Printable Paper Dolls

Halibut Fisher: A Paper Doll

Let me talk about my childhood for a moment. My family had a commercial fishing boat, lovingly known as Lady B. We fished halibut by long line and salmon with trolling gear. It’s hard work, but Southeast Alaska is one of the most beautiful places on earth. At least the view was always worth it. Also, I did learn to gut a fish in 6 cuts, so that’s something.

When I decided I wanted to do another fisher paper doll, after all my last one was many years ago, I knew I wanted to stick to the same basic clothing options. There are a lot of printable career paper dolls out there, but a definite lack of commercial fishers in the paper doll world.

A printable career paper doll featuring a halibut fisher paper doll coloring page with rain gear, gaff hook, boots and, of course, a halibut.

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This was the sort of fishing gear I remembered wearing as a teenager. It may not be what people are still wearing, but I don’t think fishing gear has changed much. There’s a set of bright orange heavy duty rain gear, a knit cap, long underwear top and skinny jeans. There are rain boots, deck shoes, gaff hook, gutting knife, halibut and gloves.

Halibut exude a slime when pulled from the water. It’s a defensive mechanism for them. While I adore the way halibut tastes, I personally do not miss the slime. Halibut slime is a uniquely gross substance.

Also, whenever I hear someone singing the praises of how amazing halibut tastes, I want to say, “Yes, but have you ever experienced the slime?”

A printable career paper doll of a halibut fisher with rain gear, gaff hook, boots and, of course, a halibut. Full color printable.

Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones 2.0

A few things- all the colors I chose were based on colors from actual garments, except for the t-shirt with the boat on it. I made that one up.

About the boat- after some debate, I chose to draw a gill-netter which is not the type of boat I grew up on. However, my parents first boat was a gill-netter. I do think the rigging is a bit much for the gill-netter and closer to what you see on a toller, but I digress. I don’t think anyone is peering at paper doll clothing going, “Hey, that fishing boat’s rigging looks weird.”

And if they are, well… I think that might point to a deeper issue with them.

If you want to get more paper doll content every week and help support Paper Thin Personas, head on over to my Patreon page.

A Gothic Lolita Paper Doll

Every year I ask my patrons for ideas. I don’t promise to draw those ideas, but I always like to know what my patrons are interested in seeing. Plus, I run out of ideas sometimes.

One of my long time patrons, Denise, asked for some Gothic fashions and let me decide what genre to explore in that larger subgenre. I have been wanting to draw some Gothic Lolita clothing for a long time, partly because I really wanted to draw a bonnet.

So, Denise, here is a gothic Lolita paper doll for you.

A gothic lolita paper doll with curled hair, 3 dresses, tights, shoes and accessories.

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Gothic Lolita clothing is often called “Victorian Children’s Clothing Inspired”, but it is not really Victorian clothing. It is a ruffle and lace obsessed fever dream of Victorian clothing. And that’s part of the fun!

Historical accuracy has no place here.

If you hop over to my Lolita Fashion Pinterest Board, you will see a lot more of this style. A few specific sources for these dresses include this gothic look and this purse and this dress and this dress. I actually drew a few more dresses that didn’t fit on this page, so they’ll be going up for my Patrons in the next few weeks.

A gothic lolita paper doll with lavender hair, 3 dresses, tights, shoes and accessories.

Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones 2.0

A few things I love about Lolita fashion, in no real order-

  • I like drawing ruffles
  • There’s a super high level of coordination, so I tied everything together with ruffles and roses.
  • There’s something really refreshing about a fashion style that is both super modest and super feminine. It’s not something you see a lot in fashion, I feel like.

The color scheme here is black, red and lavender. I feel like if there’s one downside of doing gothic fashion it is that it is… well, it’s black. Don’t get me wrong- black is a perfectly nice color- but it is all black. I try not to make my paper doll clothing all black, because I feel like it obscures the line-work a lot. However, since you have a black and white version of this gothic Lolita paper doll, you can make this one all black (or all purple, or all green) if you wish.

In fact, with a different color scheme, this set could totally be sweet Lolita or classic Lolita.

In the words of the college students I work with- You do you.

And on that note, I wanted to pause here to thank my Patrons who have supported me. Consider joining us if you want! You could get your idea drawn.

Winter Geometric

Today’s paper doll might be familiar to folks, because she’s made up of pieces from Jewels and Gemstones 1.0. One of the things I knew I wanted to do with Jewels and Gemstones 2.0 was take advantage of the 1.0 content to create sets as well.

So, you might recall these pieces from Winter Fashion Week 2019.

A paper doll coloring page with 12 clothing pieces.

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I did decide to re-color this set though. I wanted to make some changes and I really do enjoy coloring paper doll sets.

A black paper doll coloring page with curly hair and 12 clothing pieces. She's a printable from paperthinpersonas.com.

Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones 2.0

I chose a warm, autumn color scheme with warm reds and oranges. I wanted it to feel different from the Original Winter Fashion Week, but I like teals and reds, so I’m not sure how different it really is.

If you want even more paper doll content and to help support the blog, I have a Patreon page. Thanks to my Patrons financial support, I’ve moved server companies this year, been able to pay for better website security and, hopefully, have a few more upgrades coming down the line.

A link to the exclusive Friday paper doll content on Patreon

Spring Evening Gowns for Paper Dolls

I like starting paper doll series with evening gowns. I don’t 100% know why, but I think because they are fun to draw and everyone needs a few amazing evening gowns, don’t they?

Plus a lot of things I like draw are evening gown adjacent like fantasy dresses and evening gowns help me plot out how many pieces I can fit in a single paper doll page.

See… there is a method to my madness.

A paper doll coloring page with three evening gowns and three pairs of shoes.

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These dresses are all based on designs from David’s Bridal and other online retailers. I could spend hours looking at fancy dresses that I have no reason to wear. My life is not that exciting.

Anyway, some of the inspirational dresses were this corset bodice and this one. Other dresses included this one shoulder gown and several other dresses like this one and this one.

I guess this paper doll could be subtitled: Rachel Spent Time on David’s Bridal Website while Social Distancing!

A paper doll with contemporary spring evening gowns, dark skin and blond hair. Free to print from paperthinpersonas.com.

Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones 2.0

And since it is spring, or so the calendar tells me, even if there’s 24 inches of snow on the ground outside, I wanted to focus on a color scheme that was spring colors- pastels mostly, but since I find a lot of pastels overly saccharine, these are pretty smoky.

I am excited by the fact that I can fit three pairs of shoes along the bottom of each paper doll sheet! This is a little thing, but I get joy out of small things.

I hope everyone is staying safe and doing okay in this strange time we’re all living in.

By the way, I am still sharing weekly extra Jewels and Gemstones outfits with my Patrons.

Vertical Curves: Contemporary Clothing!

Fashionable paper dolls with jeans and a striped top! Super Cute. Easy to color paper doll clothing page!

Black and White PDF | Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls

Every year in March during Spring Fashion Week the big fashion magazines bring out their issues on the trends for the next year. It’s one of the few times I buy fashion magazines, because I love getting to see what’s on the runways.

I know there’s lot of websites that do the same thing, but maybe it’s because I stare at a computer screen most of the day (and even more now that I’m working from home!) that I really find myself craving something that isn’t digital to look at. So, I still pick up my fashion magazines and crack them open.

Inspiration

So, I was pouring through the fashion magazines for March and I noticed a lot of these sort of soft tie-dyed stripes. Well, I can’t draw soft tie dye very well in pen and ink, so I decided to do this instead. It’s sort of an soft semi-monochrome stripe.

Also, just fyi, the new Jewels and Gemstones 2.0 I mentioned last week will debut next week. I am super excited about this.

Ask me if you have any questions!

And if you want more Jewels and Gemstones clothing, check out the Patreon page.

Military Steampunk Shorts & Jacket

A set of steampunk paper doll clothing with stockings, jacket, shorts and walking stick. A steampunk paper doll coloring page clothing with stockings, jacket, shorts and walking stick.

Black and White PDF | Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls

I have just a few of these posts to share before I wrap up the Jewels and Gemstones 1.0 and roll out the new Jewels and Gemstones 2.0. I am super excited to share them.

So, this week will be the last week of Jewels and Gemstones 1.0.

I designed this set to be a set of military inspired steampunk clothing. Throughout history, the military uniforms have influenced fashion (as all current events do) and this is particularly obvious during the Regency era when the Napoleonic wars ragged and suddenly everyone was wearing bass buttons on their walking coats.

Also, the Civil War and World War 2, though World War 2 had other interesting influences, because of the fabric restrictions placed on clothing.

I digress.

Inspiration

Steampunk, obviously. Steampunk is an aesthetic which combines the Victorian era fashion with contemporary looks. I think it’s a natural response to the digital age, much as the craftsman movement of the turn of the century was a cultural response to industrialization.

However, I do find the whole genre’s tendency to glamorize an era that was rife with social issues and colonialism problematic. I mean, there’s no perfect era of history, but… the Victorian era was pretty grim.

Want more paper dolls? Head over to Patreon where I share an extra Jewels and Gemstones paper doll outfit every week.

Checkerboard Fantasy Gown

Black and white paper doll coloring sheet to print inspired by a chessboard. Dress up doll fun from paperthinpersonas.comA fantasy paper doll dress inspired by a chess board. Free princess paper doll dress.

Black and White PDF | Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls

I don’t suffer from a lot of delusions of grandure. I’m a librarian/archivist who draws paper dolls for her micro-business and also can gut a salmon in six cuts. I’m not qualified to say anything about our current pandemic, except that I’m staying home a lot more and for some reason, there is no flour in town.

Bread, yes. Flour, no. I’m so confused, people.

So, instead of telling you to wash your hands (because I hope you are), I am going to focus on what I do- draw paper dolls and occasionally make weird jokes about the strangeness of 1830s hair styles.

Seriously, 1830s? What were you thinking! (See this fun tutorial on making one of this styles.)

Meanwhile, here’s a fantasy princess paper doll dress. And over on Patreon for everyone there’s two other versions of this dress- a blue version & a yellow version.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper

This dress really doesn’t have a source image. I just kinda was drawing one afternoon and it happened. It wasn’t planned or carefully sourced in anyway. If I go way back to this post Green Princess, you will seem a similar silhouette.

By the way, in my head, this is a special dress that was commissioned by the princess to wear to a chess match. Because nothing calls for a new dress, like a chess match. Maybe, she’s in the chess match? I have no idea. I am super bad at chess.

Learn & See More

On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & More Princess Paper Dolls
Around the Internet: Hmmm… Well, I don’t have much related to this post to point to, but if you want more 1830s weirdness check out a great post from Loretta Chase about hair styling in the 1830s complete with some fantastic images of 1830s hair!

Last Thoughts on Today’s Fairy Paper Doll

Okay, I know I spent a lot of this post making fun of the 1830s, but really how can you not? Also, I doubt a decade can really be offended and in honor of poor hair choices, I had a bowl cut for most of the 1990s.

In my defense, I was 10. I also had a rat tail which I asked for. It was a thing.

If you like my paper dolls and want more of them, I share a paper doll piece every Friday for my patrons along with other fun things. Head over to Patreon to learn more. I know things are tight for a lot of folks right now, so no pressure and don’t forget, there’s two other versions of this dress for everyone!

Summer Fairy Costume for the Paper Dolls

A summery fairy costume for the paper dolls with four mix and match pieces. A great unplugged toy for children of all ages. A great unplugged toy for children of all ages. A wonderful faory coloring page.

Black and White PDF | Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls

There’s something fun about designing flower fairies. I think it might be, because the dolls leafy undies always make me think of fairies.

It’s very cold up here in the sub-arctic where I live. There’s still snow and it’s been over 20 below more days than I like to admit. Did you know that when it is -40 is the temperature where Celsius and Fahrenheit meet?

I sort of wish I didn’t know that.

However, nothing for a cold, snow covered March like imagining spring and flowers are a sign of spring.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper

There wasn’t a specific source image for these fairy paper doll clothes. I sort of was inspired by a bunch of images from my Fairies and Fauns Pinterest board.

Learn & See More

On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & More Fairy paper dolls
Around the Internet: My Fairies & Fauns Pinterest Board

Last Thoughts on Today’s Fairy Paper Doll

So, I do enjoy Cicely Mary Barker’s flower fairies, I also confess an affection for older, darker fairy folklore. The book Fairies in Tradition and Literature by Katharine Briggs is a great study of the darker views of fairies and their stories, if you want to read some more grim thoughts on the fairy world.

Also, please everyone stay safe right now. Things are stressful, but we can still be kind to each other. Also, wash your hands.

As always, if you like my paper dolls and want more of them, I do share a paper doll piece every Friday for my patrons along with other fun things. Head over to Patreon to learn more.

Ruby & Her Party Dress: A Patreon Friday Paper Doll from 2019

A brunette printable paper doll with a magenta party dress and two pairs of shoes from paperthinpersonas.com. A brunette printable paper doll with a magenta party dress and two pairs of shoes from paperthinpersonas.com.

Black and White PDF | Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls

In 2019, I decided to do some Jewels and Gemstones with party dresses. This one was Ruby’s contribution to the collection. One of the others was this version of Sapphire.

I really do enjoy drawing party dresses- partly because I think everyone needs a fun party dress. Also, because I think they’re a style of clothing I don’t wear very often, but they still seem critcal to a well rounded wardrobe.

Given that I never wear them, I do wonder why I still seem to think they are critical.

Inspiration for Today’s Paper

I wanted to draw a dress where the gown had an interesting shape. I also wanted to draw something that would make sense to go on the sheet with the doll. I think the complex cutouts of this dress would be a pain to cut out in the real world, where as they work well as part of the dolls skin.

Dresses with cutouts like this seem to be pretty popular right now.

Because I have hazel eyes, I wanted to do a hazel eyed paper doll. It’s a harder color to capture in my style, but I like how it turned out. 

Learn & See More

On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & more Cocktail Dresses
Around the Internet: I do keep a Pinterest Board of Formal and Cocktail Dresses

Last Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll & Her Party Dress

One of the things I really am happy about this year is having a few favorite Friday patreon pieces to share with you all. Not only does it let me try to convince a few of you to join us over on Patreon, but it also it means I have a little built in black log I can tap as needed.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea that my perception of the blog and the reality of the blog might not always be consistent. My experience of this ongoing art project is very different from other people’s experience. Not sure where I am going with this, but it has been on my mind lately.

Cropped Sweater with Flared Jeans

Cropped sweater and flared jeans for my printable paper dolls in color for printing and playing with. Cropped sweater and flared jeans for my printable paper dolls in black and white for printing and coloring. Free paper doll clothing sheet.

Black and White PDF | Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones Paper Dolls

I wanted to draw some more contemporary clothing for the Jewels and Gemstones paper dolls. I’ve been thinking a lot more about creating print products and what that might look like. So, the desire to have a robust mix and match set that could be eventually turned into a printed set has been on my mind. 

To do that, however, I need more mix and match option for the Jewels and Gemstones- hence the desire for more contemporary clothing for them. 

Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll Outfit

My sister wore an outfit like this one when I was visiting her for Thanksgiving this year. Cropped tops with high waisted pants are very much still in style- though I openly confess that it is not a look that I wear very often. My sister is more adventurous when it comes to clothing than I am.

Specific Source Images: Sweaters like this example and this example

Learn & See More

On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls & more Sweaters for Paper Dolls
Around the Internet: Hmmm… I don’t know. Not sure what to link to for cropped sweaters and jeans today.

Last Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll Fashion

I was a child of the late 1990s and early 2000s, so back when I was younger the look was cropped tops and low slung jeans. I do think the high waisted pants with crop tops is a bit more of a forgiving style, as the other is pretty hard to wear unless you have amazing abs.

(I do not have amazing abs.)

If you enjoy my paper dolls and want more paper doll goodness every week, head over to Patreon where I post an extra Friday paper doll outfit and have some other super fun project going including my 365 Day project where I am sharing a paper doll piece every day.

(Okay, almost every day, I’ve missed two days so far, but I’ve caught up. Progress, no perfection.)