Ramblings

Four of My Favorite Paper Dolls You Can Color

There’s a lot of content on Paper Thin Personas. And I have far to many favorites to count!

Some of my paper dolls are not super kid friendly, but I wanted to highlight paper dolls you can color for kids that might be great while stuck at home. Specifically, I wanted to focus on sets that might be a bit buried in the archives. The sort of things that might be missed, unless you’re me and you know the archives super well.

(Actually, truth be told, I have a few readers who I think know them better than me. So, if I missed a favorite of anyone’s, please let me know in a comment.)

Her Ladyship: A Fantasy Paper Doll You Can Color

Three of the ten page of this fantasy paper doll that you can color and print.
A 10 Page Fantasy Paper Doll to Print and Color

Download the 10 Page PDF to Print

I drew this paper doll set back in 2014. She started as a one page little foray into something different and quickly expanded into 10 pages of black and white fantasy gowns for coloring. Lots of great potential here!

Her wigs were especially fun to create, though I confess I didn’t test any of them in the real world. I have no idea if they really work. They will all fit I am sure, but I am not sure they will all stay on.

You can read about every page in the Her Ladyship posts.

An Antique Doll from 1886: Paper Doll Coloring Pages

A Victorian Paper Doll with dresses from 1886

Download the 3 Page PDF to Print

I found in my college library a book with reprints of every fashion plate from a magazine from 1886. It was a fascinating study of seasonal dress over one year. I decided to try to draw some of the dresses from that book and this was the result.

Bustles and I have a had a long complex relationship, but I think the patterns here would be especially fun to color. When I was kid, my favorite paper dolls were paper doll of antique dolls. So, when I was picking out kid friendly paper doll coloring pages, this one had to be included.

A Regency Teddy Bear: Paper Doll Coloring Pages

A teddy bear paper doll you can color.
A Regency Teddy Bear with 7 Dresses

Download Page 1 to Print | Download Page 2 to Print

These two PDF pages are the only one you’ll need to download individually. There’s 7 amazing outfits in this set along with a fun teddy bear to dress up.

When I was 8 or 9, I drew dozens of outfits for a commercial teddy bear paper doll, including multiple layers of complex underwear. I have no idea what happened to that paper doll, but it was certainly inspiration for this one.

Best Friends: Paper Dolls You Can Color

Four paper dolls you can color with many fun contemporary fashions.
Four paper doll friends and their many outfits.

Download the 8 Page PDF to Print

This is a set I drew right before I moved to Alabama in the early 2010s. Originally, it was going to be the basis of a whole new paper doll series, but I ended up burning out on it fast.

I still think the idea of four different poses and matching dresses for each of those poses was a fun concept and there’s lots of coloring to be had with this fun set. Besides, if you’re going to play with paper dolls it is a lot more fun to play when they have friends.

Since it is Friday, I did want to mention there’s always more paper doll content on Patreon on Fridays! Head over there to check it out.

A link to the exclusive Friday paper doll content on Patreon

Idea Roulette: A Fun Way to Generate Ideas

Nautical Gothic Sorceress and Modest Steampunk Elf, because why not?

Nautical Cyberpunk Sorceress! Retro Punk Pirate! Sweet Lolita Fairy! Modest Cyberpunk Astronaut! Regency Lolita Warrior! Sweet Fantasy Saytr! 1920s Punk Alien! Rococo Gothic Fairy!

What do all those ideas for paper doll have in common?

They were all randomly generated using a technique sometimes called Idea Roulette. It’s a riff on the old game Exquisite Corpse, where several people write a story each one only seeing the line right before theirs, but with the advantage that you don’t need more people. I was reminded of it from the amazing podcast called Comic Lab (I highly recommend it, though there is language and some sex talk, just FYI.)

What’s the Point?

Idea generation is one of the harder things we do as creators. We all have things we fall back on- comfort zones in our work- and the purpose of Idea Roulette is to break yourself out of those comfort zones by generating ideas you wouldn’t have thought of before and then forcing yourself (even if you don’t like the outcome) to devote at least 5 minutes to it.

This is a bit of a twist on my 25 minute rule, which is another productivity trick I use a lot.

Here’s How to do Idea Roulette

All you need to play: Some way to randomly generate numbers, a few sheets paper and a pencil. I used dice, because like any good gamer girl I have a ton of them

Step 1: Create 3 Lists. These can be of settings, characters and goals, if you are wring stories, or in my case I did character, fashion style, fashion adjective. I’ve listed six items on each of my lists below and I would try to get at least that many on your lists, but the more the better.

CharacterFashion GenreFashion Adjective
PrincessSteampunkSweet/Romantic
WarriorRetroNautical
PirateGothicEdgy/Punk
AlienFantasyModest
MermaidLolitaHistoric
SorceressCyberpunkMasculine/Menswear

Step 2: Next roll some dice! (Or generate your numbers however you like.) So, I would encourage your to roll several times and just write down whatever you roll- no editing.

I had a fourth list for when I rolled Historic where I rolled again on another list of historic periods. But that’s just an added level of random generation, you do what works for you!

Sweet Lolita Fairy on the left and Cyberpunk Nautical Sorceress on the right.

Step 3: Pick 4 from your rolled ideas and write them at the top of paper. I would recommend using paper that carries no pressure. For me, that meant just using cheap printer paper that I folded in half.

Write at the top of the paper whatever idea you’re working to draw.

And then for 5 minutes draw. Don’t edit. Just draw. Whatever comes to mind.

Do this four times.

Regency Lolita Warrior and Sweet Fantasy Saytr

Step 4: Now, you get to edit. Look at your doodles/drawings and decide which of these, if any, you want to expand on or actually draw.

Sweet Lolita Fairy waiting to be inked.

And that’s it!

Of all the things I created, the only one I think was a total bust was the “Nautical Cyberpunk Sorceress” which, in my defense, I’m still not sure what the heck that would even look like.

The others will probably show up somewhere at some point. The Sweet Fantasy Saytr, Sweet Lolita Fairy and Modest Steampunk Elf are all going o be fore my 365 Day Project on Patreon.

Sweet Fantasy Saytr inked and ready for scanning.

I haven’t yet decided for whom I’ll draw the Regency Lolita Warrior, but I do like the designs I came up with.

Let me know if you decide to play Idea Roulette. It’s a lot of fun. If you have any thoughts or questions, let me know in a comment. If you want to see some of these papers dolls when they’re done, join us over on Patreon.

A Review of Paper Doll Studio Renaissance Issue 126

The cover of Paper Doll Studio magazine issue 126.
Issue 126 of Paper Doll Studio Magazine Featuring the Spindle Sisters

I recently resubscribed to Paper Doll Studio magazine, as one of my goals for 2020 has been to submit more paper dolls to the magazine. I am always nervous about sending things in. I don’t know why, exactly, but I’ve always been shy about sharing my work beyond the blog or the occasional commission.

The interview with the Spindle Sisters from Paper Doll Studio Magazine.
The interview with the Spindle Sisters.

One of my favorite parts of the magazine is always the interview with the featured artist. In this case, it was the partnership between two artists- Erica Lange and Abby Polakow- who call themselves the Spindle Sisters.

I had seen their work on Etsy before, but I haven’t bought any of they art for my own collection. They mostly work in fairy tales as their source material.

While I like the fairy tale theme, I rarely buy paper doll books these days. I found their interview particularly interesting, because I have never had a collaborator over a prolonged period and reading about that process was enlightening.

It’s funny how I used to buy a lot more paper dolls and since I had to move back to Alaska and decide what I really wanted to move (I did move a lot of paper dolls) I find I’m less interested in adding to the collection. Funny how having to move boxes of paper dolls across the country make you hesitant to buy more paper dolls.

Ralph Hogden's paper doll in Paper Doll Studio Magazine.
One of my favorite paper dolls in the magazine by Ralph Hogden.

I wanted to show off one paper doll from the magazine. It was hard to pick a single one. In the end, I settled on this paper doll by Ralph Hogden. He drew many more beautiful dresses for the Mona Lisa which I thought was a really cool idea. It was also beautifully executed. The drape on the skirts of the paper dolls was particularly lovely.

One of the things I love about Paper Doll Studio magazine is that I get to see the work of a variety of artists many of whom don’t have a big online presence. And for this issue, the renaissance is such a big period of history with such diversity in dress, it was really interesting to see what places and time periods people chose to illustrate.

There were other amazing pieces, but I don’t want to give everything away. I will also give a shout out to Julie Matthews who had a great article on using Art Rage for illustration. Not something I am going to take on soon, but I love learning about how other people make paper dolls.

Renaissance paper dolls in Paper Doll Studio Magazine.
My contribution was a paper doll with three different dresses from different eras and locations.

If you want a high res download of my paper doll contribution, the top of the page above, head over to Etsy and you can see her here. You can read about my research process if you want to know more about my foray into Renaissance dress.

Other fun features of the magazine included a good article on Renaissance clothing and a nice overview of Shakespearean paper dolls. I’ve never drawn any of Shakespeare’s characters as paper dolls and I don’t think I am likely to.

You can grab a copy of this issue from Paper Doll Review for 8 dollars, or I would grab a subscription. It’s a better deal.

Now, I need to decide what I’m drawing for the By the Sea issue before the end of May.

Paper Dolls & Their Coats

So, this has apparently been the coldest winter on record where I live in Alaska. Long stretches of over 20 below is not exactly my idea of fun. I am working my way through the whole experience the best I can with a good parka, a hat lovingly knit by my mother and thick warm gloves. Gear makes all the difference when it is cold outside.

It’s finally above freezing (yay!), but the roads are awful (boo!). It’s April, but there’s still so much snow on the ground. It’s nice enough for long neighborhood walks wearing my homemade cotton mask, hat and light coat. Happy to be out of my parka, for the moment.

This got me thinking about papers dolls and their coats. One of the problems with paper doll coats is that unlike fabric, paper doesn’t squeeze down to fit in a coat sleeve. So, not everything can layer under a coat.

Paper Dolls & Their Winter Coats

I probably missed one or two sets with coats, so if you know of one I missed, please drop me a note in a comment. 

I know it’ll be spring soon (or so people tell me) and at least I can see blue sky out of my home office window.

Changes! News! Previews…

I’m trying to stay away from too much Covid-19 talk. I know it’s happening (everyone else knows its happening), but I think right now all I can really do is let everyone know I am safe and that I hope everyone else stays safe. Now… let’s talk about paper dolls!

Big News 1: New Home For PTP

I’m on a new server with a new hosting company. A few kinks from the site transfer are still being worked out, but Blue Host has been lovely to work with and I have nothing but nice things to say about their support folks. 

Moving a site as large as PTP (plus it is basically held together with digital duct tape and string) was never going to be painless. 

Big News 2: Jewels and Gemstones 2.0- Smaller, but Just as Cute and Curvy!

Gothic Lolita Paper Doll Set In Progress

As some of you know, I’ve been doing a project for my 5$ and up Patrons where I am sharing a piece of paper doll clothing everyday this year. That project has made me realize something- I miss drawing sets. 

So, I am happy to introduce Jewels and Gemstones 2.0- smaller, but just as cute!

In order to turn the series into sets, I’ve had to resize it. 

The original Jewels and Gemstones clothing SHOULD fit if resized to 80% (and the new dolls can wear the old clothing at 120%). My plan at the moment is to make sets both of new content and existing content and some will be a mix of both. 

I have two sets from Jewels and Gemstones 1.0 to share and then… 2.0 will debut. 

It was supposed to debut 2 weeks ago, but server stuff got in the way. 

Big News 3: The Doll Du Jour: New Paper Doll Series

New Paper Doll Series in Progress

I am happy to say I am working on a new paper doll series called Doll Du Jour, a big thank you to Sheryl, one of my long time patrons for helping me come up with the series name. 

These dolls were inspired by a paper doll I created last year which was in my sketchbook, but that sketchbook got ruined in the move, so I had to redraw her and I’m super happy with how she turned out. 

Big News 4: The 100 Day Project

The 100 Day Project Doll, as of yet unnamed.

So, I’m working from home and getting a fair bit done, but I find I really have to take a formal “lunch break” mid-day or I start clawing at the walls. During these lunch breaks, I’ve been working on a 100 Day Project. You can check out my work on Instagram. 

Several people have asked if this unnamed paper doll (any suggestions you are welcome to toss into a comment) will show up on the blog or the Etsy Store. Short answer: I have no idea.

Lastly… A Favor to Ask

I have every reason to believe at this point that the site transfer to it’s new home was successful. However, if you find any problems, please please let me know. You can email me anything you find to paperthinpersonas (at) gmail.com.

Quick Announcement!

I just wanted to let everyone know that there are some back-end things I am doing for the site involving servers.

Nothing to be alarmed by, everything has been backed up and I don’t expect any outages.

However, there will be no changes to the site for at least the next few weeks and given the world situation, I didn’t want anything to fret.

But… I want to keep seeing paper dolls…

Never fear! I will be sharing work on my social media feeds (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and on the Patreon site.

Patrons will, of course, continue to get content and starting on April 7th, I’ll be posting in #the100daysproject on Instagram. My hashtag will be #100daysofpaperdolls

So, follow me along there!

Planning/Research for the Renaissance Issue of Paper Doll Studio Magazine

I was super excited by the renaissance theme of Paper Doll Studio the Original Paper Doll Artists Guild magazine for Issue 126- Renaissance. On one hand, I liked the ease of drawing a Renaissance faire fantasy sort of thing, but it wasn’t long before I decided I wanted to do something more challenging and research intensive.

(This should surprise no one.)

The renaissance is a very long period of time. You can either date it from 1400 to 1600 or from 1300 to 1600, but either way it’s at least 200 years of fashion history. By the end of the 1400s, there’s very distinct regional styles developing, so I needed to consider geography and time period.

Left to Right: Undergarments from German illuminated manuscripts crica 1440-1490 from Konrad von Ammenhausen Hagenau 1467 f.255r & Kantonsbibliothek VadSlg Ms. 343c f.40r.

All paper dolls need underwear and I knew I didn’t want to do something that would limit me to one time period or one style of dress. So, I settled on these vague shifts from Germany. Illustrations in illuminated manuscripts of undergarments are pretty rare, but both of these illustrations from German manuscripts of the mid-1400s show sleeveless garments with fairly fitted waists. Simple and pretty generic, unlike say a boned bodice of the Tudor court.

First off, I knew I wanted to start with the Burgundian gowns of the 1400s. The styles vary throughout the century, but I liked the wider v-neck of the 1470s. From the end of the fourteenth to the end of the fifteenth century, Burgundian Netherlands included the low countries in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and northern France. It was ruled by a series of very powerful dukes and was a center of cloth production. The wealth, and the cloth production, made the area one of the centers of fashion- hence cometh the name Burgundian gown.

Left to Right: Burgundian gowns from the 15th century, illustrations from Le Livre de la Cité des dames. Bibliothèque de Genève, Ms. Fr. 180, f.5v & Bibliothèque nationale de France. Bibliothèque de l’Arsenal. Ms-5089 f.62r

Next up, I decided to draw a style I’ve always loved and never had much chance to explore- the Venetian gowns of the 1400s. These empire gowns are layered, deeply regional and surprisingly revealing for a world where hair was often covered and so was cleavage. Venice had massive wealth from the spice trade, an unusually diverse population, and contact with the Middle East, making it very exotic in the eyes of the rest of Europe. There’s a reason Shakespeare set so many plays there- Venice was a place people thought anything could happen.

Left to Right: Venetian gowns from the turn if the 15th century from Miracle of the Cross at the Bridge of S. Lorenzo (section) by Gentile Bellini & Albrecht Durer, Sketch of Venetian Women.

Last, but not least, I wanted to hop across the continent and up to Germany for a foray into Saxon gowns. Often called Cranach gowns, after the painter who depicted them, these fancy dresses were usually accompanied by amazing hats. There’s debate among some folks if these dresses ever even existed, but I tend to err on the side of assuming people in the historical past weren’t trying to somehow mislead people in the present and I haven’t heard a very solid argument against them yet.

Though, in fairness, I’m not an expert on the German renaissance.

Left to Right: Cranach gowns from the Saxony region of Germany from Das Sächsische Stammbuch – Mscr.Dresd.R.3 f. 89v & Judith with the Head of Holophernes (1530), both created by Lucas Cranach the Elder

I hope you’ll pick up this new issue from Paper Doll Studio once it comes out to see all the amazing paper dolls included. If you want to see the actual paper doll, head on over to Etsy where you can download her for 5.00 and print her out full size. She’s two pages of beautiful Renaissance history. Check her out here.

(Yes, she can share with the Mix and Match paper dolls as well.)

Victorian Fashion Paper Dolls From 1830-1900

I love Victorian clothing. It is one of my favorite eras of fashion, in part because of the dramatic silhouette changes throughout the century. I haven’t drawn much Victorian stuff lately, but I should. It is a fun time period to explore. I really want to do some Victorian dresses for the Jewels and Gemstones, I’m just trying to decide which decade. I’m leaning towards the 1870s, though they don’t have the best pose for the era.

I am working with ta client on a Victorian gentleman paper doll and it’s been great fun. It made me think about all my Victorian paper dolls and how I had never gathered them all up and put them in one place for folks. So, here they all are (as of today anyhow.)

Victorian Printable Paper Dolls: 1830 to 1910

For me, Tom Tierney’s historical paper dolls were, perhaps, the largest influence on my own fascinating with historical clothing. I learned so much from his paper dolls- both history and artistry. Collecting all these together has made me think about how long it has been since I’ve dabbled in all things Victorian. I should do some more in this time period.

A Review of Issue 125 of Paper Doll Studio Magazine

A few of my favorite pages from the latest issue of Paper Doll Studio.

As always, issue 125 was a delight. The cover paper doll by Andrea Smith is beautiful. I’d seen her art around, but I wasn’t very familiar with her work. It’s always fun to find a new paper doll artist.

I always adore Larry Bassin’s work. I deeply respect artists who have such a distinct vision and I feel like very time I see his art, I instantly know who drew it. One of these days, I need to buy some of his paper dolls to add to my collection.

My other two favorites were by JM Tolman, an artist I’m not familiar with and Carol Peters. JM Tolman’s paper doll was a lovely tribute to the working women of the 2nd World War. Carol Peter’s pair of dancing couples paper dolls just blew me away. I would never think to take on such a challenging subject and the movement in the dolls and their clothing really brings them to life. It totally deserved the huge full page display it received in the magazine.

My contribution to the OPDAG magazine Paper Doll Studio was inspired by the 1944 Simplicity patterns.

Submitting a paper doll to Paper Doll Studio Magazine is something I’ve wanted to do for ages. For the Green Issue, Jenny Taliadoros asked if she could use some of my paper dolls. I said sure, because why not? And then I thought, you know, I should really submit things and so here I am.

Tomorrow I’ll share the paper doll I created for the magazine and you can download and print her out full size, if you want to dress her up and play with her.

Let Me Tell You About My 365 Day Paper Doll Project on Patreon

Occasionally, I get an idea that just won’t leave me alone. This was one of those ideas. I wanted to create a series of paper dolls where one item was revealed each day. And I really wanted to do something special for my Patrons who have helped keep the blog on the internet.

The first paper doll set of my 365 paper doll project featuring elegant evening gowns.
Day 6 of my 365 Day Paper Doll Project for my 5 Dollar and Up Patrons

I recently fell back in love with my sprites when I was working on my 1944 paper doll, but I wanted to re-draw them, especially once I realized the issues with their right foot. I love their big heads and slightly sassy pose.

So, I redrew the Sprites pose for my 365 paper doll project. I really don’t enjoy drawing paper doll figures, because I struggle with it so much. Figure drawing and I… have issues, but I do my best. I have a few body poses I feel like I can draw and an I tend to stick with those. I know my limitations.

As with all my paper dolls, these girls start in my sketchbook as pen and ink outlines. Once they are drawn, I scan them, clean them up and make them into paper dolls you can play with.

A page of my sketchbook featuring evening gowns.
These gowns in my sketchbook.

This year, these paper dolls are going to be for my patrons over on Patreon. At the end of the project, I’m not 100% sure what I will do with the resulting paper dolls, but I would like to maybe make them available through Etsy as a print product or digital download.

I’ve made Day 6 a public post, so you can see the style of these paper dolls up close and personal. Once each page is completed, I post it, write about it and make the color and coloring page versions available.

If you want to follow along, get a daily paper doll piece, and cheer on my progress, head over to Patreon and join as a 5 dollar or up subscriber. I’d love to have your support while I try to make 365 (okay it’s a leap year, so it really should be 366) pieces of paper doll clothing.

Questions? Comments? Leave me a comment and I’ll reply as soon as I can.