18th century inspired

Briars and Blooms: An 18th-century Inspired Paper Doll in the Garden

An 18th-century inspired paper doll download featuring an original illustrated female doll with interchangeable historical-inspired dresses, floral corsetry, layered skirts, accessories, and gardening motifs from the Briars & Blooms Ensemble Eclectica collection.
Black and white 18th-century inspired paper doll download designed for coloring, with whimsical fantasy charm, interchangeable summer dresses, and floral accessories. Perfect for creative play and imaginative crafting. Titled Briars & Blooms: Ensemble Eclectica collection.

Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Paper Dolls from the Ensemble Eclectica Series

For this fantasy 18th-century inspired paper doll download, I’ve been dipping my toes into 18th-century fashion, drawing inspiration from structured stays, flowing overskirts, folkloric motifs, and romance of gardening. I really wanted to include a watering can. Little details like that help ground the fantasy and give the paper doll a sense of theme with her seed packets and her gardening journal. As a child, I had a Madame Alexander 2002 catalog and I remember falling in love with the Cissy Pompadour doll and well, my love of roccoco 18th century gardening was born.

When I first sketched this idea, it was the height of summer. Now it’s –30 outside and any real-world gardening is firmly on hold, but this little historical fantasy exists in its own warm season, blissfully unaware of the cold.

After finishing all the inking, I dove into the coloring phase, which turned out to be both a challenge and a delight. I spent some time wrestling with the palette, At first, some of the base tones felt out of sync, making the overall look a bit clashy rather than cohesive.

What finally unlocked it was a simple but reliable trick: laying down a very nearly transparent wash, just a hint of grey, brown, or blue, over the whole piece. That helps pull disparate colors into the same tonal family, softening harsh contrasts and giving everything a shared atmosphere. It’s an old trick and it works well.

One of my favorite details to work on was the paper doll’s absurd 18th-century inspired hair, which became especially satisfying to refine once the colors were working together instead of fighting each other. Her hair color changed about six times, but in the end I though a soft honey blond was a contrast to the very bright color scheme.

If you enjoy printable paper dolls inspired by historical fashion and garden fantasy, you may also like exploring my other 18th-century inspired paper doll download options, including designs that focus on period underpinnings, layered dresses, and seasonal themes. I love revisiting historical silhouettes through fantasy designs inspired by the era, but I’ve also done some historical 18th century sets as well. Please don’t ask me to pick a favorite, I know I couldn’t.

I shared some of the messy middle stages of this printable paper doll over on Patreon for my Patrons, including sketches, color experiments, and behind-the-scenes process images. If you enjoy seeing how these historical fantasy paper dolls come together, you can check that out here. One of my goals for 2026 is to share more of my WIP for my Patrons.

Bianca Boo’s Frightful Frocks: Ghost

Printable Halloween ghost paper doll outfit titled “Bianca Boo’s Frightful Frocks: Ghost.” The design features a pale lavender and white 18th-century–inspired dress with a deconstructed hoop skirt splattered with red blood, striped stockings, and matching shoes. A separate curled wig with a piece labeled “Floating back for wig” sits above the outfit. Decorative spiderweb borders frame the page, with the poem: “Beneath the moon’s silver light, Bianca Boo floats out tonight. Her tears fall where love has bled, A bloody ghost among the dead.” The text “Happy Halloween 2025” appears on the right side.
Printable Halloween ghost paper doll outfit titled “Bianca Boo’s Frightful Frocks: Ghost.” The design features a pale lavender and white 18th-century–inspired dress with a deconstructed hoop skirt, striped stockings, and matching shoes. A separate curled wig with a piece labeled “Floating back for wig” sits above the outfit. Decorative spiderweb borders frame the page, with the poem: “Beneath the moon’s silver light, Bianca Boo floats out tonight. Her tears fall where love has bled, A silent ghost among the dead.” The text “Happy Halloween 2025” appears on the right side.

Download Page 7: Bianca Boo Bloody Ghost | Download Page 7: Bianca Boo Ghost | The Bianca Boo Collection

Today’s costume for Bianca Boo’s Frightful Frocks is a Halloween ghost outfit! It’s inspired by 18th-century rococo style and my love of deconstructed hoop skirts (even if it’s not exactly historically accurate). I made two versions. There’s one with blood splatter and one without. The splatter version was really just an excuse to finally use my ink splatter brushes in Procreate, and honestly, I love it. But I also know not everyone wants to hand their kiddo a blood-splattered dress, so there’s a “cute” version for those who prefer their Halloween less creepy.

Speaking of ghosts: Occasionally, I think this blog might be haunted. My server’s been acting up for days. It’s nothing major, just those annoying little downtimes that fix themselves if I wait long enough.

Anyway, here’s a poem, as usual for my Halloween ghost paper doll, two versions for the two dresses:

Beneath the moon’s silver light,
Bianca Boo floats out tonight,
Her tears fall where love has bled,
A bloody ghost among the dead.

—or—

Beneath the moon’s silver light,
Bianca Boo floats out tonight,
Her tears fall where love has bled,
A silent ghost among the dead.

The idea behind this one was more costume than literal ghost. Transparent people just aren’t that exciting to draw. I’m usually a “creepy but not gory” Halloween person, so the blood surprised even me, but once I did it, I thought, “Huh, maybe I should splatter more things with blood.”

When Julie and I started this project, she suggested reasonable black and white designs, and I was like, “Nope! Full color, patterns, shadows. The works!”

(She was right, by the way. This was way more work than I anticipated when I schemed it up.)

At the time, I wanted to push myself creatively, focus on painting, and not worry about the usual mix-and-match practicality. Normally, I design paper dolls that can swap clothes endlessly (because representation and flexibility matter!), but for this project, it was just seven dresses, one doll. Totally manageable—and honestly, a breath of fresh air. I don’t regret the decision to go full color and try my hand at digital painting, but I admit I might not be doing it again for a while.

Paper dolls have always felt a little like theater to me. Change the costume, change the character. Funny story: when I named Paper Thin Personas, I discovered that the “correct” plural of persona is personae, but in theater, cast lists are often titled Personas. I loved that. So, each paper doll is a performer, and every outfit is a new role to play. Super fun! And in this case, the transformation is into a Halloween ghost!

Oh—and don’t miss Julie’s ghost! Hers is totally 1980s-inspired and so much fun.

If you’re enjoying Bianca Boo’s Frightful Frocks, consider supporting me on Patreon and leave a comment. The full set will be available to download soon. I need to catch my breath.

Celestial Fashionista: A Fantasy Astronomer Paper Doll

A paper doll coloring page with braided hair, wearing corsets and bodices. The set includes two gowns, a pair of boots, an armillary sphere, books, and notepaper.
A red-brown skinned paper doll with braided hair, wearing corsets and bodices. The set includes two gowns, a pair of boots, an armillary sphere, books, and notepaper.

Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Paper Dolls from the Ensemble Eclectica Series

Today’s paper doll is a fantasy scientist I think. Some sort of astrologer or astronomer paper doll perhaps? I’ll leave that up to others to decide.

Netflix did a version of Cinderella back in 2021 and honestly, it was not a film I enjoyed very much. The attempt to modernize the story fell a bit flat. The costumes were cool and I love a musical, but I didn’t actually think it was a very good movie. The film’s excessive close-ups and awkward staging make it feel less like a true musical and more like a disjointed movie where people randomly burst into song. It was a jukebox musical, but not one that worked very well. I thought Pierce Brosnan was quite funny as the king and Camila Cabello was charming enough as the lead.

Even though nothing will ever replace the 1997 Brandy version of Cinderella in my heart, I did find some of the costume designs in the Netflix version interesting. I created this printable paper doll inspired by those looks—specifically the main outfit Cinderella wears for most of the movie which is a heavily boned set of stays over a skit with a wrap belt of some sort.

After designing the two dresses, I started thinking about the character behind them. There was something practical about the costumes that made me imagine this astronomer paper doll. That’s when the idea to draw the armillary sphere came in, and the concept evolved from there. The color palette was inspired by what I think of as “galactic” colors. Not colors I tend to use that much, I don’t think.

This photo from Pinterest inspired her hair. I added some dramatic earrings.

This month has absolutely flown by. It’s been one of those stretches where I keep thinking “I’ll do that when I have a moment” but those moments are in short supply lately. I’ve been teaching, attending a historical conference, catching up after August travel, and taking a class.

I have been scheming on a October project, so that might be happening. We shall see!

Snowflake Sophistication: Winter Princess Paper Doll

A winter princess paper doll coloring page with two dresses and accessories.
A winter princess paper doll with two dresses and accessories.

Download Black and White PDF | Download Color PDF | More Paper Dolls from the Ensemble Eclectica Series

When I think of a winter princess paper doll, I think of elegance, but also quiet and soft colors. I like winter and I love bright colors, but this time of year where I live, everything feels muted. The mountains in the distance look pale blue and white and they seem to melt into the sky.

So, when designed a winter princess paper doll, I went for blues and soft purples and lots of layers.

I was inspired by this Winter Princess Dress from 2018. In my little paper doll world, “big gown” is my mental short hand for these 1860s inspired gowns that have bit skirts with lots of fancy layers. I realize that these gowns don’t have to be for princesses, but I watched a lot of Disney at an impressionable age and therefore I will always associate princesses with these big gowns.

In my head today’s winter princess gowns are the sort of thing a fairy tale princess might wear while wandering through a snow covered landscape. Possibly to meet a prince or possibly just because, she felt like it. Princes need not always be involved. 

In fact, princes never really were involved in my princess games as a child. They were not needed. Princess could do everything they needed to do.

So, I will admit that I had to get pretty close to the edge to fit on these big skirted princess dresses, but since the images I made had a .5 inch border, they should still print just fine onto letter sized paper. I would strongly recommend adding floating tabs to the backs of these skirts to help hold them to the doll.

What do you think? Do you love winter?

Witchtober Continues: 18th Century & Winter

Download the 18th Century Page PDF to Print | Download the Winter Page PDF to Print | The Rest of This Project

If there was one thing I knew from the beginning of this whole Witchtober adventure, it was that my 18th century gown was going to be big. When Julie and I picked out our 8 themes from this list by Juan Joltaire of witch themes, I immediately loved the idea of an 18th century witch.

First off, it has been a while since I drew anything 18th century inspired. Secondly, my love of giant paper doll dresses is well documented on this blog. And is there a better century for giant paper doll dresses than the 18th century? I think not.

For me, nothing in Western Fashion can beat the 18th century for pure over the top glorious absurdity in dresses like this one or this one. There will forever be a soft place in my heart for eras when things are just more is more and that is where the 18th century lives (also, the 1830s, because what even is this?).

Once I decided I was going to go big on the 18th century design, I had a technical problem. I knew that dress was going to fill the whole page. So, when it came time to design the Winter costume, which was the other theme for this week, I knew I needed to at least try to make something that could hold its own against the 18th century spider-queen delight I’d just drawn. After all, a little shift dress was not going to stand up.

So, I went with a sort of coat/top-thing with a bit of a train. For my Winter costume, I wanted something that would feel actually warm, but also I realized none of my outfits were trousers. Since that seemed a pity, I decided at least one of them should get trousers. There’s a little 1890s/1900s in this one with those sleeves and the cut of the bodice. Boots and a fur trimmed hat complete the outfit.

You can, of course, check out Julie’s takes on these two themes over on her blog. They’re great! I especially like like the hat to go with the 18th century gown.

Princess Opal: Paper Dolls and Dresses

In my head, not always a logical space, I tend to organize princess paper dolls and dresses into categories. There are the medieval looks, the renaissance looks and then these- big skirted looks. If anything, I suppose a nod to the 1860s and 1700s, but really… not much when you come down to it. I have a whole Pinterest Board I keep devoted to these big skirted dresses.

There are two dresses here today- a Spring dress and a Winter dress. Clearly, I’ve been influenced by the current weather in Alaska, which is finally spring! It’s so beautiful. Most of the snow is gone and there’s grass. It’s not green, yet, but it will be.

Also, there’s a lot of birch pollen and my allergies are going nuts. I digress. Let’s get back to paper dolls and dresses.

Black and white paper dolls and dresses to color and cut out. A princess with fantasy gowns.

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

To keep all these gowns feeling consistent, I kept the same color scheme. That makes all the gowns feel like they go together and come from the same sort of universe. A universe where people don’t have to go through doorways often.

Eventually, I will resize the rest Jewels and Gemstones 1.0 Princess Trousseau and pair those with their own princess with absurd hair. After that, there can be a whole collection of paper dolls and dresses with big skirts and fancy hair. All of them will qualify as impractical self-isolation costumes, let me tell you.

Paper dolls and dresses in full color. A princess with fantasy gowns.

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

A few final thoughts- the current landscape up here inspired the colors of the Spring Dress- yellows and oranges with just a few hints of early spring green. The accessories here are books, because… well, everyone likes books don’t they? And I do tend to draw a lot of books for paper dolls.

I’m a librarian. What can you expect?

I hope everyone is staying safe and sane at the moment. Let me know what you think of today’s paper doll gowns in the comments. I love hearing from you all.