I threw this together on Saturday when I realized I didn’t have a Marisole for Monday. It’s not my best work, but I do love the sleeves on the red dress. I’m working on my ruching (sp?) since I got some books on drawing fashion from the library. So, you can expect to see more of it as I practice. I’m also practicing shiny fabric. Neither has come easily as I thought it would.
I’m trying to stretch myself.
Part of that means trying to draw an actual male who looks like a male rather then like a rather unconvincing woman in drag. The upside is there might be a male paper doll someday. The downside is that that male paper doll might look like a woman in drag. We shall see.
Edit 3/28/2016: There is now a black and white version of this paper doll. Find it here.
Usually, I come up with a color scheme for a post and then work it into the costumes. There’s almost always something with a pattern which I can use multiple colors in. Addison (one of the Pixie paper dolls) and Marisole: Wings & Petals are both good examples of this principle at work. However, since there wasn’t any pattern on today’s Marisole and no ways I could imagine incorporating a coherent color scheme, I just sort of picked colors that reminded me of winter and went with them.
Winter always makes me happy, because I means I can break out my gray clothing and not feel guilty about it. Of all the neutral colors in the world, gray is my favorite. It has all the features I like about black, but it’s not black. It’s like a delightful lighter better black (which I rather suppose is the definition of gray).
Update 8/11/2014: This paper doll is now available in black and white for coloring. You can find her here.
Sometimes I don’t know what to say about a paper doll. I sort of started drawing Addison with the head- since each Pixie paper doll gets a new head, that’s often where I start- and I knew I wanted her to be a black paper doll with afro-puffs and big earrings. The paper doll’s wardrobe sort of evolved from there. The color palette for her clothing is distinctly fall and autumn oriented which seems fitting for this time of the year. I think it looks warm and cozy. Her striped shirt was confusing as far as which colors and in which order to put them in, but I think it turned out well, though I can’t shake the feeling I messed up the stripes of one of her sleeves.
I, obviously, got bored and ended up playing with her a little- you can see the results of my time wasting on the left with a dressed up version of this Addison paper doll.
I had a request from a regular commenter named Sara to do a Marisole as a black and white printable paper doll. I thought- Sure, I can do that. How hard can it be? I forgot what I learned from doing a Marisole post in two different color schemes (a gothic scheme and a pastel scheme) that it’s harder than you might think.
Still, I think the outcome is rather fun. I openly confess that I never thought of Marisole in black and white, but I think the paper doll is cute in that format. And it gives people a chance to color if they wish.
When I was working on it, I did think maybe I’d start regularly posting in both styles, but then I decided that was just too much work.
Today’s Marisole paper doll started as an attempt to a modern take on some fun Mod clothes and then kinda turned into just a bright citrus based series of Marisole clothing. This is the sort of clothing I would never wear, but would admire and be glad other people wore it.
After all, I can live vicariously through my paper dolls.
Normally, I try to be historical accurate as much as I can be. I think it’s important to research and think about things and try to cite my sources. (I am in library school, after all…) For this post though, I just wanted to draw some vaguely Medieval looking grab for Marisole after watching one to many episodes of the BBC show Cadfeal, which I confess I certain love of. So, these are research free costumes which I think is okay.
 Liana apparently dedicates the whole of October to research free costumes. I kinda like the idea, but I don’t think I could stick too it. I like my research,
So, speaking of research, I am doing my own little survey on what I should to for my Fashion Doll Fridays for the next year or so. More information about the poll to create a new Fashion Doll for Fridays can be found on the last Florence post I did. The poll will be open until November 1st. I’ll have the polls on the posts for the rest of the week and then it’ll live in the sidebar for anyone who hasn’t voted.
So, I don’t usually play with my paper dolls. I mean, I spend so much time drawing them and coloring them that I don’t often actually play with them. But I have this thing for the red boots in this printable paper doll. I saw them at a shoe store last winter and I wanted them. Of course, I have no idea what I would do with thigh high red patent leather boots except stare at them in awe and then put on my simple pumps. I wanted them anyway. So when I drew them for Marisole, I knew I wanted to see them on the paper doll and then… well…. things just sort of spiraled from there. It was kinda fun though.
And of course, I had to share my hard work… Marisole’s hair style comes from my own salon experience. I went to get my own hair cut and spent a while pouring through hair style magazines. I sort of love these hard, sharp spiky bobs that I could never wear in my own hair, but think look really cool.
On a totally unrelated note, I collect links to other paper doll blogs, always with the best of intentions. I tell myself I’m going to write a post about them and then I forget or get busy or have to go grocery shopping or stab myself in the arm with my pen and it never happens. I feel bad about this. Life is full of good intentions, I suppose. It’s just that when I find a new paper doll blog I want to do more then just add it to my links page. I want to actually say something about it. So, I’m going to cover a few paper doll centered blogs over this week.
A.R.T. Taylor’s Paper Doll Blog is a neat, fairly young blog. The paper dolls are very stylized and full color and is worth checking out when a few spare moments can be stolen from the chaos of life. On that pretentious statement, I think I’ll call it a night.
As sometimes happens, I can’t think of anything to really say about this paper doll. It’s the second page of the Jessica set and there will be one more. I’m fond of the teal dress, because I still like the bodice. Many of the pieces came directly from fashion magazines- the blue dress is one case- but some don’t and I think over all that weakens the paper doll. I wish I’d done either everything high fashion or kept it all more casual.
I’d like to say that when I draw things like these, it’s that I actually think wearing them in public would be a good idea unless, you know, you wanted to look like the head of a stud obsessed biker gang or possibly performance art. Still, I think they look cool. I tend to think if I wore them in public I would be asked nicely to go, you know, put on a real shirt.
But I’m perfectly willing to acknowledge guilty pleasure watching of shows like Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and the fact that it creates paper dolls. I mean, drawing paper dolls is a geeky enough hobby without worrying about to much other geekdom coming through.
Quick Announcement: As sometimes happens, real life is going to get in the way of my paper dolling. I try to make these announcements a head of time, rather then just disappearing for a few days. I only kinda succeeded at that this time. PTP will be on break until the 4th of April. Hopefully, not longer then that. See you all then. – Rachel 3/29/2010
So, sometimes I don’t know what to draw. On these occasions, I usually poll friends looking for ideas. In one night, I might get suggests ranging from “ballerina” to “mad scientist” or “snow day”. Obviously, I decided to go with the “snow day” suggestion and I was told that I “had” to add a snowball and a snowman, so Marisole gets her snowman and her snowball.
When I was a child, my favorite paper dolls had accessories. I don’t think I’m that good at drawing things other then people to do a lot of accessories, but even I can draw a snowball. I’d like to someday draw other accessories for Marisole. I think she needs a pet, but I can’t decide what kinda pet and drawing animals isn’t my gift. We’ll see.
Edit 1/6/2014: Get a colorable version of this paper doll to print here.
I’d love to claim credit for these paper doll clothing designs, but most of them come from the store window of a clothing shop I walk past fairly often. Granted, I don’t dress like this (my look has been described as “little old man” with a dash of “sexy librarian”), but I do think some of the things in style right now are cute.
Not leggings. I can take or leave leggings, but I like the little fluffy skirts and the tunic tops.
Also, sweater vests. I do love me my sweater vests.
Yeah, maybe I do dress a bit like a little old man. I’m pretty much okay with that, really.
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