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Happy 2023! Big Announcement!
First off: Happy Martin Luther King Jr Day to those in the USA who are celebrating.
Random Fact: I started PTP in 2008 and I was 23. So, 14 years (nearly 15) later, I think it might be time for some changes.
The internet doesn’t look like it looked back in 2008 nor does my life.
So, as an experiment, I am going to move my focus to my newsletter this year (or until I decide I’ve made a terrible mistake, whichever happens first).
Sign up here or at the end of this post, if you’re not already a subscriber.
But what does that mean, you may reasonably be wondering. Well, keep reading.
Here’s the plan:
There will be on January newsletter next Friday, just to make sure everyone is on the same page and aware of all these changes. I may have newsletter folks who aren’t blog readers. No idea. Just trying to spread the word far and wide.
Anyway, the plan…
- The Newsletter will come out on Wednesday’s starting in February and will be weekly.
- Each issue will contain a paper doll, an outfit for that paper doll, and anything else I feel like tossing in.
- On the last Friday of the month, you can download the months worth of paper doll content formates for easy printing from the blog.
- In the first newsletter of the month, there will be a paper doll coloring page using the Newsletter doll I started last year, because I really do like drawing for that paper doll.
- Patrons will continue to get a Vivian paper doll each month, posted to the blog & some other fun stuff- more info to come for them.
You might be wondering: Which paper dolls will be featured in the newsletter?
Right now, I have been on obsessed with drawing for the 365 Day Paper Dolls as series I did way back in 2020 for Patreon and which has never graced the blog (though you can grab that whole project from Etsy here in black and white or in color or if you’re a Patron, grab them here).
So, February will be that series. It’s very cute. I can’t wait to share it. There’s a sneak peek above.
After that… I honestly have no idea. I have a Jewels and Gemstones Fairy set I sort of like that I’ve been dabbling in and I also have some Regency stuff and maybe… The point is I don’t know yet. That scares me a little (I tend to over plan), but I am trying to also let go and embrace a little more of the “not knowing” part of the process. I think my art has started to feel stagnant to me and that’s not a fun feeling. It’s time to stretch a little.
The last time I started a project like this with this little planning it was… well, I think it was this blog actually. And that worked out okay, so in the end- it’s ephemeral paper toys for children. The stakes are low, as Julie Matthews reminded me recently when I was panicked about something.
I’ve embedding a newsletter sign up form here for you, in case you aren’t already signed up!
I will never, of course, sell or share your email. And you can unsubscribe anytime!
Questions? Comments? Thoughts? Let me know!
Oh and before I forget- my patrons will get the first Vivian dress of 2023 (it’s super cute) this week! I promise I haven’t forgotten y’all and next week there will be the big 2022 Jewels and Gemstones round up, because I did reach my 100 Jewels and Gemstones sets goal and I want to show off.
Taking a Little Winter Break
Wishing you all the joy, peace, and love that this time of year can bring. Happy holidays!
I’m planning to take, as I often do, a little break going into January. How long?
Probably until the 15th or so.
And what will happen when I come back?
Probably my usual year end round up posts and then I’m not 100% sure. I have signed up for a digital art class and I am super excited to see what will happen and how that might impact the ways I make my paper dolls. So, I guess I want to leave open lots of space for experimentation and growth.
Meanwhile, have a wonderful holiday/wintertime with those you love!
Dolly And Her Dresses for December 2022
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Vivian’s Winter Visiting Dress for December 2022
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Ruby Dressing Up in the Mid-1950s
Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Jewels & Gemstones 2.0
I mentioned in my last 1950s printable paper doll about how important I thought it was to have some 1950s fashions for these paper dolls that include pants and Ruby is getting two pairs of them. She has what was known as a “playsuit”- basically, a romper. There’s something very infantilizing about the terms “playsuit” and “romper”, though I’m not sure I have the energy to really dive into how infantilizing the 1950s was towards women. I mean women couldn’t get mortgages on their own until the 1970s, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
I digress.
The point is that women wore pants in the 1950s and I wanted to illustrate some of those styles for this paper doll.
As usual, my references were mostly catalogs- Sears and Montgomery Ward. I went through do many catalog pages and I did not do the best job of documenting what I used. However, you can see the romper from 1954 here and the camisole and Bermuda shorts worn together from 1955 here. You can see some of the hats here from 1956 and one of the dresses here also from 1956.
As November wraps up, we are stumbling into December which is always a hit and miss month for me. I have an idea that I hope I’ll get finished. Then January will come which may be a month off, I’m still debating, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Hope everyone has been having a lovely end of Fall and beginning of winter (though given that it was -27 here yesterday, I think winter is already here in Alaska.)
Dolly and Her Dresses for November 2022
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Vivian’s November Ball Gown with Sunflowers for my Patrons
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WIP: Newsletter, 1950s & Dolly in the 1900s
Sometimes, I struggled to take a breath/break.
So, I decided to take a minute this week and highlight some things that are in-progress/in-process for the blog/newsletter/patrons. I like finishing things. I like seeing something and feeling like- yep, that’s done.
However, I do think it’s important to pause occasionally and consider the value of the process. The process has to be fun or why do it at all?
So, in this post, I am going to share some screen shots from a few of the paper dolls I worked on this weekend. None of them are done, all of them are in process, and I am 100% happy with that.
Dolly & Her Dresses
One of my patron exclusive projects has been these 19th century inspired antique doll paper dolls. These two dresses are both from the 1900s- a party dress and a sailor suit (which were super popular). I haven’t decided if I am going to continue these into 2023. I’m struggling to even think of 2023, because 2022 has been such a long year.
Still, I don’t want to face a cliff at the end of December, so I need to think clearly about what 2023 will hold.
1950s J&G Collection
I started this back when I was fill of vim and vigor and somehow decided to draw more for it than I really should have. It’s huge! There’s 5 dolls and at least 20 outfits and a dozen pairs of shoes. I haven’t even thought about how I’m going to break it up for layout or how I am going to actually color all of it. It was not the best planned out project I have ever undertaken which maybe why I am struggling to get momentum up on it- it feels overwhelming.
Anyway, steady progress has been made- tabs are being added, fits are being checked, linework is being cleaned up. Hopefully, it’ll all be done before 2023, though no promises on that front.
Newsletter Paper Dolls
I really love these dolls! I don’t know what it is about them, but they feel so easy to draw for. Probably because the pose is so very delightfully simple. I really have been enjoying these ones a lot. This is my take on some autumnal regencycore styles. The dress is, well, obvious, but the collar of the blouse is also super regency.
My big hope is to take a digital imaging class next semester from the Uni where I work and learn to do more of my work digitally. I love working on pen with paper, but I really want to up my coloring game and the long process of inking, scanning, fixing the inking leaves me a little drained these days. I need to streamline.
Plus, an my first formal art class in almost 20 years sounds like fun.
Which one of these are you excited for?
New Mermaid Paper Doll Collection on Etsy
I am super excited to announce that I finally fin-ished (pun intended) my big mermaid paper doll project that you might recall me mentioning way back in July and previewing as a WIP in August. You can pick it up on Etsy right now!
Sometimes, these projects take a lot longer than I think they will when they start, she said, side-eyeing the 1950s Jewels and Gemstones set that still isn’t done.
Anyway, at long last I am happy to announce that the Mermaids are up on Etsy and you can go grab them if you wish. There’s four dolls and over 60 mix and match pieces, including 11 different mermaid tails.
Anyway, it’s a big 7 page set (plus one page of stands and directions) and I couldn’t be happier with how it all came together. I’m particularly pleased with a few of the tails that were too big to easily fit on a horizontal layout page, but which look great with the vertical layout. Layout is not my strongest suit, but I feel like I’m getting better and learning a lot from examining Julie’s work for paper doll review with care.
In case you’re wondering- a lot of this content as not appeared on the blog before. One of the dolls is totally new! She’s actually maybe my favorite and it was really hard to resist showing her off before now.
Anyway, if you’d like to add the mermaids to your collection, go get them on Etsy.
Right now the set is only available as coloring pages, as I find that’s what sells best on Etsy. No idea why, but paper dolls in color just don’t seem to sell. If you’d like to see them in color, let me know! I’m curious.