Marisole Monday & Friends

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.

Happy Hanukkah from Marisole Monday & Friends!

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Hanukkah, Also Ugly Holiday Sweaters
A Hanukkah paper doll in color or black and white from paperthinpersonas.com.

Happy Hanukkah! Here’s a Hanukkah paper doll!

So, Hanukkah celebrates the re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabees led a rebellion and forced the Seleucid’s (Syrian-Greeks) out of Judea (AKA Israel).

So, when it came time to rededicate the Second Temple, which had been defiled by order of the Seleucid King, there was a problem. Very little holy oil remained to light the menorah (candelabrum) in the Temple. The menorah was supposed never go out, but there was only enough oil to burn for one day. It would take eight days to make more oil. Well, miraculously, the small amount of oil burned for those eight days.

So, Hanukkah is the celebration of this miracle. If, of course, it ever actually happened. There’s some debate about that part, because the references to the miracle only appears in the Talmud and are not verified by any other sources.

Anyhow, Hanukkah is celebrated by lighting a candle each night, saying prayers, giving small gifts, playing a gambling game called driedel and eating potato pancakes, known as latkes. If you want to know more, here’s a nice FAQ about the holiday.

In celebrating Hanukkah, Meaghan, our very un-Jewish named model, has a menorah, and a dreidel. You shall have to draw your own latkes. While today is third night of Hanukkah, I decided to draw the menorah as though it were the eighth night, since I think that is the most beautiful one- when all the candles are burning. You light one candle a night going right to left.

In designing today’s Hanukkah paper doll, I wanted to reference the ugly sweater trend and I wanted to try drawing a menorah again. My last attempt wasn’t great, I admit. This attempt is also super uneven looking, but I am getting better. I swear.

Meanwhile, I hope everyone has or had a wonderful Holiday time.

If you want to give the blog a holiday gift, might I suggest supporting it through Patreon?

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

Marisole Monday & Friends: The Gents Get Some T-Shirts and Jeans

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: T-shirts and Jeans, Nothing More, Nothing Less
A pair of paper doll t-shirts and a pair of jeans for the boy printable paper dolls. Available in black and white or in color. Free to print from paperthinpersonas.com.

A pair of paper doll t-shirts and a pair of jeans for the boy printable paper dolls. Available in black and white or in color. Free to print from paperthinpersonas.com.

Maybe this isn’t the most “thrilling” set of guy paper doll clothing. I mean, maybe if you were like, “I want to go fight a monster” than you might want to reach for something more like this or this. However, if your paper doll guys want to go to the store or take one of the paper doll ladies or gents out on a nice casual date, than they need some gear for that.

While I wouldn’t want to spend the rest of my life drawing nothing but paper doll t-shirts and jeans, today’s versions are pretty fun. I am trying to learn to think of them as blank canvases which have options for dynamic design. The basic form of a t-shirt is always the same, but there are cool things that can be done with one.

I’m actually pretty happy with the jeans. I am still working on learning how to make folds look natural on men’s pants. I think today’s jeans are a pretty good middle ground.

One of my goals for 2016 was to create more guy paper dolls and I’ll confess that guy paper doll clothing has challenges. Truth is that I find it pretty much “same old, same old”. Still, as I said above, I am trying to learn to embrace it as a blank canvas.

As 2016 is coming to a close, I have to confess I am struck with how many things I “tried” on the blog this year. I’m thankful for everyone who stuck with me through trying to sort out what I wanted to blog to be. Also, everyone who supports the blog on Patreon or leaves a comment or who follows me on Twitter or who just comes to read. Your support means a lot to me.

And that leads me to the question, more guy paper doll content in 2017? Is that something y’all want to see?

Need a Marisole Monday & Friends Guy Paper Doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick One Out 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: Fantasy Warrior Paper Doll Armor

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Xena: Warrior Princess, Ancient Roman Armor, and The Color Red
Absurd fantasy paper doll armor with weapons in black and white and color. From paperthinpersonas.com.

Happy Friday! I try to save paper doll pieces that I really like for the end of the week. I think of them as a fun treat.

So, I know I have mentioned in the past my love of Xena: Warrior Princess. I also know I have mentioned my strange affection for absurd fantasy armor that wouldn’t really protect you, but darn it looks good. So, today I am pleased to provide both a nod Xena and a nod to “Wow, I don’t think that armor will work like you think armor should work.”

But seriously for a second, I think sometimes there is a lot to be said for embracing absurdity. And since I embraced absurdity with this set, I will not apologize for giving her boots high heels.

Along with the armor and boots, she has fun weapons- a pair of swords and a spear. I actually had fun trying to make them all match in design motifs. These are the thing I think about when designing paper dolls.

So, my dear readers, should fantasy armor be practical or absurd? Let me know what you think in a comment.

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Need a Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick One Out Here. 

Marisole Monday & Friends: On the Red Carpet

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Say Yes to the Dress and Gowns Like This One or This One or This One
A purple ruched evening gown for the Marisole Monday and Friends paper doll series. Free to print in color or black and white.

One of my guilty pleasures is the show, Say Yes to the Dress. I thought I would have to give it up when I gave up cable, but fortunately, you can watch it on Hulu and who doesn’t want to watch insane bridal gowns on TV?

This only important because the show was on when I came up with the idea of doing a ruched paper doll evening gown like today’s for Marisole Monday & Friends lady paper dolls.

I will openly confess that I didn’t want to do a paper doll wedding dress, so I chose a lavender color for today’s paper doll evening gown. I’m just not a big wedding dress person, even though I like the show. Even as a kid, I was never one of those people who imagined my own wedding day. Don’t get me wrong, I cry at every wedding, but it was never part of my imaginary world as a kid.

Now, I did totally imagine being at a ball as a kid. So, red carpet paper doll gowns was much more up my alley.

So, are you a wedding dress or evening dress kinda person? Let me know in a comment.

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Need a Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick One Out Here. 

A Paper Doll Suit from 1860s

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Sarah Josepha Hale, 1860’s Men’s Clothing and Harvest Colors

A paper doll men's suit from 1861 featuring a cutaway coat and harvest colors. Free to print from paperthinpersonas.com.

I’ve never done a Thanksgiving paper doll before. Personally, I have always struggled to come up with an idea that isn’t either cliche or offensive. The portrayal of Native American, for example, in paper doll form has generally been rather awful and I certainly wasn’t in the mood to do some mythical pilgrims.

So, why do a suit from the 1860s? Well, I wanted to honor Sarah Josepha Hale.

First of all, she wrote Mary Had a Little Lamb, which is pretty cool, but more then that she was the editor of the important publication Godey’s Lady’s Book, and was an advocate for Thanksgiving.

In short, Hale believed that Thanksgiving was about choosing a time to both unite as a Nation and to express our joy and gratitude for our many blessings. Given the current political climate, I cannot think of a better reason to have a holiday. Her advocacy for the national holiday began in 1846 and was successful in 1863 when Lincoln, in the midst of the Civil War, formally announced a National Day of Thanksgiving.

In celebration this year, I have drawn a suit from the 1860s, specifically 1861. I actually had a really impossible time finding a suit from 1863, so this will have to do. Keeping with the Thanksgiving theme, the suit is done in harvest colors. You’ll need a gent to wear this suit, so I recommend picking up one of the Marisole Monday & Friends guy paper dolls and outfitting him. Should you like him to have a lady date to his 1860s Thanksgiving Dinner, then here’s some 1860s clothing for the Marisole Monday & Friends lady paper dolls.

I don’t know nearly as much about men’s clothing of the Victorian era as I know about women’s clothing, so I am pretty nervous about how accurate this is, but I did my best and I think this is the first ever historical men’s paper doll outfit I have ever posted. So, please be kind to my first attempt. I also need to get some books on men’s clothing of the 19th century. Anyone got any recommendations?

Anyway, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday with family, with friends or just with the day off.

I’d also like to take this chance to thank everyone. I am thankful for everyone who supports the blog on Patreon, who leaves a comment, who follows me on Twitter or who just comes to read. Trust me when I say, it is because of my great readers that PTP is still around.

Need a Marisole Monday & Friends Guy Paper Doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick One Out Here. 

Ancient Greek Fantasy Gown Paper Doll

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Ancient Greek Dress, Corsets, Lyres and Pale Aqua

A ancient greek inspired paper doll fantasy gown with a corset and lute.

So, I have been spending some time with my big paper doll index and I have noticed there are a few tags with very few items in them. I don’t think everything has to be even, but I was surprised at how few Ancient Greek Inspired pieces of paper doll art I have posted. The last one was back in 2013. So, just like I created an Astronaut and a Ninja recently to try to flesh out those areas, I decided to dabble in the world of Ancient Greek inspiration.

Therefore today’s fantasy gown was inspired by Ancient Greek clothing, particularly the peplos which was women by women and fasten at the shoulders. Because I have a fondness in my heart for corsets, I added one over the top and her accessories are a scroll and a lyre, because everyone needs a lyre, don’t they?

Plus, they didn’t have codex format in Ancient Greece, so scrolls it is.

Other paper doll light tags include Russia inspired, cyborgs and ballet. Which one of those should I work on next? Let me know in a comment if you have an opinion, just remember: I always reserve the right to ignore suggestions and, of course, things take a long long time to go from idea to finished paper doll.

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Need a Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick One Out Here. 

Ninja! Paper Doll Ninja!

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  Ninjas, Obi Belts and The Lack of Ninjas On the Blog. 

A paper doll ninja outfit for the Marisole Monday & Friends series. Free to print in color or black and white from paperthinpersonas.com

Sometimes, your paper dolls just want to be Ninjas. To solve that problem, today’s outfit is a free printable paper doll ninja outfit. Everything I know about ninjas I learned from watching Kung Fu movies in college which means I really don’t know anything at all. Mostly, I tend to think that ninjas fall into the “vaguely Asian feeling assassin/spy territory” and I can live with that.

Part of my decision to draw a ninja outfit for the Marisole Monday and Friends paper doll series came from the realization that I hadn’t done very many ninjas over the years. Last time I did one was 2014 and she was less ninja and more scantily clad Asian warrior chick.

The general idea of creating an all black paper doll outfit doesn’t hold much interest for me, so I brightened up my Ninja paper doll outfit design with some red trim.

I did seriously consider making the outfit all white, because the color white is associated with funerals in China. However, I didn’t think white would be a very logical color for a sneaky stalker of the night to wear. Along with the outfit, there are some accessories. I did some throwing stars and knives, because they are cliche.

And a kusarigama which translates to “chain-sickle.” I omitted the chain for both space and practicality when cutting out the pieces. So, I guess mine is just a sickle.

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Well, what do you think of today’s paper doll ninja? Let me know in a comment.

Need a Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick One Out 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.