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Marisole Monday Goes Cyberpunk with some Amazing Boots

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: The white dress in this Sprite set and the dress on the right

An african american paper doll with blond hair and a cyberpunk inspired dress with thigh high boots. She's part of the Marisole Monday paper doll series and is one of hundreds of paper doll designs.

A fantasy princess paper doll ball gown to print, color, and play with. One of hundreds of paper dolls to print from paperthinpersonas.com.

There are styles I come back to over and over again. This dress is very much like the white dress in this set and this dress, both designs I did years ago.

This is by far the most complex thing I have ever tried to create with the “shiny” look. It’s not perfect and there are problems, but I am not unhappy with how it turned out. Finding latex or vinyl reference images for the full bell skirt was basically impossible.

Also, google image searching the phrase “vinyl full-skirt” sometimes causes interesting results that are probably not kid friendly.

As for her hair, I was thinking of retro 1960s styles. I really wanted something that felt a little retro sci-fi. I

As for the color, I can’t really explain, but somehow once that dress was drawn I just knew it was going to be bright orange.

It’s like someone went clubbing and said, “I know! I want to look like a piece of cartoon fruit.”

And before I forget, I want to wish everyone a Happy Labor Day! In the words of Mother Jones, “Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living.”

Need a more outfits for today’s Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll? Find More Clothing Here. 

Marisole Monday In Some Leather Armor and an Announcement

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Armor and Things

A printable paper doll with brown hair is a braided style. Her armor is chainmail with leather armor over it. She also has leggings and brown leather boots. Her accessories are an axe, a sword and a knife.

Paper doll Dress. Printable paper doll series from paperthinpersonas.com.

Today’s paper doll is Marisole in some leather armor over some chainmail. I wanted her hair to both be lady-like, but also practical. Every paper doll needs some weapons as well.

But there’s bigger news today than this paper doll, I gotta say.

When I set a goal, I tend to reach it. I don’t stop until I meet my deadlines. When I say there will be five posts a week, than by gosh there are going to be five posts a week. This can be a great trait, but it also means sometimes I need a swift kick in the rear to realize that I have to set realistic goals.

As some of you know, I am starting a graduate program in the fall while also working full time. Originally, I planned to create 60 paper doll posts for August, September and October.

Except I couldn’t do it. Every time I picked up my pencil, I felt intense stress. What if I didn’t make enough paper dolls? What if I failed? What if I let people down somehow?

I want to enjoy my hobby and be realistic about what I can or can not get promise my readers. I can’t keep up the current pace of production, work full time, be in grad school, and have any time for anything else.

The big news is this: The blog will be switching to a three day a week schedule- Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

There maybe an extra post here and there when I feel like it, but no promises. I am contemplating different changes as well, such as doing a Marisole Monday post every Monday, again, but truthfullly I haven’t decided quite yet what exactly the future will look like.

For now, I hope you enjoy today’s paper doll warrior. There will be a new addition to the 1920s Poppet series on Wednesday.

As always, I love to hear from you all in the comments.

Need a more outfits for today’s Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll? Find More Clothing Here. 

Zachary: A Modern African-American Guy Paper Doll

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  What I see College Guys Wearing, But With More Color
A casually dressed African-American guy paper doll with shorts, sandals and short hair. Part of the Sprites series, he can share clothing with of the other Sprites guys. Free to print in color or black and white.

Back when the Sprites started, I had planned to start with a lady paper doll as the first Sprite. However, I’d decided to name them in reverse alphabetical order. I find if I have a naming scheme it makes coming up with paper doll names easier.

So, I was stuck with starting with Z. There just aren’t that many names that start with Z, so I started with Zachary here instead of starting with Yumiko.

I’m sure you all really cared about this random piece of paper doll blog history.

Anyway, I do think there are advantages to contemporary dolls. I think they sort of act as basic options. There’s no colorful hair here, so this version of Zachary could be a mermaid or he could be going to the park or borrowing this nifty elf armor, The point is that he’s a bit more neutral than the two pervious Zachary versions I have created.

Tomorrow, there will be a contemporary fashion Ursula to join Zachary.

Meanwhile, if you want to support the blog on Patreon I would be mighty appreciative. If you are interested in the process of how I work, there’s a behind the scenes blog there.

Alternatively, you can follow the blog on facebook for blog updates, some random sketchbook photos (which my Patrons see first, I confess), fun historical fashion things I find, and picks from the Archives.

Looking for something for today’s Sprite paper doll to wear? Pick out some clothing here.

Marisole Monday & Friends: Marisole In 1968

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: 1968 Pattern Covers, Jumpers and Harvest Colors

A free printable African-American paper doll with hair and a dress from 1968 from paperthinpersonas.com.

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I created today’s printable African-American paper doll from the Marisole Monday & Friend’s series after I was inspired by this amazing vintage pattern cover from 1968 that I found on Pinterest. Brown skinned models don’t show up on pattern covers from the big name companies until the 1970s, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t brown skinned girls wearing and making the fashions.

The omission of diversity in historical fashion related documents is the result of the institutionalized racism of the time, but doesn’t indicate a lack of the presence of people of color in fashionable dress.

And now that I have finished my Primary Source Literacy explanation for the day (a danger of being a Special Collections Librarian), we can get back to the paper doll.

My only big frustration with today’s doll is her hair. I tried to get that 1960’s bouffant sorta look with her flip and I just don’t think I quite got it right. People say the 1980s were a time for big hair, but I think that is because they haven’t seen the 1960s. Teasing and hairspray were big things.

I love Pinterest for collecting paper doll inspiration and I have a whole 1960s fashion board, but things there often lack contextual information, so I tend to be pretty critical of what I use.

I know I have readers who were alive in the 1960s, so let me know how I did with today’s paper doll. Did I do justice to that decade? It was, I have to say, a bit before my time.

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Need a more outfits for today’s Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll? Find More Clothing Here. 

B&B: A Curvy Black Princess & Her Amazing Boots

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Pageant Hair, The Toddler Paper Dolls of Paper Doll School, A Pixie Set Called Dionsia, and Boots Made for Walkin’.

A brown skinned fantasy paper doll to print with some dark rockin' boots and an elegant gown. Free from paperthinpersonas.com.

Can I confess that my favorite part of today’s curvy paper doll to print are those amazing boots? I want them. I don’t know where I would ever wear them, but I would find a way.

For a while, Julie of Paper Doll School was making Toddler Paper Dolls inspired by some of her older paper doll sets. Like this toddler paper doll set named Riley is based on an older set named Ruby.  I thought this was a really cool idea, but wasn’t sure how to develop it my way.

On occasion readers have asked if I could redraw something from one paper doll series for a different series. I’ve always said no. Drawing the exact same outfit again sounded boring. But watching Julie’s process, I was inspired to look back at my own work and see what ideas were sparked.

So, today’s curvy paper doll to print from the B&B series is based on a Pixie paper doll named Dionsia.  The paper dolls share a color scheme and Dionsia’s clothing inspired both today’s gown and tomorrow’s gown- both for my curvy B&B paper doll series.

If you love the blog, than think about supporting it by becoming a Patron. There’s perks like a unique paper doll series and behind the scenes images. If you’re not up for that, consider following the blog on Twitter and/or telling a friend about it.

Tomorrow, there will be another fantasy gown inspired by the Dionsia paper doll set and owls.

Love the paper doll? Hate the paper doll? Just wanna tell me something? Leave a comment!

Need to get some more clothing for this Bodacious & Buxom paper doll to wear? Pick out some clothing here.

Marisole Monday & Friends Masquerade: Monica as a Hummingbird

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds, Chokers, and Yellow Hibiscus Flowers

A beautiful hummingbird inspired masquerade dress and black paper doll to wear it from paperthinpersonas.com. Also available as a coloring page.

This was the only dress I based on a specific bird subspecies. I knew I wanted to so the Red Throated Hummingbird from the start. Hummingbirds come in so many color combinations, I really felt like I had to pick just one to focus on with this paper doll masquerade gown modeled by the wonderful Monica.

Of course, the choker is red to match the red throat of the hummingbird. The flowers decorating the wig and the gown are yellow hibiscus which are a hummingbird friendly flower. If my Raven masquerade gown was a gothic fantasy, than this gown is much more romantic and soft.

I have some wig instructions if you’re not sure how to make the pocket by pasting on the backing piece. Read them here.

If you like the blog, please think about supporting it on Patreon and/or following it on Twitter-@paperpersonas.

Tomorrow will be the last bird masquerade gown- a gown based on the Loon.

Need a more outfits for today’s Marisole Monday & Friends Paper Doll? Find More Clothing Here. 

Bodacious & Buxom: A Curvy Fantasy Paper Doll & Her Nightgown

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Our theme this week is fantasy gowns and this is the first Bodacious & Buxom set of paper dolls to be posted in the new format! Exciting, no? (Okay, maybe just for me.)

A few things, every dress this week was colored based on the color scheme of an older paper doll set which I thought was kinda a cool idea. Plus it saved me from having to come up with color schemes all my own. See? Saved by my own laziness.

That’ll start tomorrow.

Meanwhile, our curvy fantasy paper doll has a nightgown, because every girl needs a nightgown. My only big regret with this paper doll is her hair. I had planned on a big, over the top, fantasy hair style, but then I thought it didn’t go with the dresses and I think I redrew her hair about six times before finally saying, “Good Riddance!”

And just making it long and simple.

If you’re thinking, her hair is boring, I want a different model… I’ve set up a Dolls category and a Clothing category for the Bodacious and Buxom paper dolls and I am currently working on populating those categories for the other paper doll series. So, you can find all the dolls and all the clothing.

Meanwhile, please feel free to follow the blog on Twitter @paperpersonas. And if you love it, support it through Patreon. Patrons get early previews, extra outfits and to listen to me ramble about process.

And who doesn’t want to listen to me ramble about that?

Patron or not, I hope you enjoy today’s paper doll and her dresses this week.

 

Marisole’s Fresh Summer Fashions: Jumpsuit & White Shorts

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A young fashionable black woman with some summer clothes- a jumpsuit and shorts. She can wear any of the clothing from the Marisole Monday & Friend's paper doll series.

Originally, back when I was making plans, I hadn’t planned on doing two contemporary fashion sets in a row. I thought I would do something else between, but then I ended up needing to move and life has away of laughing at our best laid plans.

So, here I am posting two contemporary fashion printable paper doll sets in a row, but they couldn’t be more different. Last week, I forayed into Hip-Hop paper doll fashion. This week we are sticking with what I am far more comfortable with, summer fashions from the fashion magazines like In-Style and Vogue.

This week, our paper doll model is Marisole. As some of you probably remember, Marisole is the first of the Marisole Monday & Friend’s paper dolls and she leads our charge. Today, she has a strapless jumpsuit and a pair of white shorts. I swear later on there will be top options to go with her shorts.

This week’s theme is fresh summer fashions- expect a lot of whimsical prints including lemons and flamingos, plus sundresses and cropped tops.

And of course, there’s Patreon if you want to help support the blog, plus PTP is on twitter- @paperpersonas. Twitter is a great way to ask me questions, because I tend to answer them faster than comments.

Ursula & Zachary Under the Sea: Mermaid Paper Dolls (Tails to Come!)

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A pair of black paper dolls with blue hair and multi-colored dreadlocks.

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, “Mermaid paper dolls? Where are the tails?”

So, yeah, there are no tails. This wasn’t my original plan.

My original plan was to have Zachary with a tail on Monday and Ursula with a tail on Tuesday. Then to post joint outfits for them on the following days. I thought this was a great plan, until I realized I could not fit the tail and the Zachary paper doll on the same page together. It simply did not fit.

And to think my layout problems were a thing of the past? Sigh.

So, instead we get two paper dolls and a promise of tails tomorrow. I swear these are mermaids. They’re just tailless mermaids.

Reminder that the black and white versions are linked up at the top of the post, if anyone is looking for it.

Anyway, Zachary and Ursula are both from the Sprites series which I introduced WAY back in January. As some of you may recall, I have been naming the Sprite faces in reverse alphabetical and I had gotten to the letter U, so Ursula it was.

I realized later that making the first Ursula paper doll a mermaid does bring up connotations of Disney’s A Little Mermaid, but that wasn’t my intention. I named the paper doll LONG before I picked out a theme and I could have started with a modern set, but mermaids were more fun. Her hair was inspired by this pin of a woman with teal hair on Pinterest.

Lastly, you love the blog, consider supporting it on Patreon. If you want paper doll updates on Twitter, I’ve moved them over to @paperpersonas.

Monica’s Neo-Victorian Wardrobe: The Doll & Her Visiting or Promenade Toilette

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Monica, an african-american neo-victorian paper doll with her walking suit. Also available in black and white for coloring. From paperthinpersonas.com.

So, here we are in week two of the new system for PTP. It’s very exciting. I am feeling excited. Also a little nervous, I must confess.

Monica is our model today. She is, of course, from the Marisole Monday & Friend’s series. This whole week will be a neo-Victorian/Steampunk inspired week with hats, skirts and jackets. As I know I’ve said before, I have a THING for the whole idea of different outfits for different activities. When I’m in Victorian fantasy land, I like to decide which outfit goes with which Victorian activity.

A lady of quality in the Victorian era had a variety of gowns at different levels of formality. At one end of the scale was the house dress or morning dress and at the other end of the scale was a ballgown or full-dress.

Monica’s suit today is a promenade costume, I think. To channel my inner-19th century fashion magazine (everyone should have an inner 19th century fashion magazine), here how I would describe it:

A promenade or afternoon visiting costume in purple wool with a matching jacket. Underneath the jacket, the model wears a lavender shirtwaist. The jacket is trimmed in pale teal and aqua velvet and satin. A wide band of lavender satin decorates the skirt and then several rows of aqua ruffles. The chapeau is dyed to match the suit and trimmed in rosettes of aqua silk, feathers and brass buttons. The entire ensemble is quite smart for street or afternoon wear.

Sometimes I am conflicted as to whether I like the term Neo-Victorian or the term Steampunk better. The truth is that I think this set is more Neo-Victorian in its styling. One of the tropes of Steampunk is high technology made through steam-power and there’s none of those aesthetics in this paper doll. However, no matter how I feel about it, I confess that the SEO for steampunk is far better than the SEO for neo-Victorian.

Thoughts from the audience on that one?

Oh, and a few “housekeeping” things. The link to the coloring page version of today’s paper doll is at the top with the links to the PDF. As always, I strongly urge you to print from the PDF copy and to print it however you have been printing them from the beginning. That will assure that the new stuff and the old stuff still fits.

Last but not least, please consider taking a second to support the blog by becoming a patron.

Suits for the Paper Doll Guys in Color

Marisole Monday & Friends Logo- Marcus Suits in color

It’s Monday! (I don’t feel nearly as excited about this as an exclamation point would suggest.)

Today, last week’s set of suits for my man paper dolls (specifically Marcus 2.0) get to rock some fun colors, okay, maybe not fun, exactly.

When it comes to color, modern men really don’t get a lot of options. Beyond a short stint in the 1960s and 1970s when a guy could show up in a red or purple suit, in the 20th century, men’s clothing is pretty much neutrals all around. So, today’s man paper doll got some rather simple navy and grey men’s suits.

It might not be the most “exciting” color choices, but they are wonderfully versatile if you find yourself unsure about what sort of suiting would be best.

Senational Suits is a man paper doll set including a young black man and two suits- one in gray and one in navy. Free to print from paperthinpersonas.com.

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There’s something very dashing to me about a man in a well cut suit. I don’t know what it is, but I love suits on men. I sometimes think I was born in the wrong era for men’s clothing. Hoodies and jeans are just so boring.

If you missed these paper doll suits in black and white for coloring, they’re over here. Also, if you’re unsure who Marcus 2.0 is, I’ve got a lovely guide to all that which I wrote last week after a reader request, proving that I do read comments and, sometimes, actually do what people ask.

I do sorta wish I drew some other hair for Marcus 2.0 here, but I just feel like men’s hair isn’t that exciting. It’s not unlike a lot of men’s clothing. How many ways can you style three inch hair? I mean, really. I’m sure there are nuances I don’t get. It wouldn’t be the first time.

Thoughts? Comments? Other men’s clothing you’d like to see? Drop me a note in the comments.

Summer Garden: A Paper Doll and Her Clothing

logo-floral-marisole-color I love color. I have teal dining room chairs, after all and a red cabinet in my dining room that holds my larger serving dishes. My favorite sweater is lime green and very fuzzy. I call it the Mountain Dew sweater. The point I am trying to make is that if I have the choice between neutrals and a color- you can pretty much count on me picking out a color. And this helps explain why I decided to go so bright and rich with Marisole’s paper doll clothing.

Someone, I think it was Boots, remarked that she was picturing a lot of yellow and green. Well, she wasn’t wrong… Yellow and Green are definitely here. I wanted color in this paper doll set- the sort of vibrant colors I love in flowers when they are in full bloom. Of course, right now it’s cold and damp here in Alabama, but eventually it won’t be and then the bright colors of spring and summer with come.

And I can complain about the heat on this blog, thereby continuing my theme of never being happy about the weather. (Though I suppose this isn’t true, I do enjoy Spring in Alabama.)

summer-garden-paper-doll-color

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One of my grand frustrations with Marisole’s pose is that you can’t actually layer a long sleeved top under a skirt and expect the skirt to stay on the doll, because of her right arm which is against her stomach. This is one of the annoyances that occurs to me when I am designing mix and match paper doll clothing for her and I want to do things that just won’t work.

I’d scrap the series and redraw, but it is uber hard to give up something that I’ve been doing for six years. There are about 240 Marisole Monday & Friend’s posts on the blog. It is my most popular series and so I feel a little bound to it. It’s also a tiny bit weird to be working on something I drew over six years ago. I remember drawing the first Marisole doll. I was in grad school sitting in the library killing time between class and when I had to go to work.

And now I live in a totally different state and she’s still around. Kinda crazy, honestly.

(Don’t fear, I don’t plan on getting rid of Marisole Monday & Friend‘s anytime soon. Just thoughts about the paper doll series.)

As always, I love hearing comments from readers and, if you want to support the blog, here’s the Patreon page for it.

And Happy New Year to those celebrating the Year of the Monkey!