black hair

DDJ: A Renaissance Fantasy Princess Printable & Her Gowns

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Maybe because I saw Ever After at a young age, but I have a deep affection for Italian Renaissance inspired gowns and these are a few of them. Fantasy paper dolls rival historical paper dolls as some of my favorites to draw. This set of printable fantasy paper dolls is from my Dolls Du Jour series, lovingly known as DDJ. Named by a Patron (thank you!) these paper dolls are part of my goal to make some more curvy paper doll ladies. Each doll is named after a time or day, so this is Twilight.

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Opal in Sea and Sky Queen

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While I am not an anime fan myself, I watch it occasionally with my partner. I’m always intrigued by the beautiful gowns worn in these shows. Often vaguely called, “ancient Chinese empresses” costumes, today’s paper doll gowns are mostly inspired by fantasy dresses on Pinterest like this one and this one. Personally, I don’t know my Chinese dynasty clothing well enough to really begin go try to pin down the source silhouette.

Opal’s beautiful up-do comes from the depths of my brain and doesn’t have much in the way of historical/cultural sourcing. I just like drawing absurd up-dos, as you have probably already figured out by now.

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Ninja Paper Doll for the End of 2020!

It’s the end of year and I am happy to wrap up with this little cute ninja warrior. You might be wondering- why a ninja paper doll? There’s nothing winter thematic about a ninja?

And you are right! There isn’t.

However, I have a new logo which I love (see top of the site) and I want to start putting it on all of my printables and that means some reformatting. So, rather than try to make something wintery to end out 2020, I decided to use my last finished piece and then have a clean slate for 2021.

Hence the ninja paper doll, who has been sitting quietly in my “to be posted” folder for longer than I like to admit. Poor Diamond deserves better than that, but these things happen.

A ninja paper doll coloring page with six mix and match pieces to print and color. Her accessories include a sword, throwing stars and some other fantasy weapons.

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I originally planned to do this a very traditional ninja set with lots and lots of black, but in the end, I concluded that it was sort of boring. So, I guess my ninja is just really into the color blue. I don’t see why ninjas have to wear just black. The origins of which I think have to do with Noh theater, but I’m not 100% positive. If you know, feel free to correct me in the comments.

A ninja paper doll with mix and match pieces, weapons and fun style. Great indoor play for kids!

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As 2020 comes to an end (and thanks goodness for that), I am so pleased to say I will be taking a few days off to rest and recoup. Patreon will be on pause during January (no content, but no one is being charged either, a feature I love of Patreon), but feel free to join us to check out the wrap up for the 365 Day Project!

Okay, it was 366 days, because when I named it I forgot that 2020 was a leap year.

Also, it will be available as one huge download on Etsy once I get it all combined. It’s um… pretty large.

My big new project for 2021 is an email newsletter. I am so excited! Sign up here if you’d like to or read more about it, if you’d like. There will be a paper doll coloring page in every issue and links to neat stuff and ramblings from me.

Flowers and Showers: A Colorful Paper Doll Fashionista

Spring showers bring summer flowers, or something like that. It might be snowing out, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like my summery floral fashionista paper doll options. Jade has a glorious garden inspired wardrobe of both older pieces and a few new ones for added fun. The dress is new, for example and I am super in love with it.

A fashionista paper doll coloring page featuring a curvy black doll and her wardrobe of floral inspired fashions.

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I first created this version of Jade to go with a formal gown, but I decided to separate her from her evening gown and pair her with a more casual wardrobe for a bit of mix and match fun. I am super happy with how her hair came out. There’s nine pieces here with make over 20 different combinations which isn’t bad for one paper doll.

A fashionista paper doll featuring a curvy black doll and her wardrobe of floral inspired fashions.

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It might be snowing outside, but I could use some summery thoughts. So, the color scheme for this paper doll embraces all the colors the world isn’t currently experiencing up here in Alaska. No snowy shades for our fashionista paper doll.

The problem with where I live is not that it snows. It is that is snows and then never melts until like March. That’s the problem.

A few of this paper dolls pieces were Patron pieces last year. Joins us over there for even more fun paper doll content each week.

A Lady Knight and her Fantastic Armor to Print

Many years ago, I met a 3 year old girl who was super into knights. Ever since then, I’ve thought a lot about the importance of lady knight paper dolls. Don’t get me wrong- I will never abandon princesses, but knights are important, too! Two different sets combined here, along with additional armor pieces have been added. The first was Diamond and her Armor from April and the other was this set of armor from May.

I also drew several new pieces to complete this knight paper toy set. Paper toys is my non-gendered way of describing paper dolls, because somehow people don’t look at me so weird when I say I am into paper toys rather than paper dolls.

(I actually have a whole theory about this involving gendered toys, but I’ll spare you all.)

A lovely paper doll knight and her paper wardrobe to color and print.

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I confess that when I design armor I do spend a bit of time on my Pinterest Fantasy Armor board, but I also grant that I am not super knowledgeable about full-plate armor designs/functionality. It’s just not a topic that has ever really been enchanting to me the way historical clothing is. (Sorry historical armor fans.)

So, mostly I try to just design things that look like they could be realistic and not worry too much about actual practicality/functionality.

A paper knight and her paper wardrobe to print and play with. Scree free paper toy for kids of all ages.

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Color schemes for armor are a little challenging. Mostly, I am making things grey or goldish. However, I do like to pick a few accent colors to make things a little more interesting. In the case of this set, I was thinking about winter (which is pretty much here in Alaska) so I chose a soft blue and soft purple. Neon yellow just doesn’t feel knight like to me.

Don’t forget there’s even more paper doll content over on Patreon, starting with extra Friday content. Who doesn’t want a little Friday pick me up?

A link to the exclusive Friday paper doll content on Patreon

1950s Dresses with Sapphire

If I had to pick one period of fashion that I think I would look pretty good in it would be the 1950s. In the real world, I might be a strictly hoodies and jeans sort of girl, but if I do dress up, the the 1950s tight waist, full skirt, is my go-to silhouette.

Also, historical paper dolls are what I mostly collect and were my favorites as a child. So, it is a win-win all around for me. I did this series last year for the larger scale Jewels and Gemstones. It was fun to put them together as a set. I have even more 1950s stuff, so there will be another set of these.

Let’s talk some sources. Her dresses are Vogue 8596, Simplicity 3572 and Simplicity 4966. Two of the hats are from the Montgomery Ward Spring Summer 1950.. All of the other Accessory inspirations are from the Met including- this purse, these shoes, this hat, and these shoes. Her underwear is this corset from the V&A. 

A 1950s black fashion paper doll to color with retro dresses and underwear. She has three dresses, three hats and two pairs of shoes.

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For Sapphire’s hair, I based her style off the hair styles worn by Dorothy Dandridge and Leana Horne two black stars from the 1950s. These photos of Lena Horne and Dorothy Dandridge (Here’s the same hair again on Dorothy Dandridge in 1954) were my inspiration.

They were also super interesting people. Dorothy Dandridge was an actress who was the first African-American woman to on the cover of Life magazine. She died quite young, sadly. Lena Horne was a wildly successful singer. She got blacklisted after being accused of being a communist.

A 1950s black fashion paper doll to print with vintage dresses and underwear. She has three dresses, three hats and two pairs of shoes.

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I tend to love the color red. However, for this set, I chose to try to avoid using it, even though I tend to always want to. Her only red is the lipstick. I love the idea of wearing hats, even though I don’t. So, the hats as universal as possible, so I matched them to shoes.

The show Lovecraft Country made me want to finish this set. The character Ruby has the most amazing outfits. I love seeing a curvy, black woman dressed up in the finest 1950s fashion. The actress Wunmi Mosaku does an amazing job with the character and I love the costuming choices like this dress and this dress. Seriously, I want her all clothes.

I don’t know if I’d universally recommend Lovecraft Country, because it is a horror show and there’s some pretty graphic violence. I like it, but I know it won’t be everyone’s taste. Plus, it is uneven- hits well when it hits, but when it doesn’t… (much like Lovecraft’s writing) it’s a little painful. There’s also some transphobic stuff which I found pretty troubling. I think the show has good and bad things about it.

I digress. Enjoy today’s paper doll and if you love the blog (and want more paper dolls) join us over on Patreon.

1890s Dress Up Time with Pearl

I couldn’t be more excited to share my second Jewels and Gemstones paper doll to have some 1890s dress up fun. A few weeks ago, I share Lapis with her At Home and bicycle outfits. Today, we have Pearl with her walking suit and tea gown. These paper dolls can, of course, share outfits.

While I was researching this era, I kept seeing floral patterned corsets. So, those inspired me. This pale blue one from the Chicago History Museum and this black one from Augusta Auctions. Drawers that inspired the paper doll’s underwear include this set, this set, and this combination set. All shoes come from Harpers Bazaar, but not from an online source. I used one of my fashion plate reprint books.

An 1890s dress up paper doll coloring page with two historical dresses, period underwear, hats and shoes. Fun way to learn about clothing history!

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Promenade or Walking costume from the Delineator from 1894. The actual illustration is here. One thing you see a lot of in the 1890s are tailored suits for women and I am a sucker for a good looking cut away coat. So, that was clearly my favorite.

The tea gown is also from 1894. The dress comes, again, from this plate in the Delineator. Teagowns might look super soft and comfortable, but that’s a lie! They were heavily boned, meaning they weren’t as relaxed as they appear.

An 1890s dress up paper doll in color. She has two historical dresses, period underwear, hats and shoes. Fun way to learn about clothing history!

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The color scheme is more pastel than I used for my Lapis 1890s dress up doll. At first, I was going more sedate with the colors. Then, to my surprise, something about the pale blue corset inspired the spring colors. Now that the paper doll is all colored, I keep thinking of Easter cards. Wrong time of the year, but I’ve never let that stop me before.

I really do recommend looking through Delineator Magazine if you have any fondness for historical fashion. It is a fun read.

Huge shout out to my Patrons, because they chose this era! And because I had a lot more fun illustrating the huge sleeve madness of the mid-1890s than I thought I would. Almost makes me want to draw the 1830s, another era of big-sleeve madness (also hair madness- 1830s hair was bananas.)

Evening Gowns for Paper Dolls with Diamond

There’s something super relaxing for me in drawing evening gowns for paper dolls. I don’t know if I like it so much because it’s one piece garments or if I just like drawing clothing I am never going to need to wear.

I do not live a lifestyle that makes sense to wear evening gowns very much.

A printable paper doll coloring page with three gowns and two pairs of shoes.

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I really went back and forth about color schemes. I actually did two different color schemes. You can see the other one on my Patreon page. It’s open to everyone, so you don’t need to be a patron to download it. It’s a more light pastel color scheme.

However, maybe because my Spring Evening Gowns set, I thought some more rich colors would be fun. This set feels winter to me, though I don’t really know why. It’s not like these gowns look very warm.

A colorful paper doll page with an elegant Asian lady and her three fantastic evening gowns.

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The dress on the far left comes from Gabriela Hearst Spring/Summer 2019 Ready-To-Wear collection and the dress on the far right is from Christian Siriano Spring 2019 Ready-to-Wear Fashion Show. However the dress in the middle is my own design. You can see a lot more of my evening gown inspiration on my Pinterst Board.

Remember you can hop over to my Patreon to grab the other color scheme. And if you want, consider becoming a patron.

Summer of the 1970s: A Fashion Paper Doll to Print

My patrons over on Patreon voted for what time periods I should draw. The 1970s was one of three winners with the 1890s and Tudor. So, today I’m sharing my second 1970s paper doll.

So much of the 1970s feels super current. It’s tiny details that define it. As I was researching this period, I was attracted to summery casual clothing. I kept thinking about those 1960s surfer movies. Wrong decade, but the human mind is strange.

In the 1970s, there’s a long flat ironed sort of look (think Cher). It felt appropriately casual for the summer. I kept it a bit shorter than I could have, but super long hair causes problems for paper dolls. Someday I should write a whole rant about the complexities of paper doll hair, but I’ll spare you.

A black and white printable 1970s paper doll with 12 different mix and match pieces. A fun coloring page for vintage fashion folks.

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Most of my inspiration came from sewing patterns, as I often do for things from the last 50 years. Simplicity 7479, McCall’s 5539, Simplicity 5413, McCall’s 5084, McCall’s 4920, and Simplicity 5633 were a few of the sewing patterns that inspired me. Her swimsuit comes from Style 1930 from 1977. There’s another swim suit at the Met from 1971 which is the same style. Her purse was from 1975 and also the Met. I forgot to put the date next to it when I was dating everything.

The pattern covers also inspired the colors in today’s 1970s paper doll. I picked white as my primary neutral, because I liked the summery feel. These colors are also mix and match with some of the colors in my 1970s Sapphire paper doll. When it comes to make up, the 1970s was super into really neutral lips and very little color. So, I tried to capture that look with Opal’s face.

A color printable 1970s paper doll with 12 different mix and match pieces. A fun way to teach kids about fashion history or for vintage fashion folks.

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I’ll openly confess I always forget how popular crop-tops were in the 1970s. Crop-tops go all the way back to the 1940s, but come in and out of fashion as the decades go by. I was a child of the 1990s, so I recall those looks with a mixture of sighs and nostalgia. Crop-tops have returned, but fortunately, really low hip-huggers haven’t. It’s a much more flattering look.

Hip-huggers have their origins in the 1970s. The rise on those pants is much higher than we’d associate with same style from the 1990s or today. Opal’s white pants and her shorts are both in the hip-hugger genre.

By the way, all of Opal’s clothing can fit my 1970s Sapphire paper doll as well. So, if you would like to give Opal here a more office look or take Sapphire to the beach, you have that option. Truthfully, all the dolls can wear the clothing. Opal’s swimsuit might show under some of the other clothing out there.

If you’d like to vote on my future paper doll endeavors, head over to Patreon and join us!

Fashionable Lady Of The Regency: Paper Doll To Print

Some of you may recall that in 2019, I posted a Regency Fashion Week. I’ve taken some of those pieces and reformatted them into a paper doll with Regency dresses. I specifically chose pieces from the 1810s as a starting place. I am always conflicted about calling this era Regency. The styles we think of as “Regency” stretch from about 1805 through about 1825 when the waist line begins to drop. It lowers steadily through the 1820s before settling at the natural waist around 1828 or so. The actual period is 1811 to 1820, only about 19 years.

 A Quick Primer on Regency Fashion is a nice overview of the era, I think.

A beautiful paper doll with regency dresses to print and play with. This fun coloring page has one doll and six different clothing pieces.

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Now let’s talk clothing! There’s a myth that in the early 19th century women didn’t wear corsets/stays. This is not true. Women totally wore corsets/stays, but since the styles were changing rapidly, there wasn’t a single silhouette. No woman with actual curves wants to not wear some sort of bust support. It is true corsets weren’t boned as heavily as they would be in later decades. This pair from the Met 1811 and this fashion plate from 1813 are the sources for her stays/corset/whatever you call it. Under that, she wears a shift like this Shift from the MFA.

Shoes at the Met like this pair and this pair inspired her shoes. These boots from the London Museum inspired her walking boots. Her two dress come from the late 1810s. This Dress from 1818 inspired the evening gown and the walking dress is based on this Dress from an 1817 fashion plate at the London Museum. The bonnet is from the same fashion plate.

A beautiful colorful paper doll with regency dresses to print and play with.

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The original color scheme came from specific items that inspired the paper doll outfit. Turkey red was a very popular color in this early era. Another popular color was cerulean blue, which was a very unstable color that tinted towards green. More about regency colors on this website.

Anyway, one of my personal missions has always been to draw historical clothing for paper dolls (because I love it) and especially for models that aren’t white (because it bothers me that history tends to be depicted as all white people until 1950). I think we’re getting better about this, but there’s still a long way to go.

Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy today’s paper doll with Regency dresses. There’s more where this came from, but I haven’t yet decided how to put those outfits together into a set.