Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll Happy Halloween everyone! I’m keeping my fingers crossed for some tricker-treaters this year. I don’t always get them, but I’m hopeful for this year. I finally live in a spot with lots of kids.
Anyway, it’s already super cold here, since I do live in the interior of Alaska. So, while it hasn’t snowed much, it is below freezing most days. Which basically means that while I enjoyed drawing this paper doll’s Halloween outfit, it would be way way to chilly to wear up here. I should have drawn a Halloween parka.
Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll Okay, so anyone whose been following this blog for any amount of time has probably figured out that I love drawing elegant gothic themed things for Halloween. I couldn’t not draw one for this Halloween. I ended up settling on a jack-o-lantern pattern for the skirt.
Last Thoughts I hope everyone has a super safe, super fun Halloween. I’ll be passing out candy and keeping an eye on my cat, who might try to make a run for it. Or she’ll hide under the couch the whole time. You never can be sure with her.
My Patreon supporters are getting their extra paper doll for the week a day early, because it’s also Halloween themed. Consider joining us! It’s a fun group.
Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll I wanted to create a mermaid outfit that was a costume, not an actual mermaid. Usually when I draw mermaids, they are mermaids, not people dressing up like mermaids.
So, yeah, that’s a thing I think about sometimes.
Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll I wanted to think in terms of what would a dress for a mermaid costume look like. I thought about as mermaid shaped dress, of course, and then I remembered Liana’s beautiful mermaid paper dolls and that was one of my big inspirations to draw a mermaid at all.
Last Thoughts Tomorrow, my Patreon supporters who have signed up at a 2 dollar a month and more category, will get a super cute little Devil paper doll. She’s darling, if I do say so myself.
Also, I finally live in a place where there are kids! I’m super exciting to get to maybe actually have trick or treaters this year.
Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll In a continuing theme of Rachel draws paper doll outfits based on topics of which she knows very little, I am pleased to share my latest dance creation. I made a big list of dance styles and one I knew I wanted to draw was hip-hop dance.
I also rapidly discovered I don’t know much about dance. However, I did my research (as much as Googling- Hip-Hop Dance counts as research) and went from there.
Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll Anyway, here’s my attempt at a hip-hop dance outfit based on styles from Discount Dance, a dance supply store. Also, I know stage makeup is a thing, but children photographed in stage makeup look… surreal. Under bright lights, the makeup makes sense. In the regular world, it’s kinda creepy.
Last Thoughts By the way, my Patreon supporters get extra paper dolls every Friday. So, consider subscribing if you’d like to help support the blog.
Friday there will be a round up of paper dolls I’ve created in Regency dress. I am running a little low on round up ideas, so anyone have something they’d love to see? Let me know in the comments.
Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll So, I am still working on the 1100s, 1200s and 1300s paper dolls. The 1300s paper dolls aren’t even drawn yet. So, I’m sticking with the 1100s and 1200s. I’ll get to the 1300s when I have a moment.
Anyway, meanwhile, there’s this 1100s gown known as a bliaut. Can I confess that I’m not sure how to pronounce that word? Anyway, it’s the wide sleeved garment that most of us associate with the medieval era. Despite being popular in pop culture, it’s actually gown there’s a lot of debate about how it was constructed.
The bliaut was worn by men and women, often in layers. The length seems to have been regional. In France, they look really long, but in Germany there’s often a shorter bliaunt illustrated over a longer kirtle. So, there seems to be some variation in the regional styles.
Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll Okay, so I looked at a lot of pictures and a lot of statues and I read a bit. Here’s what I understand: The bliaut is the subject of a lot of debate, as I mentioned above. Statues of the time show a very wrinkled, almost pleated fabric effect (like this), but illustrations by and large don’t. When they do show horizontal wrinkles across the abdomen they tend to be more subtle (like this). Additionally, smaller statuary (like this one) doesn’t show wrinkles across the abdomen.
There are, at the moment, several theories as to why and how wrinkles abdomens got formed, from cutting the fabric on the bias and lacing the sides (to create wrinkles across the stomach) to making a separate bodice and attaching it to the skirt.
I chose to go with a more subtle wrinkled look in my illustration, because outside of the giant statuary outside French cathedrals, the wrinkles just don’t seem the tight or distinct in the art of the time.
Specific Source Images: Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Chartres Statuary (see this picture) & Stuttgart WLB, cod. bibl. fol. 57, origin: Zwiefalten abbey circa 1125-1130, f. 55 as pictured here (retrieved 9/9/2019).
Last Thoughts While I don’t have a real opinion on how bliauts were constructed, I do find it interesting the amount of debate there seems to be out there on the topic. The only theory I find least plausible is the separate bodice with skirt theory. I’ve seen some illustrations that seem to back it up, but never with proper citation. Cite your sources people! Additionally, separate bodices would have had to have been invented and then ignored for like 300 years and that just seems implausible. Not impossible, mind you, but implausible. However, I always love to hear from folks to know more than me on these topics, so share away in the comments.
(But do try to keep it polite. I’ve had strange debates and oddly angry emails over medieval clothing before which, odd the true, still boggles my mind.)
Mean while, on Patreon, there’s an extra paper doll outfit every Friday! Plus previews of what I’m working on, polls and whole different paper doll series called Vivian. It’s a fun group. Check it out!
And if you need a paper doll with proper hair and undies for this era, grab Topaz in her 1100s underwear. The 1200s Lapis can also do in a pinch, if you’re more partial to redheads.
Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll Let me start by saying that I don’t really believe in “artist’s block,” because I think the way you get over such things is by actually drawing. I will confess that sometimes when I am stumped on what to draw, I end up looking at my Master Paper Doll Index and picking out a theme I haven’t done yet for the Jewels and Gemstones.
The four I know I need to work on include gothic, punk, astronauts, and ninjas.
Well, gothic, punk and astronauts will have to wait. Today, I decided to explore ninjas.
Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll One of the perks of having drawn a lot of paper dolls is that sometimes I go back to my own older work for inspiration, but I also wanted to look at other things as well. One thing I knew I didn’t want to do was an all black ninja outfit. Seriously, coloring things in all back is kinda boring. This is likely why I haven’t done that gothic set yet, now that I mention it.
Last Thoughts Mostly, I base my ninjas outfits on wrap designs, but I wanted to draw a qipao inspired piece instead. Maybe I should have said that up under my inspiration…
Joining on Patreon means getting extra paper doll content and now is a great time to join, because I just posted the August rewards.
Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll So, I think of these paper doll posts in two ways. On one hand, each posts needs to be complete in and of itself. Like, I try not to just post a random pair of boots and nothing else, you know? On the flip side, I also think of them as all being part of the Jewels and Gemstones series and therefore part of a large art piece. So, they are not individual creations and bits of a bigger creation.
As a result, I was realizing I didn’t really have a lot of like basics for the Jewels and Gemstones. I’ve only done one pair of jeans so far. That seemed like a hole I should fill.
Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll I feel like someone asked for shorts and a t-shirt, but I also wanted to just draw some basics. Jeans and a shirt and shorts. They can be mixed and matched with all the other Jewels and Gemstones contemporary clothing.
Specific Source Images:This one was a big influence on my Firebird design.
Learn/See More On the Blog: The One Other Pair of Jeans & More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls Around the Internet: Hmmm… I had no idea what to link here, so let’s just move on!
Last Thoughts I’ve noticed there’s a lot of really unexpected color schemes in floral patterns these days, so I wanted to match that when I picked out colors for today’s set. I really didn’t want to make it a pink flower, though that was my first instinct.
If you’d like an extra paper doll outfit every week, join us on Patreon. It’s super fun.
Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll Occasionally, I just sort of decide that I want to draw something random and then I do so. I know, maybe not the most exciting rational, but I have come to peace with it. I was doodling some super hero outfits and this was one of them.
Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll Um… It’s a superhero outfit? I dunno. I grew up watching the X-Men Cartoon, so I still tend to like my superheros in wacky costumes made from spandex.
Last Thoughts First off, I’d like to give a shout out to my Patreon supporters, because they really do make the blog happen and I am super-duper grateful.
So, I have this robot vacuum now and I have a cat. The combination is fascinating. The cat varies between being totally calm and okay with the vacuum to deciding it is a strange invader that must be followed around the house with suspicion. She hasn’t actually attacked it yet which is for the best, I think.
The irony to me drawing superhero costumes is that I really am not into superhero comics. On the other hand, I draw a lot of things I’m not super into myself. I do enjoy the wacky color schemes and color blocking. That’s fun!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:Â 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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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!
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