believe this paper doll is very easy to play with, which makes it a lot of fun. All of her clothing is in colors that go well together. You can mix and match her outfits in many different ways. She has either 14 outfits or 28 outfits, depending on how much you like shoes. That’s like having a whole closet full of clothes for this little paper fashionista. Also, she’s pretty easy to cut out. The only tricky part might be the shoulders under her hair or maybe the purses. Still, I managed those when I was a kid, so I thin other kids could too.

Like my floral retro paper doll, an earlier paper doll, Coffee, Strawberry and Cream, inspired today’s paper doll. I drew that one in 2011, over a decade ago. That’s hard to believe, but true. One thing I loved from that paper doll was the rose dress and the striped dress. Both are so fun then and I still like them, years later. I remember being so proud of Coffee, Strawberry and Cream when she came out.

There’s a similarity between this paper doll and Lillian, a paper doll from Paper Doll School.Actually, a lot of Julie’s paper dolls are super kid friendly, particularly her long running Kawaii Kids series. I digress. Enjoy the paper doll!

Bows & Pearls in Mauve, Cream, and Green

Printable coloring page of an Asian girl paper doll with clothing.
Printable Asian girl paper doll with clothing.

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A few thoughts on today’s Asian girl paper doll and her romantic wardrobe – I wanted to do a paper doll that would have a pearl feeling color scheme, but I also wanted her to not use pink. I really love pink, but I wanted to get away from pink for this set. Pink just feels like the “easy” way to make things feel feminine. So, instead, I decided to lean into mauve, cream and shades of leaf green. This Design Seeds color palette inspired me.

Honestly, I love all these colors, but I think the clothing is a little too feminine for me. However, I am hardly the most fashionable person on the planet. I went back and forth about the hair style. On one hand, putting a bob on an Asian paper doll feels a little cliche. On the other hand, I really liked the smooth hard lines of the hair in contrast with the hyper-feminine fashions.

Much like Retro Spring some of this paper doll’s clothing comes from the same set Hearts Denims and Bows. I really liked the bow graphic t-shirt in that set and I used it as a jumping off point for the rest of the clothing in this set. With 7 tops and 4 bottoms, there are 28 different outfit combinations here. I guess if I really wanted to maximize my clothing combos, I would draw nothing but crop tops, shorts, and shoes. However, I am trying to be a little more diverse then that.

Personally, I’d really love to get to 100 different pieces of mix and match contemporary paper doll clothing. I think that would be a nice round number for this series, plus I think then I could put together a book or something with all those pieces. I’ll get there eventually, but in the mean time, enjoy this latest addition to the Ensemble Eclectica series.

By the way, if there is a contemporary clothing theme you’d really like to see for these little ladies, let me know in a comment. Right now, I am thinking about a gothic set (because drawing skulls is a good challenge and also October seems the right month for that) and something sci-fi with cute little aliens.

A Little 1970s Retro Inspired Floral Spring

Free coloring page featuring a lovely paper doll and her retro paper doll clothes with jeans, funky florals, and matching purse. A free printable coloring sheet for you to enjoy.
A beautiful redheaded paper doll and her retro paper doll clothes with jeans, funky florals, and matching purse. A free printable paper doll for you to enjoy!

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Today’s member of the Ensemble Eclectica is a cute little redhead with a retro paper doll clothes vibe. She’s not from any specific decade, but there’s something that feels 1970s about the color scheme to me.

I’m having a bit of artists block over the last few weeks. I wanted to draw, but I had no idea what to draw and the idea of trying to think of something to draw just made me sort freeze. So, instead of torturing myself with indecision, I decided to go back to my own archives and draw some things inspired by pervious sets I’ve created.

This set was inspired by Hearts Denims and Bows, a set I first drew a decade ago. One thing I did miss while I was drawing this set was having a paper doll with a side facing foot, so I could really have more fun with shoes. I like drawing shoes. Anyway, given that I have over a thousand paper dolls on this site, I might as well use my own work to feed new work.

Part of the purpose of Ensemble Eclectica is to try out color schemes. So, I turned a little retro for these paper doll clothes.

One of the things I’ve been trying to mimic is the printing styles of vintage materials and since I’ve been trying to play with that and what better way to do that than with some vintage color inspiration. I was heavily influenced when coloring this set by the shades of the 1970s- mustard and coral and a little avocado (though not too much, I leaned into teal instead, which is also a color I associate with that decade.)

Anyway, a fun part of the continuing Ensemble Eclectica series has been color. I love picking out color schemes for my paper doll and trying them out. I’m always fascinated at how color really changes the feel of a paper doll set.

Yellow & Blue Medieval Fantasy Gowns

A Fantasy printable dress-up doll with two dresses and a yellow and blue themed color scheme. The doll has brown hair in braids and tan skin. The two dresses are both mevieval inspired with long skirts and sleeves. She also has books and a sword as accessories.
A Fantasy printable dress-up doll color pages with a pair od dresses and braids. There are accessories for the doll like two swords and a pair of boots.

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Today’s fantasy printable dress-up doll has a pair of medieval inspired gowns with girdles, swords and books, of course. Because all paper dolls are happier with books.

When I’m in the mood for some “basic fantasy,” I tend to go back to medieval stuff. Not the actual medieval period, but rather what the Victorians thought the medieval period was. It’s all big castles, princesses in fancy dresses, dragons, and noble knights. In a nod to actual medieval gowns which were worn over kirtles or underdresses, I like to add the layers. You can see more of this sort of thing on my fantasy medieval Pinterest board if you’re curious.

I confess though that these aren’t the most unusual or inspired pieces for me, but I feel like I am stretching myself enough with the digital art thing without trying something totally new.

I chose the colors for these dresses from classic Norwegian design and old-fashioned children’s book illustrations. I used yellows, blues, and soft ocher shades to make them feel cozy and cheerful, like a sunny day or a calm, clear sky. These colors remind me of curling up by a fire with a big picture book.

And since I was thinking of books, I drew some books to be accessories along with swords. I like drawing books. It’s the librarian in me.

This is the first sort of fantasy set for the Ensemble Eclectica series. My hope is always that this fantasy printable dress-up doll will inspire imaginative play and storytelling. That’s the best part of playing with paper dolls, isn’t it? While I’ll admit that I have been on more of a modern clothing kick as of late, don’t worry. Eventually, I’ll come back to fantasy, sci-fi and other elements. I always do.

A Spring or Autmn Little Cottage Core Paper Doll

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So, most of the clothing for this paper doll began it’s life as clothing for the Dark Victoriana themed paper doll, but that was back when I thought I was going to make all these dolls two page sets. I have since decided I just didn’t feel like drawing two page sets. So I drew a few new pieces and then ended up here.

This whole series is heavily inspired by a long running paper doll series Julie Matthews did called Fashion Doll Fridays. Those dolls were vector drawn and ran weekly on her site from around 2012 until 2016. I think this is the first one. (Did I get that right, Julie?) She still occasionally shares a set that matches like these football paper dolls. Now one of the things I realized over the last few months is that the only way I will get better at digital drawing (and I do want to get better) and more skilled with Procreate (which is the program I am using) is to draw in it.

However, I really dislike how it manages color, so that I am still doing in Photoshop.

As for shadows… I dunno. I’m unconvinced I like them. I do want to try some more digital techniques and see where I end up. I’m particularly curious to play around with pattern brushes in Procreate and also with a more painterly look.

But in the meantime, my line-work needs work and the best way to do that is to keep drawing and just keep drawing.

Dark Victoriana Printable Paper Doll

A victorian fashion inspired printable paper doll coloring page with an 8 piece mix and match wardrobe.
A victorian fashion inspired printable paper doll with dark hair, fair skin and an 8 piece mix and match wardrobe.

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This weekend was Rosh Hashanah, so I spent some time in synagogue, made challah, heard the shofar, and ate apples and honey. Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year, so it is now the year 5784. I often get introspective this time of year, but I don’t know that I’m ready to share any of those thoughts.

I wanted to do something a little romantic and with a darker color scheme, but fairer skin, so I could see how the contrast worked with the dark linework and the added texture. I think it works well.

All this paper dolls clothing sort of reminds me of the clothing of Regina/Evil Queen in Once Upon a Time when not in the fairytale world. I never got through season 3 last time I watched this, so hopefully I’ll be more engaged this time. I honestly think the show works better when you can binge it and don’t so easily loose track of all the threads (there’s a lot of them.) I do really enjoy most of the costuming. Everytime I argue at the TV that there’s more ethical nuance than the show allows, my husband is like, “It’s fairy tales.”

And I am like, “Okay, fair.”

So, if you look closely at this set, you might notice one of the neat things about working digitally. Two of the blouses (the red sleeveless one and the purple button up) became the templates from which I drew the two other blouses- the cream and black one and the teal cropped one. This adaptation is much more possible, because of the digital nature of the art. It’s not something I’ll probably do all the time- because I honestly like drawing- but the possibility excites me.

Also, like how many ways are there to draw a pair of skinny jeans before it gets absurd? Really?

Oh, and I messed around a little with the layout to facilitate printing and getting more clothing onto the page. Not sure I love the thicker gray line, so that might change.

Let me know what you think in a comment! I love hearing from folks.

A Colorful Tropical Beach Printable Paper Doll

A cute little asian paper doll with a ten part mix and match wardrobe of beach themed clothing options.
A cute little asian paper doll coloring page with a ten part mix and match wardrobe of beach themed clothing options.

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I rarely get a chance to do something that has this many different outfit possibilities while also being just a one page set. This has 19 different outfits while also being only 10 mix and match pieces. Could it be more? Yes, I did the math once and realized that the most outfits you could ever get from 10 pieces was 25. That would be 5 tops and 5 bottoms which gets you 25 different clothing options.

I have a whole post about calculating clothing options if you feel like having some fun with math. There’s a formula. My best friend in college went on to become a math teacher and while I never will be a big math person, whenever math comes up I think of her.

I got some great name suggestions, but ended up deciding on Ensemble Eclectica, after trying out a few different options including “Wardrobe Wonderland Wanderings” or “Fashion Fantasy Frolics”. I think those two were a little too long.

Anyway, for technical reasons (and because I had a fantasy dress that I could not fit on the page), I ended up resizing these dolls down a bit and redoing some of the formatting. So, the next few after this one will looking a wee bit different. I already updated the PDF files and things from last week’s version.

Pastel Winter Printable Paper Doll

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Something about winter and pastel colors makes me really happy. I think it might be that where I grew up in Alaska, there was a very long dusk, especially in winter. The sun would never get very high in the sky and so the snow on the mountains would turn the most brilliant pink color as it reflected the light.

Maybe that’s why I associate pastel colors with winter. They feel softer and somehow more mellow and quiet- all things I also associate with winter.

The truth is, if I maybe honest, I wanted to do this set in pastel, because I had this idea of experimenting with texture and I wanted to see how the texture would look on different color schemes. So, this is the first of several dolls I made for this purpose.

Now, since I don’t think I should call this series “Texture Experiment 2.0”, please let me know if you have a series name suggestion. There will be, at least, three of these ladies.

Edit: For a million reasons involving layout and dresses and other things, I ended up resizing and redoing the layout on these paper dolls, so I’ve updated the PDF files. – Rachel 9/12/2023