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.
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.
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.
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.
I was inspired by Julie over at Paper Doll School who wrote a really nice post about her 2019 year and I thought, I should do that. I like the idea of doing that.
My most commented on paper doll of 2019 was Lapis in her cybergoth glory.
So, here I am, doing that very thing!
Blog Numbers
93 Paper Dolls were shared on the blog in 2019, which isn’t bad all things considered. Of those 93 paper dolls, 31 were dolls and 62 were clothing posts. The vast majority were Jewels and Gemstones, as I basically abandoned the 2019 Collaborative Paper Doll along the way. More on that in a few paragraphs.
I had an average of 3563 users per month. There’s some difference between the months were I was posting a lot and the months were I was posting less, but not as dramatic of a drop off as I would have anticipated. I need to think about what this means in the long run.
My most commented on post was my Lapis, cybergoth experiment. Beyond that, comments were way down this year on posts in general. I’m not sure what that means, exactly, but I definitely noticed the decrease. I think blogs are just not as strong of a medium as they once were, though I have no intention of giving this one up.
One thing I think is important to remember when I look at my blog stats is that all of my paper dolls are what is known as “evergreen” content. They don’t really go out of date, so this means that the longer a post is on the blog, then it has an advantage over new posts for being popular. I also think its interesting that a lot of my black and white paper dolls are more popular, over the long term, than my color ones.
Remarkably, I didn’t end this year hating the Jewels and Gemstones series with a passion. In fact, I ended it wanting to keep drawing for them. After my less than happy feelings about Dames and Dandies by the end of 2018, I was really happy that I was still enjoying working on the series once 2019 wrapped.
I actually submitted something to the Original Paper Doll Artists Guild this year. This has been a goal for… I have no idea how long, so I am super happy that I finally got my act together enough to complete the project. I’ll share here in more detail soon- maybe next week.
While Patreon didn’t grow massively, I loved doing my Friday Patron Outfits and I finally feel like I’ve found something I can sustain for my patrons. So, I’m super happy about that.
Additionally, on a personal note, after about 18 months of intense job hunting (and a lot of interviews), I landed a position back in my home state of Alaska. That meant leaving Alabama and driving up to Alaska with my partner. The fact that the blog even managed to run during this last half of the year amazes me.
Things That Could Have Gone Better
Shall we talk about the 2019 Collaborative Paper Doll?
The 2019 Collaborative Paper Doll which I never finished.
First off, I have no one to blame on this one but myself. We decided on themes in 2018 and it’s not like I didn’t know what was up coming, but man I did not keep up this year. There were a lot of reasons for that, but mostly I just didn’t have time. At all.
Because of the disaster that was the collaborative paper doll in 2019, I don’t think I’ll be taking on one in 2020.
Additionally, I started a 100 day project, didn’t finish and told myself I would finish before the end of the year. However, my plans ran into a slight snag when… well… did you know that if you store a sketchbook in a dark navy cloth bag in a car and then drive to Alaska, things can happen. One of those thing is if there’s condensation and then… the dark blue ink will transfer onto the pages of the sketchbook?
I didn’t either, but I learned!
So, yeah, most of those drawing got pretty badly ruined in transit and I just didn’t have the heart to continue the project after that. A few were salvageable and will become product on Etsy in 2020.
Goals for 2020
Continue with the Jewels and Gemstones.
Work on my 365 (or should it be 366?) Paper Doll Project for my Patrons
Self Publish a Book/Other Print Product
Continue creating for the OPDAG magazine- Paper Doll Studio
One thing I am super excited to do in 2020 is get to share some of the Patreon Friday paper dolls I created in 2019. Not all of them, of course, but a few. My 2 dollar Friday Paper Doll Club folks got pretty close to 52 extra paper dolls (I did miss a week here or there with travel/moving/job interviews).
If you’d like to join the 2 dollar a month Friday Paper Doll Club it’s super easy. Just hop over to Patreon and sign up. The best part of signing up now is that you get access to all the paper doll outfits and dolls I created for 2019, which makes this an even better deal.
Inspiration for Today’s Printable Paper Doll
There’s a Japanese street fashion style called Qi Lolita. Lolita is a fantasy version of Victorian clothing. Qi Lolita is that same style crossed with traditional Chinese clothing. This dress provided both my source image and my color scheme, which is part of why I like it so much. It’s a very unusual color scheme for Lolita clothing and I really loved that about it. At least, I haven’t seen a lot in these colors, I might just not know the right brands to be looking at.
Last Thoughts on today’s Qi Lolita Paper Doll Dress
When I look back at a year of paper doll creations, there’s always one or two that I’m still pretty happy with. There’s also always one or two I’m sort of not sure about.
In deciding to offer a 2 dollar Friday Paper Doll Club to my patrons, I knew one perk would be that I would then recycle some of the content over the next year, allowing me to double the lifespan of some of my paper doll creations. So, I’m pretty happy to share today’s Qi Lolita paper doll dress and maybe entice a few of you to consider joining us over on Patreon.
This year I have decided to treat myself to a little winter vacation from the blog! Usually when I go on a hiatus it is because it’s an act of panic, but this year I decided to treat myself to a few weeks off.
I’ll see you all in January! I hope everyone has an amazing end to 2019 and takes good care of themselves. If you have holidays to celebrate, I hope you enjoy them.
PS: My Patrons (join us here!) will still be getting their paper dolls!
Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll Sleepwear is something I don’t seem to draw very much. I don’t know why, but it just doesn’t seem to happen. Both of these nightgowns could also be dresses, I suppose, if one was feeling super casual.
I specifically wanted to do a whimsical design on the pink nightgown to feel like something you might see as a novelty print.
Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll Well… night gowns? I mean… I don’t draw a lot of paper doll sleepwear, so I wanted to make those, plus I’ve been working on some paper doll sleepwear for my Etsy paper dolls.
Specific Source Images: Nothing particular today.
Learn/See More On the Blog: More Jewels & Gemstones paper dolls Around the Internet: Well, I tried to find a history of Novelty Prints and was totally unsuccessful, so nothing today…
Last Thoughts
I hope everyone is having a great December. I’m taking a little holiday break from the blog here from the 15th until January 2020. I’m off to visit family! Meanwhile, there’s plenty of paper dolls here to explore.
As winter comes, I have been thinking a lot about winter fantasy paper dolls. From my steampunk arctic explorer paper doll set to my fantasy princesses with dresses trimmed in fur, it seemed fitting to celebrate winter fantasy paper dolls through the blog’s long history.
I haven’t done any winter fantasy pieces this year yet, so I clearly need to get on that before the winter ends. On the other hand, I live in the interior of Alaska, so the winter tends to last a long time- it starts in October and goes until March/April.
Winter Fantasy Paper Dolls to Print
Stay warm everyone as the cold comes rolling in. Let me know what your favorite elements of the winter season are. Are you a hot chocolate person? Do you love to ski? Personally, I like the crisp cold air and getting to eat lots of warming soup.
Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll I usually describe these dresses as cocktail dresses, but I don’t think many people do cocktails anymore? I don’t, but then I don’t really drink. So, I’m not 100% sure that description still makes sense to anyone but me. As a result, I decided to just go with the description “party dress” and figured that would work for now. It’s not really a formal gown, but it’s fun and maybe a date-night option? For people with more formal lives than mine, I suppose.
My paper dolls all live much fancier lives than I do.
Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll I wanted to do a series of paper dolls with party dresses for the blog. I also realized it had been a long time since Sapphire got any love, so it was easy to combine the two instincts to this paper doll set of Sapphire and her cocktail dress.
Last Thoughts A big thank you to my Patreon supporters who are amazing and awesome.
Also, cocktail dresses. Is that a term anyone uses anymore? Am I just insanely old fashioned? I can live with it if the answer is, Yes, but I am curious.
Sideless surcoats look strange to me. They will probably always strike me as odd. Sometimes, I look a specific eras of fashion and I feel like- Well, isn’t that peculiar.
My personal favorite on the peculiar scale being the whole of the 1830s. I mean…. the giant sleeves, the strange Apollo-knot hair, the odd shoulder coverings/off the shoulder thing. It’s just so bananas to me. This 1830s fashion plate proves what I mean.
Wasn’t it Oscar Wilde who said that fashion was a form of ugliness so abhorrent that it had to be changed every six months? I could look that up, but that’s just more work than I feel like putting into it tonight.
Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll As I was amusing myself doing research into medieval surcoats for my 12th-14th century paper dolls, I kept doodling surcoats. I confess these very narrow surcoats seem odd to me, but they were the inspiration for today’s paper doll and did exist. Well, not like this, but there are real ones out there, or at least illustrations of something that could be one.
By the way, I do realize most people don’t paw around medieval manuscripts looking for surcoat illustrations for fun, but that’s their loss.
Last Thoughts As far as I can tell surcoats and surcotes are the same thing, just one with more pretentious spelling. However, I am open to being proved wrong if someone would like to enlighten me.
Since it’s nearly Thanksgiving here in the US, I wanted to take a moment to say how grateful I am to my Patrons and my readers. You all keep me going and I deeply appreciate you.
Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll I love 1950’s fashion. So, clearly I wanted to make a 1950s fashion paper doll. I think it is one of the most beautiful eras of women’s clothing and probably that’s because I have a very 1950s figure myself. I tend to look good in 1950s dresses. Besides that, I think it’s sort of the last era where there’s really an idea of dressing for an occasion. There’s very clear lines in what is “casual” and what is “formal” and where things can be worn.
While I very much don’t want to live in the 1950s (I like that I can’t be fired from my job for getting pregnant), I really do love the idea of having outfits for different activities. Maybe it’s because I never feel like I know what to wear to anything and would love it if it was more clear cut.
I chose Opal for the model, in part because I never saw non-white historical paper dolls as a child and I try to be more diverse, especially in my historical paper doll creations.
Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll Okay, let’s start with shoes, because I love shoes. The sources for these shoes were all from the Met except one pair. So, these shoes, these ones and these ones all come from there. The middle pair is the outlier and it comes from LACMA and these are the source image.
Now, let’s talk underwear. Our 1950s fashion paper doll, Opal, is wearing a girdle and strapless bra combination. In order to make sure she could share clothing with Sapphire from the 1950s, I matched the shapes of their underwear. Opal’s girdle is based on this 1950’s American one and her brassier is based on this 1950s French model, both from The Met.
Opal’s hair is a nod to Ava Gardner’s short hair style (she had a few) which you can see here and here. I’ll confess I don’t think it came out quite as I’d hoped it would.
Last Thoughts I wanted to collect up all the 1950s paper doll dresses I’ve created for the blog and put them together, so you can easily grab some clothing for poor Opal here whose just in her undergarments. If you’re a 2 dollar and up Patron, there’s two more- a suit and a day dress both from the 1950s.
1950s Fashion Paper Dolls for the Jewels & Gemstones
Do you like the 1950s? Let me know in a comment. It is one of my favorite eras. Do you have a favorite decade for 20th century fashion?
Thoughts on Today’s Paper Doll I’m a big sci-fi and fantasy fan. I always have been. Usually, I blame my mother for introducing me to Star Trek at a young age.
Part of what makes sci-fi films/tv-shows interesting is what they tell us about today and the aesthetics that form the future. Smarter people than me have written on that topic, I’m sure. I find I always notice the choices films set in the future make about what the future will look like. One of the thing Star Trek did well, especially the Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, was give each alien species a distinct aesthetic- Though they did occasionally go overboard with the shoulder pads.
This is actually the second part of a two part set. Part one was exclusive to my 2 dollar and up patrons, Futuristic Fashion 1 from early Octover.
Inspiration for Today’s Paper Doll A bigger influence than Star Trek on my futuristic clothing designs was The Fifth Element. With costumes by Jean Paul Gaultier, that movie has some of the most unique futuristic designs. Unlike the rainy grim world of Blade Runner or the smooth, pastel universe of Star Trek, there’s something so manically high energy about the whole thing. It remains one of the biggest influences on my futuristic clothing designs.
Last Thoughts Over on Patreon, my 2 dollar and up supporters get an extra paper doll outfit each Friday. A big thank you to them!
Is anyone else a sci-fi fan out there? I’m always looking for more recommendations, so if there’s something you’re enjoying on TV or in the movies, leave me a comment. My boyfriend is trying to get me to watch the Expanse, but I haven’t gotten into it yet. I know I’ll probably enjoy it once I get around to watching it.
Meanwhile, I’ve been watching the Watchman series on HBO. It is not kid friendly, but sort of fascinating. Mostly, I think it is a lesson in the fact that I haven’t read Watchman, the comic, in 20 years and apparently I didn’t remember it very well.
November is here! And I wanted to show off some of my autumn themed paper dolls from over the years. Up here in Alaska, it’s already below freezing and there’s snow, but I realize most of the rest of the country is still getting to enjoy autumn.
I’m trying to not be bitter about it.
Anyway, here’s 14 different paper dolls with autumn themed wardrobes or fantasy outfits from the site over the years. Malina was an early foray into short hair on paper dolls and Greta in Autumn reminds me I need to draw more paper dolls with glasses. Color, for me, is often what defines an autumn paper doll from a winter one, so you’ll see a lot of warm and jewel tones here.
Autumn Paper Dolls to Print
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