Dolls

Min-Seo With a Fur and Pearl Trimmed Winter Fantasy dress

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Holiday Barbie, Pageant hair-dos and Fur Trim
A fur trimmed fantasy gown and an Asian paper doll with blue fur trimmed booties

A fur trimmed fantasy gown and an Asian paper doll color page with fur trimmed booties. Print from paperthinpersonas.com

So, back when I decided in December to do a winter paper doll each week, I did what I often do. I messed around on Pinterest and went looking for ideas. A lot of what I saw were those Christmas Barbies and I think a little of that went into this dress.

Today’s Min-Seo paper doll’s dress is sort of weird medieval fantasy meets an ice staking costume. Or, in other words, Camelot on Ice. Everything is better on ice.

And the thing you need to do with such a gown is clearly fur trimmed blue booties and a pageant sort of up-do. Why not? What are you losing? The dress is already absurd. So, I say- go for gold on the absurdity scale.

Plus, somehow in my head “winter = fur trimming” and I can’t seem to shake that.

Not even sure I should be trying to shake that, but that’s neither here nor there.

Meanwhile, if you like the blog, then consider donating through Patreon, plus there’s a behind the scenes blog and early paper doll previews and other fun content. For example, earlier this week, I posted my annual Year In Review 2016 post.

Also, to my Patrons, Patreon is having some issues with their email system. So, if you usually get an email to know when I post there, you might want to pop over and see if you missed anything. I will let you know when the problem is resolved.

And this ends Min-Seo printable paper doll week. Regular blog posting will continue next week.

Need a more outfits for today’s Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll? Find More Ladies Clothing Here. 

Min-Seo And Her Red Carpet Evening Gown- A Printable Paper Doll

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: This gown from Pinterest
A black and white red carpet evening gown and Asian paper doll with an updo and matching shoes. Printable paper doll in color or black and white.

Punk paper doll

Every paper doll needs a look to wear on the red carpet, you know? Sure, jeans are useful, but they are not as much fun as evening gowns. So, here’s some paper doll red carpet evening gown love for Min-Seo.

As I often feel with paper dolls with black hair, the linework on her hair (which I am quite proud of) got quite obscured. Check out the black and white version to see it better. I think if you wanted, this updo would also make her a pretty good steampunk base doll. It feels sorta Victorian to me.

Anyway, I think I did this dress in a dozen color schemes, before settling on this one. I decided that I liked the graphic quality of the black and white. The original is in white and blue, but that felt too casual for a red carpet evening gown.

Also, I love her shoes. No shocker to anyone, I’m sure.

Tomorrow, there will be another Min-Seo paper doll (shocking, I know). She’s got a pearl and fur trimmed winter fantasy gown.

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Need a more outfits for today’s Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll? Find More Clothing Here. 

Min-Seo With a 1925 Dress

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Everyday Fashions of the 1920s as Published in Sears Catalogs

A 1920s fashion paper doll with two hats, shoes, a 1925 dress and a purse. Available in black and white or color from paperthinpersonas.com.

A 1920s fashion paper doll with two hats, shoes, a 1925 dress and a purse. Color and print it from paperthinpersonas.com

I love love love 1920s fashion. I can’t help it.

Now, as I mentioned on Monday, Min-Seo is a Korean name. I really don’t know much about the introduction of western style dress to Korea. However, Korean immigration began to the United States in 1884, mostly to Hawaii. So, it’s entirely possible that Min-Seo could be living in the United States in the 1920s.

It is also entirely possible that I am way over thinking this. It’s not like I worry about the fact that the name Meaghan didn’t exist in the 1300s and she still has 1300s clothing.

Meanwhile, our Min-Seo paper doll has a 1920s day dress, along with two hats, matching shoes and a purse. A design from Everyday Fashions of the 1920s as Published in Sears Catalogs inspired today’s 1925 dress. I confess that the dress is for a teenager, but I liked it and clearly drew it anyway. The color scheme is based on this Afternoon Gown by Madeleine Vionnet in 1927

For those who have missed my other forays into 1920s fashion, you can find them all in the 1920s tag. There are two other 1920s Marisole Monday & Friends paper dolls. Jazz Age Baby in black and white or in color and Art Deco Goddess in black and white or in color.

I have several more 1920s dresses scanned and drawn, so there will be more from this era, but I don’t know when. As always, it can be a long slow period between drawing and posting. I have a golf outfit that is pretty darn cute, so I want to get that done soon.

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Need a more outfits for today’s Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll? Find More Ladies Clothing Here. 

Min-Seo’s Tudor Inspired Paper Doll Fantasy Gown

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Abstracted Snowflakes, Tudor Women’s Gowns, and Pearls
A Tudor fantasy gown and a paper doll to wear it. Print in color or black and white from paperthinpersonas.com.

A Tudor fantasy gown and a paper doll to wear it. A paper doll coloring page from paperthinpersonas.com

Sometimes, I get to design fun and absurd fantasy gowns inspired by the Tudors. This is totally one of those times. I knew I wanted to do a fantasy Min-Seo paper doll, because I do so many fantasy dresses.

Because of the stiffness of the clothing, a Tudor fantasy gown is a really great opportunity to play with elaborate pattern. At first, I conceived of the pattern on her skirt being snowflake inspired. Since, I didn’t want to make yet another blue and white and grey winter gown. When I actually started coloring it, it stopped looking much like snow.

I do think the eggplant/magenta color on the gown does feel autumnal to me. I can’t imagine this a summer gown, but I’m not really sure it is a winter gown. What do you think of my color scheme? Should I have stuck with my blues and grays?

As often happens with paper dolls who’ve got black hair, I feel like the complexity of her hairstyle got a little lost. It’s much more clear in the black and white coloring page version. No matter how you slice it, black line-work tends to disappear against dark dark grey I use for hair. I also gave her black toenails, because it amused me. No other reason. Painted toenails were not a Tudor thing, but that’s why I say Tudor fantasy gown and not Tudor gown.

So, this gives us one punk Min-Seo from Monday. Today’s Tudor fantasy gown wearing Min-Seo. Tomorrow there will be a historical Min-Seo paper doll from the 1920s, so stay tuned.

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Need a more outfits for today’s Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll? Find More Clothing for the Ladies Here. 

Meet Min-Seo: A New Asian Friend of Marisole Monday

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Punk Fashions, Blue Hair, and Crazy BootsA punk fashion paper doll with blue hair and black nail polish. From paperthinpersonas.com.

Punk paper doll

Happy 2017! I am starting off the year with by introducing a new friend to the Marisole Monday & Friend’s series. I am so pleased to introduce Min-Seo who was named by my patrons on Patreon, though Mariko and Malai were runners-up when I asked them to vote. (You can join Patreon here.)

Min-Seo is a Korean name. The meaning changes depending on the characters used to spell it. It’s also the name of Kim Min-Seo, a Korean drama actress. Korean names, like Chinese names, use the family name first and then the personal name.

Anyway, I sketched out this face a few months ago, but I wanted to wait to introduce her until it was the new year. So, this whole week is Min-Seo paper dolls and outfits. I figure that way she can catch up a bit with the other ladies of the Marisole Monday & Friends crowd.

The first Min-Seo paper doll is a punk fashion girl rocking some blue hair, black nail polish and a pair of amazing boots. Seriously, I want those boots.

I don’t know where I would wear them, but I want them.

So, what do you think of the first Min-Seo paper doll? Let me know in a comment.

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Need a more outfits for today’s Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll? Find More Ladies Clothing Here.

Marisole Monday & Friends: Marisole In 1968

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: 1968 Pattern Covers, Jumpers and Harvest Colors

A free printable African-American paper doll with hair and a dress from 1968 from paperthinpersonas.com.

marisole-1968-paper-doll-vintage

I created today’s printable African-American paper doll from the Marisole Monday & Friend’s series after I was inspired by this amazing vintage pattern cover from 1968 that I found on Pinterest. Brown skinned models don’t show up on pattern covers from the big name companies until the 1970s, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t brown skinned girls wearing and making the fashions.

The omission of diversity in historical fashion related documents is the result of the institutionalized racism of the time, but doesn’t indicate a lack of the presence of people of color in fashionable dress.

And now that I have finished my Primary Source Literacy explanation for the day (a danger of being a Special Collections Librarian), we can get back to the paper doll.

My only big frustration with today’s doll is her hair. I tried to get that 1960’s bouffant sorta look with her flip and I just don’t think I quite got it right. People say the 1980s were a time for big hair, but I think that is because they haven’t seen the 1960s. Teasing and hairspray were big things.

I love Pinterest for collecting paper doll inspiration and I have a whole 1960s fashion board, but things there often lack contextual information, so I tend to be pretty critical of what I use.

I know I have readers who were alive in the 1960s, so let me know how I did with today’s paper doll. Did I do justice to that decade? It was, I have to say, a bit before my time.

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Need a more outfits for today’s Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll? Find More Clothing Here. 

Marisole Monday & Friends Masquerade: Mia as a Loon

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  Loons and… well, Loons. That’s actually all I got. 

mia-loon-masquerade-paper-doll-dress

Of all the dresses I designed for this week, the only one I was really worried people wouldn’t get was this one. Loons are beautiful birds for which I have always had a fondness, but they are hardly as well known as the Raven or the Flamingo. Interestingly enough, the Loon is the state bird of Minnesota, where my mother grew up. As a child, I had a puzzle my grandfather made featuring a loon, so I have fond associations with the birds.

Wig instructions are available if you’re not sure how to attach the back piece here.

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Well, now that the week of bird masquerade gowns is wrapped, I am curious which one people liked the most. So, let me know in a comment. Was your favorite the Owl, the Flamingo, the Raven, the Hummingbird or today’s Loon?

Need a more outfits for today’s Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll? Find More Clothing Here. 

Marisole Monday & Friends Masquerade: Monica as a Hummingbird

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds, Chokers, and Yellow Hibiscus Flowers

A beautiful hummingbird inspired masquerade dress and black paper doll to wear it from paperthinpersonas.com. Also available as a coloring page.

This was the only dress I based on a specific bird subspecies. I knew I wanted to so the Red Throated Hummingbird from the start. Hummingbirds come in so many color combinations, I really felt like I had to pick just one to focus on with this paper doll masquerade gown modeled by the wonderful Monica.

Of course, the choker is red to match the red throat of the hummingbird. The flowers decorating the wig and the gown are yellow hibiscus which are a hummingbird friendly flower. If my Raven masquerade gown was a gothic fantasy, than this gown is much more romantic and soft.

I have some wig instructions if you’re not sure how to make the pocket by pasting on the backing piece. Read them here.

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Tomorrow will be the last bird masquerade gown- a gown based on the Loon.

Need a more outfits for today’s Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll? Find More Clothing Here. 

Marisole Monday & Friends Masquerade: Margot as a Raven

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  Ravens, this Gold Corset, and 18th Century Hair Styles

An elegant Raven inspired masquerade costume for a paper doll with matching shoes and a mask and wig.

I love Ravens. I grew up in Southeast Alaska where there are a lot of Ravens. We also had a fair number of Crows, but I hate Crows for being loud and annoying, so I refuse to draw a paper doll gown based on them.

So, this is a Raven Masquerade dress that Margot, of the Marisole Monday & Friends paper doll series, is modeling.

Ravens are some of the smartest birds in the world and they can do fairly complex problem solving. No unsurprisingly, they show up a lot on myth and legend. In Tlingit stories, Raven is trickster who frees the sun, moon and stars. In Norse mythology, the god Odin is depicted as having two ravens serving as his eyes and ears. They are named Huginn (thought) and Muninn (memory). In Ancient Greek myths, ravens are associated with Apollo, the god of prophecy.

And of course, there are always the ravens of the Tower of London who, should they ever be removed, would foretell the fall of the Kingdom of England.

So, if you want folklore heavy animals, it doesn’t get much better than the Raven.

This is the most fitted of the gowns. There’s something mysterious about Ravens and I wanted the masquerade gown to capture some of that mystery.

Here are some instructions for the wig, if you’re not sure how it works.

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So, I am curious, what is the favorite Masquerade gown so far? Let me know in a comment!

Need a more outfits for today’s Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll? Find More Clothing Here. 

Marisole Monday & Friends Masquerade: Marisole as a Flamingo

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  Flamingos, 1980’s Prom Dresses, and Spiky Hair Cuts

A paper doll masquerade ballgown based on a flamingo available in black and white or in color from paperthinpersonas.com

There is something really silly looking about flamingos. Still, I love their color and I wanted to do something a little playful for one of the masquerade gowns, and who doesn’t want to dress their paper doll up like a flamingo?

I was trying to research flamingo folklore and I didn’t find much. I did however find a great history of the pink plastic lawn flamingo, should anyone be curious. I also learned, though I haven’t been able to confirm this through a really reputable source, that in Ancient Egypt Flamingos were considered sacred to the sun god, Ra.

The over-skirt of the gown is meant to mirror the fuller body of the flamingo. Originally, I had a very narrow skirt attached to the bottom, but later I altered it to fit in better with the rest of the gowns. Due to the very low neckline and decorate edging, I think the dress will work best with floating tabs, so I positioned two on the page. You may need to add some longer floating tabs for the skirt.

Our printable model for the flamingo costume is Marisole. I thought her light brown skin-tone would be set off really beautifully by the pink gown.

If you’re not sure how the wig works, here are instructions. Also, I would recommend adding some additional tabs to the skirt as needed. It is a very wide skirt.

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Need a more outfits for today’s Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll? Find More Clothing Here.