Clothing

Sprites as Superheroes

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  The Golden Age of Superheros
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Every year, I ask my Patrons to for ideas in December. I try to get to all their suggestions over the course of the year. And some of their suggestions were already in the works! That works out well for me and for them, because no one wants to wait eight months for a paper doll request to happen.

(Of course, sometimes people do, because that’s just how the cookie crumbles, but I do my best to be responsive to my Patrons.)

The Steger Family, some of my Patrons, asked for Superheroes. Well, today there are some. I don’t really know why Superheroes are required to wear absurd jumpsuits, but that seems to be the thing they do.

I try to draw what my Patron’s request. They, after all, giving me money. Join if you want to here.

When I was designing this set, I wanted to do a call back to classic comics. Back in the old days, comics could only be printed in a limited collection of colors- red, blue, yellow and black. Back in those days, the colors were printed as tiny dots and the dots overlapped each other creating the other colors.

The limitations of this printing style often meant that the color schemes for heroes and villains were very boldly defined by their colors. The Joker, for example, wears green and purple. Superman wears red and blue for the same reason. As a nod to that practice, I wanted to do this set of Sprites paper dolls in a limited color collection.

I was inspired to draw this set when I read that Superheroes out sold Princesses for Halloween in 2016. I have no idea where I read it, but there you go.

Looking for some Sprite paper dolls to wear these outfits? Pick out Sprite paper dolls here.

Sprites In Some 18th Century Clothing Options

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: 18th Century Merchant Class Clothing
18th century clothing for paper dolls including a round-gown and a tricorn hat. Free to print in color or black and white from paperthinpersonas.com.

18th Century paper doll clothing in black and white

This 18th century clothing for the Sprites paper dolls are meant to represent the Merchant Class. On the left, for the men, we have a jacket and vest worn over a shirt. His breeches, stockings and shoes are all mid-18th century. On the right, for the lady, we have a round-gown, defined by the lack of a stomacher. A handkerchief fills her low neckline and she has a matching cap, stockings and shoes.

In the United States in the 18th century, there were four social classes. You could be wealthy, merchant class, lower class or in some for of bondage, such as enslaved or indentured. In England, these classes were defined by birth. So, it was entirely possible to be a Merchant and make more money than a Lord, but you were still in the middle class. Unless you could marry off your son or daughter into a higher social status and then… Well, we have the plot of one of a million 18th century romances.

I should add that the merchant class didn’t just include merchants. Anyone involved in a trade like lawyers, doctors and clergy were considered middle-class. It wasn’t until the late 18th century that Barbers were separate from Doctors.

If you’re interested in learning more about 18th century clothing, you can check out my 18th Century Pixies series. I talk a lot in there about the ladies clothing of the era.

Alternatively, one of my favorite 18th century costume history books is What Clothes Reveal. I used it a lot for these, because it shows what “middle-class” people wore, rather than just what those with lots of cash wore. Colonial Williamsburg also has a decent overview of 18th century clothing. If you’re not sure where to start, start there.

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Looking for some Sprite paper dolls to wear these outfits? Pick out Sprite paper dolls here.

The Sprites Go Contemporary in Navy, Olive, Stripes and Florals

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  Flower Fairies, Cicely Mary Barker and the Book, Fairie-ality
The Sprites printable paper dolls get a pair of contemporary paper doll outfits. One is a skirt and a t-shirt with flutter sleeves, plus a scarf. For the gents, there is a long sleeved t-shirt and a pair of cargo pants. Print in color or black and white.

The Sprites printable paper dolls get a pair of contemporary paper doll outfits. One is a skirt and a t-shirt with flutter sleeves, plus a scarf. For the gents, there is a long sleeved t-shirt and a pair of cargo pants. Print and color.

Today, the Sprites printable paper dolls get a pair of contemporary paper doll outfits. One is a skirt and a t-shirt with flutter sleeves, plus a scarf. For the gents, there is a long sleeved t-shirt and a pair of cargo pants. Do guys even still wear cargo pants? I have no idea.

Drawing contemporary paper doll outfits comes with challenges that are unique. First of all, after a while, things start to look the same. Secondly, how many t-shirts can any rational person draw before going just a little mad? Probably not that many. I swear guy paper doll outfits exist just to vex me.

Still, I try to come up with ideas to spice things up whenever possible. With the Sprites part of the fun is coming up with a “guy” and a “girl” outfit that would go together. In this case, I settled on two casual outfits with Autumnal color schemes. The colors are really what ties these two paper doll looks together.

Color schemes are their own challenge, because most guys aren’t really keen on magenta. Though I must confess, I do think sometimes my idea of masculine colors is pretty old fashioned. I’ve seen a lot of male college students where I work in colors that I wouldn’t have thought they would wear. So, perhaps I need to open my mind to guy paper dolls and pink.

Meanwhile, I love that skirt and I would totally wear it, if it existed in my size and made of fabric. I think it is super cute.

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Looking for some Sprite paper dolls to wear these outfits? Pick out Sprite paper dolls here.

Sprites Get Dickens Caroling Costumes for the Holidays

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  Dicken’s Christmas Carol, Vaguely Victorian Fashion and Google Image Search
A pair of Dickens caroling costumes for the Sprites printable paper doll series in color or black and white. Free to print from paperthinperosnas.com.

I have never done a Christmas paper doll before. The way I’ve always figured it, there are plenty of Christmas paper dolls and I didn’t see much I could add to the genre. But since I have switched to a daily outfit posting schedule, I figured I might try it this year. So, today we have some Dickens caroling costumes for the Sprites printable paper dolls.

Dickens wrote the Christmas Carol on 1842, but there’s nothing historically correct about these outfits. In fact, I refused to do any historical research, though I did Google “Dickens Caroling Costumes” to get some ideas.

Some of the college students I work with would call that research, but I try not to think about that too much.

In fact, I would call these costumes and not clothing, because they aren’t historically correct in anyway. I knew I wanted the lady to have a bonnet and cape and for the guy to have a top hat. Beyond that, I just had fun.

I chose a holly pattern for the skirt, because I thought it was holiday and old fashioned without being too obvious.

Anyway, tomorrow is the first night of Hanukah and Christmas is on Sunday, so I would like to wish everyone who is celebrating either a really wonderful holiday. And for those who aren’t celebrating, I hope you have a great weekend with, or without, family.

Looking for some Sprite paper dolls to wear these outfits? Pick out Sprite paper dolls here.

Sprites: Some Springtime Paper Doll Clothing in December

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  Springtime Colors, Striped Pockets, and Bucket Bags
Spring colored modern paper doll fashions for the Sprites paper doll series. Available in color or black and white from paperthinpersonas.com

Okay, so this does seem a little bit of a Spring-Like outfit choice considering that it is December 8th, but I created these outfits months and months ago and I really like the color scheme, so we are getting some Spring in December for the Sprites printable paper doll series.

One of the challenges of these modern sets has been to find color schemes that could go masculine or feminine. Pastels can be dangerous, but I think aqua is a color that can go either way.

I also had way more fun designing the purse to go with this set than I should probably admit to people.

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Looking for some Sprite paper dolls to wear these outfits? Pick out Sprite paper dolls here.

Sprites: Flower Fairies Xavier

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  Flower Fairies, Cicely Mary Barker and the Book, Fairie-ality
A flower fairy boy paper doll with an outfit in color or black and white. Free to print from paperthinpersonas.com.

Week before last, I showed off some flower fairy outfits for the Sprites paper doll series. I didn’t have the flower fairy paper doll Sprites done quite yet, but here they are now making their debut. Yesterday, I showed off Yumiko as a fairy and today, I am debuting Xavier, blue skin and all.

Xavier and Yumiko are modeling these flower fairy paper doll looks and you can find more paper dolls with those same faces as Xavier and Yumiko, if you want them.

Just like with Yumiko’s fairy version, I tried a few different skin colors, before I settled on the blue color. It reminded me of the color of the summer sky.

I do worry that he looks a little girly, both because my male paper dolls always feel a little effeminate to me and because the whole flower fairy theme tends to lend itself to a more girly look anyway. Still, I tired to keep him a bit buff with his boots and jacket and kilt made from petals.

In my head, flower fairies are just the size of a deck of cards and could fit in the palm of the hand. How do you imagine flower fairies? Tell me in a comment.

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Looking for something for today’s Sprite paper doll to wear? Pick out some clothing here.

Flower Fairies: Yumiko as a Flower Fairy

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  Flower Fairies, Cicely Mary Barker, and the Book, Fairie-ality

A cute little flower fairy paper doll free to print in color or black and white.

A few weeks ago, I posted my flower fairy outfits for the Sprite paper dolls inspired by nasturtiums. At the time, my two Sprite fairy paper dolls weren’t done yet, but now they are. So, today Yumiko of the Sprites paper doll family today is showing off her fairy side. Tomorrow, her male partner in crime Xavier will make his fairy debut.

Even with this new format, I do plan to post Sprites as sets. I like having a lady and a gent of the same theme posting two days in a row. I think it is fun.

And it is my blog, so I get to decide what is fun here.

All of my flower fairy designs owe something to Cicely Mary Barker who illustrated what are now “classic” flower fairy illustrations starting in the 1920s. Here are some of her fairy illustrations.

There is something so innocent about Cicely Mary Barker’s art. I still really love her books and I loved them when I was a child. My favorite was the Willow Fairy. Of course, the book Fairie-ality was also a big influence. Highly recommended.

I went back and forth and back and forth about the color scheme for this one. I tried out blue skin and green skin, but I really like how the purple turned out. If you think she needs a different color, then there’s always the black and white version.

So, here’s my question for my readers today, was I the only Cicely Mary Barker flower fairy fan as a child? Let me know in a comment!

And if you like the blog, and want to see what goes on the behind the scenes, then join us on Patreon. A dollar a month gets you access to the Behind the Scenes blog and five dollars gets you the Vivian Paper Doll Project. Right now, my patrons are voting on a name for a new Marisole Monday and Friends paper doll.

Looking for something for today’s Sprite paper doll to wear? Pick out some clothing here.

Sprites: Casual Jeans, Sweaters, Shorts and a T-shirt

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  College Guy’s Clothing, Shirts Under Sweaters and Slightly Failed Color Schemes
Jean shorts, t-shirt for the guy paper dolls and a sweater with skinny grey jeans for the lady paper dolls. Free to print from paperthinpersonas.com.

This is the first of two outfits for male paper dolls this week. Shocking, I know.

The truth is that compared to women’s clothing, I confess I find a lot of men’s clothing boring. Despite that, I am trying to draw more for the guys and I do find this new format liberating in that regard. One guy outfit is much less pressure than say… three.

The Sprites are a challenge, because I want the guy and girl paper doll outfits to match in some way and I think in this set, I kinda failed to do that very well. The boy paper doll gets jeans and shorts and our lady paper doll gets a sweater and skinny jeans. I thought if I used the same grey it would kinda pull the outfits together, but I rather think it fails to do that. Never the less, not every coloring job is a success.

I work at a college, so I see what college students wear. 99% of the time, guys wear t-shirts. Sometimes they mix it up with a hoodie, but generally it is a t-shirt. In that respect, I enjoy trying to find interesting ways to pattern the t-shirts of my male paper dolls. Meanwhile, the lady paper doll is wearing one of my favorite looks which is a shirt under a sweater.

I haven’t got much else to day about these guys. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, so I am in full on pie making mode. I hope everyone who celebrates has a great Holiday tomorrow and everyone who doesn’t celebrate just has a lovely Thursday.

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Looking for some Sprite paper dolls to wear these outfits? Pick out Sprite paper dolls here.

Sprites: Flower Fairies Can Be Boys!

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  Flower Fairies, Nasturtiums and the Book, Fairie-ality

Fairy paper doll clothing for both boy and girl paper dolls. Free to print form paperthinpersonas.com.

So, when I was doodling this fairy paper doll clothing, I said to a friend, “Can flower fairies be boys?”

And she was like, “Of course, don’t be sexist.”

And I was like, “Well, in that case…”

Here today we have flower fairy clothing for both boy and girl paper dolls. I also have fairy versions of two Sprites dolls in the works, but they aren’t ready for prime time yet, unlike my flower fairy outfits.

So, I own a lot of serious costume history books and I own a lot of books of fairy tales and folklore. I own only one book that combines the two. That is Fairie-Ality, an amazing collection of fairy outfits made from natural materials and beautifully photographed. It is a book I use when I am looking for fairy inspiration.

Other than that, this set of fairy paper doll clothing was inspired by Nasturtiums. I love Nasturtiums, because they taste spicy and they grow best in poor soil. Anyway, they are most often yellow, orange or red flowers, hence the yellow, orange and red color scheme.

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So, my question for all my readers today is, what is your favorite flower? I confess nasturtiums are some of my favorites. Let me know in a comment!

Looking for some Sprite paper dolls to wear these outfits? Pick out Sprite paper dolls here.

Sprites: Some Norse/Viking Inspired Fantasy Outfits

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  Viking Dress, Medieval Clothing and Celtic Knots

A pair of viking inspired fantasy outfits for the Sprites paper doll series, both for a male paper doll and a female paper doll. Also available in black and white for coloring

Now, I’ve done a historical viking paper doll before for the B&B paper doll series and I suspect I’ll do one again, but that is not happening today. Today, I decided to play with viking clothing in an entirely fantasy realm.

I tend to do my laundry in the evenings. I never seem to remember to start it before I go to work, so I am writing this post to the rhythmic noise of the washer cleaning clothing for tomorrow and the dryer doing the same.

The truth is that I designed these outfits so long ago, that I don’t really know what to say about them and listening to my washer is not very inspiring on the blog post writing front.

I guess what I’ll say is this: One of the most interesting things about doing the Sprites is getting to think about what to draw for a boy and then what to draw for a girl. That’s also one of the more challenging aspects of the process. These two outfits are really tied together more by their color scheme than by their design motifs.

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Looking for a Sprite paper doll to wear these outfits? Pick out a Sprite paper dolls here.