princess

Garden Ballgowns: A Paper Doll With Fancy Dresses

garden-ballgown-logoToday, we have a pair of paper doll ballgowns which were heavily influenced by wa lolita and qi lolita dresses. I showed off the rough sketches last Monday. Wa lolita and qi Lolita are substyles of the Japanese street style Lolita. F Yeah Lolita (a blog I have come to rather enjoy reading) discusses lolita in detail, but I actually think the wikipedia article is nice for people who know nothing about it.

Anyway, both Wa Lolita (influenced by Japanese traditional dress) and Qi Lolita (influenced by Chinese traditional dress) are styles I think are fascinating, because cultural fusion always interests me. However, I try to be careful about how I borrow from cultures which are not my own, because I am very aware of the problematic and complicated issues of cultural appropriation which underlie children’s toys and visual representations of culture. I could ramble on about that topic until… well, for a every long time… but I figure most people are really here for the printable paper dolls, so I’ll restrain myself.

A paper doll coloring page and her two fantasy ballgowns, three wigs and two pairs of shoes. Inspired by Wa and Qi Lolita dresses.

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A few of my ideas came from this dress by FanplusFreind and this dress, also by FanplusFriend. I first discovered qi lolita through this dress which is actually a doll’s dress. The shoes are just sort of random inventions, though the ones on the right with the stockings were influenced by rocking horse shoes which are pretty cool (though maybe hard to walk in… I don’t know, I’ve never worn them.)

I can’t wait to share these in color next week, though I openly confess the pattern on the left dress is giving me fits. Every-time I do a complicated pattern, I swear I will never do it again and then… well… I do it again. Isn’t insanity doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results?

Oh, and before I forget, the fast of Ramadan officially ends this evening I think, so Happy Eid al-Fitr to any of my readers who are Muslim. I don’t know much about Ramadan, but the mosque by my apartment has been busier than usual this month.

Poppets Go Roccoco: Princess Paper Doll Dress

poppet-princess-ruffles-logoOne of the big myths of costume history is that children were dressed like adults, but in miniature. While this is sort of true, I have yet to see a decade where there is not some, however slight, difference between children’s and adults clothing. The differences are often subtle and children were considered adults at a much younger age than we consider children adults today.

This is all by way of saying that I really wanted to make sure this fluffy dress (which has NO historical accuracy about it at all) felt like a child’s dress and not an adult’s dress. I think of the Poppets as between 8 and 10 years of age and I really hate it when I see child dolls dressed like adults, especially in historical outfits or psuedo-historical outfits.

So, to maintain the principle, I’ve shortened the skirts of her fluffy dress. See.. I have some principles (not a lot of them… but I digress.)

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Actually, I’ve been thinking about principle’s lately. If you read Liana’s interview from Friday (and if you haven’t than you really should), she talks a lot about the problems of paper doll poses and the complications of paper doll design. I think about these things when I design a paper doll as well, but I also find I think a lot about the principle of correctness. I made this principle up by the way, but for me I think it’s about the correct outfit for the correct paper doll at the correct time.

By my nature, I am scattershot personality. I tend to work on something in the grip of interest, give it up when I get bored, and then move onto something else. Paper doll designs, projects, work endevaors, whatever, all become mixed about in the messy world I exist in. If I’m reading up on women’s publishing, than somehow this filters into everything else I do. I am very envious of people who can have firm divisions in their heads between project A and project B, but I’ve never been wired that way. This means my paper dolls tend to be schizophrenic. Astronauts to mermaids all have happened over the years. I think this is sometimes the charm of PTP, but I also fear it’s a bad thing. I find I envy people like Boots who commit to a theme and then stick to it.

I can not imagine trying to limit myself like that.

Poppets go Medieval… sorta… Printable Paper Dolls

poppets-dragons-logoWhen I first drew the Poppets paper dolls, I knew I wanted to do historical costumes. This isn’t historically accurate by the way, but it does have a 1300s flair, I think. One of the reasons I steer clear of certain periods of history is that I feel like I don’t know enough about them. I am familiar enough with Victorian and 18th century costume that I feel fairly comfortable simplifying it without losing it’s authenticity, but I know very little about clothing in Europe before 1400.

As a result, I tend to categorize my forays into the “medieval” look as fantasy, rather than history. It keeps me from feeling guilty about not really knowing what I’m doing. However, Gwendolyn asked for a paper doll of a 10th century Anglo-Saxon when she won my drawing last week, so I guess I better learn something about the 10th century.

In the meantime, here’s a Poppet Medieval outfit strictly in the realm of fantasy being modeled by Petunia. I like to think she might be a princess, but I haven’t given her a crown, so the jury is out.

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I’m also really pleased to say I’ve recently stumbled across a new paper doll blog called Paper is Suffcient. It’d a new blog, so go over there, check it out and drop Natalie a comment. We need all the paper doll blogs we can get. 🙂

Latanya, the 1st Printable Paper Doll of 2014

latanya-logoI am excited to introduce everyone to Latanya, the first Pixie paper doll of the New Year. I drew her last year, technically, but that’s not really so uncommon for me. It can take months (years…) for a paper doll to move from my sketchbook onto my blog. I’ve had a request to do a full paper doll tutorial which is a lovely idea, but considering how slow I am at getting things done… it might be a year before its finished.

So, I wanted to do a fantasy paper doll with a autmunal color scheme. So we have Latanya rocking some darn lovely fantasy gowns and a little bit of armor. She’s apparently both a lover and a fighter.

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Her colors remind me of autumn leaves and crisp fall days. I am really adoring her curls and the pattern on her dress which I am very proud of. I am trying to draw more patterns. I say that every year… And every year, I usually end up chickening out because patterns take time and I am lazy.

latanya-full-color-pixie

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My Drawing/Contest closes tonight at midnight. So, if you haven’t entered and would like too, please do so today. I’ll contact/announce the winner tomorrow. 🙂 By the way, I haven’t responded to any of the answers, because I didn’t want to skew the results. I have read them all and I appreciate everyone’s honesty. Winner will be decided using a random number generator.

Queen of the Dusk Paper doll in Color

logo-queen-of-the-dusk-full-colorWell… this is the last paper doll of 2013.

I’m pretty pleased with the year as it has turned out. I’ve been more consistent with my posting and I think the blog has grown in positive ways. I do have changes I would like to make in the future and some of them are the same changes I’ve been wanting to make for a while.

2014 will be here in a few days and I will return to work in a few days. I’m excited and nervous and looking forward to the New Year. The next post on this blog will be in 2014. YAY!

Meanwhile, I am totally pleased to show off the Queen of the Dusk fully colored. (By the way, I keep typing Queen of the Duck, which would be a totally different paper doll set, I think.) I started with a more traditional color scheme for me, which means I found a set of colors which I liked and was going to use on each paper doll dress, but after I used them I decided I really didn’t like them and instead went with each paper doll dress being monochromatically one color. I think this causes some problems for the shoes, but I rather like how the dresses came out.


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Any thoughts or comments on what you’d like to see the blog become or the blog should be, drop me a comment.

Queen of Dusk: Paper Doll Coloring Sheet

logo-queen-of-the-duskI confess I named this paper doll after I decided on the color scheme, so it doesn’t make as much sense in black and white as it does when the doll is fully colored. I thought about making her another princess, but then I decided that Queens have power. Power seems like a good thing. So, she’s a Queen not a Princess. (Unless you want her to be a Princess, in which case, go for it, I say.)

Having recently watched the first Hobbit film with my Mother to get ready to go see the sequel, I feel that I can say these costumes feel far more Elf like than Hobbit or Dwarf. Also the new first of the Hobbit movies felt very manic.

I like the layers on the dresses, but I’m not totally pleased with the shoes. Still… Not everything has to be perfect, I suppose.

Someone requested the lute. That’s why she has a lute. I am not going to go down in history as the worlds best lute artist. Still, it was fun to draw my slightly deformed insturement. I wish I could recall who asked for a lute… If it was you, drop me a comment. It’s bugging me now.

Anyway… Um… Here’s a paper doll.

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Primrose, A New Poppet Printable Paper Doll Series

logo-poppet-primrose-in-tealHave I mentioned recently how happy alliteration makes me?

Also, I am really pleased with this new printable paper doll series. Poppet’s have turned out to be very fun to draw which I confess I wasn’t totally expecting. I mean, I thought they would be fun to draw, but it’s nice when “fantasy” and “reality” actually mesh properly.

For this set of poppet printable paper dolls (Yay! Alliteration), I chose to do a romantic regency inspired look with lots of ruching and a wide ribbon sash.

There’s a little Kate Greenway action going on here, I won’t lie.

Since this is only my second Poppet and it’s my second poppet in a pretty short period of time, you might be wondering… What’s up with all the poppets?

Well, I am glad you asked.

Hannukah began on November 27 and runs until the 5th of December. I decided for each night of Hanukkah it would be fun to post a paper doll. There will be a Marisole on Monday, my new Curvy series debuting and a few other things, but there’s going to be a lot of Poppets. Why?

Because they are cute and lovable. (Also I went through a Poppet drawing spasm and I have a lot of them done.)

poppet-primrose-in-teal-color poppet-primrose-in-teal-bw

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PS: Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrates it here in the United States. 🙂

Xenia, the Fantasy Maiden Paper Doll

xenia-pixie-fantasy-paper-doll-color

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Today’s printable paper doll is named for Saint Xenia, a Russian Orthodox Saint. I liked the name, because it sounded neat and the paper doll’s color scheme was partly inspired by the beautiful gilt icons I remember from growing up in Alaska.

It’s been a while since I did a redheaded Pixie, so I thought I should do one as I have some weird love of redhair that surely comes from reading Anne of Green Gables at an impressionable age.

xenia-pixie-fantasy-paper-doll

{Click Here for a PDF of Black and White} {Click Here for a 150 dpi PNG in Black and White} {Click Here for More Pixie & Puck Paper Dolls}

 

I tried a new technique with the patterns on Xenia’s dresses. I drew the motif, used photoshop to turn it into a repeating pattern and then used photoshop to warp that pattern, so it would look more natural against the curve of the figure. I’m not totally pleased with how it came out, but I’m not displeased either. I’m going to keep playing with it as an option for more patterned paper doll creations.

It feels absurdly good to be back close to a normal week of updating. I have no idea what next week will bring, but this week feels good. Small steps. Now… if I could just finish putting my books back on shelves.

Four Paper Doll Princess Coloring Pages to Print

So, things have been a little busy for me lately, which should be obvious from my neglectful activities towards the blog. Anyway… to beg forgiveness today, I’ve got some paper doll princess coloring pages to print and play with. I never really know how to describe black and white paper dolls. Anyway, these are meant to be colored, so I think they are coloring pages as much as they are paper dolls. They’re all fairy tale/princess themed which I think is kinda fun, since they can all share clothing.

The first one of is a Fairytale Maiden. Back when I posted her in color, I imagined she was a fairy tale princess in that stage of the story where she’s sent off to live with a kindly fairies and avoid spinning wheels OR before she meets the Prince while he’s out hunting. Her skirts are all meant to mix and match with her tops.
A Fairy Tale maiden black and white princess coloring page to print and dress up. She's a free paper doll from paperthinpersonas.com

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Here’s this paper doll in full color, if you don’t want to color her. It’s fascinating to see how my art has changed since I created her back in 2010.

Yellow Princess is maybe the most traditional of these paper doll princesses, I created her earlier this year. I wanted to draw princess dresses that were ruffled and fluffy and decorated with ribbons and lace which is totally what I think of when I think “princess.” Of all the paper dolls I’ve created, I think Yellow Princess is one of the most over the top. I kinda love her. Like any good princess, she has a crown and some awesome accessories.


A black and white princess coloring page to print and dress up with two ballgowns, shoes and a crown. She's a free paper doll from paperthinpersonas.com

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And here is this paper doll in color, very yellow and ruffled. I think she’d be fun to color… I sort of wish I’d done her in purple rather than yellow the first time. Perhaps now is my chance.

Our Book Loving Princess has a lot to do with my inability to come up with names for paper doll sets. (Embarassing, but true!) She’s got three dresses, books and book accessories like an ink pot. Her princess gowns are based on renaissance dresses. But only really vaguely, I mean… not trying to be accurate here in anyway.


A black princess coloring page to print and dress up. Three dress, box braids and fun accessories. She's a free paper doll from paperthinpersonas.com

{Click Here for a PDF to Print} {Click Here for a PNG to Print} {Click Here for the rest of this series}

This princess paper doll in color is very red and yellow. She is awfully cute in color, I gotta say.

My Elven Princess is one of my favorite sets. I love her gowns and shoes. The simple dress is supposed to be a nightgown for this paper doll, but I get that most people didn’t notice that when I first posted her.


An elf princess coloring page to print and dress up. She's got two gowns, a night gown, shoes and some pointy ears. Free printable paper doll from paperthinpersonas.com.

{Click Here for a PDF to Print} {Click Here for a PNG to Print} {Click Here for the rest of this series}

Here she is in color. Did I mention how much I love her trained skirts and her platform shoes? Cause I totally do.

I hope these paper doll coloring pages make up a little for my absence these last two weeks.

Marisole Monday: Coastal Princess in Coastal Colors

coastal-princess-color{Click Here for a PDF to Print} {Click Here for a PNG to Print} {Click Here for the rest of this series}

So, my original idea was to make today’s paper doll a little bit latino looking with a darker skin tone than I’ve done with a Margot paper doll before, but I think she rather turned out just looking like she got a bit of a tan. So, next time I’ll rethink the color choice. Skin tones are hard, as I think I’ve mentioned many many times before. Personally, I really like the dark blue dress the best. I think it came out just like I wanted it to.

Stumbled across a new tumblr today, called Paper Doll Central. Beautiful work. Makes me wish I still was trying to keep up with my tumblr. Lots of nice paper dolls there worth checking out if you have a few minutes and want to indulge.

I mentioned last week I was inspired by the Mediterranean ocean when I colored this paper doll. I was also inspired by the idea of not using any pinks or reds, just clean clear cool colors. I imagine Margot walking on the beach, wind whipping through her skirts while she watches ships on the ocean. Then, possibly, being attacked by giant crabmen from the planet Neptune.

Maybe I should have drawn her a sword.

Marisole Monday: Coastal Princess

Today, we have Margot rocking a fantasy look. I know the title seems of today’s paper doll seems a little odd. There’s nothing obviously seafaring about this paper doll, but I already knew that I wanted an ocean color scheme for her before I posted today’s Margot. On Saturday, I went to my favorite game shop to pick up some new dice and met a nice art student with whom I chatted for a while. He spoke so vividly about the colors of the entertainment sea that I knew I wanted to use them in my next paper doll set. You’ll have to wait to next week to see her colored, but I think she’s going to look wonderful.

coastal-princess

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Spring has come to Alabama and with it pollen. I never used to have allergies and now I am sniffling and sneezing up a storm. No one warned me about this problem when I moved here… It’s beautiful. The trees are blooming. The birds are singing. And I have forgotten what it feels like to have both nostrils working. People keep saying it will be over soon, but I wonder what “soon” actually means.

Back on the paper doll front, I always have trouble coming up with accessory items for the paper dolls. Does anyone have ideas for medieval fantasy-ish sets like this one? I seem to draw a lot of books and boxes and scrolls and swords. I suppose more jewelry would be an option… I need to think on it. Though this might be the last fantasy paper doll set for a while. I’m feeling a little restless with the style.

Marisole Monday & Friends: Marisole as an Elven Maiden

So, a while ago I had a contest to name the Mini Maidens. Natalie won my contest and therefore won her very own custom paper doll. Natalie selected a Marisole Monday & Friends paper doll as the basis for her paper doll, specifically Marisole.

Natalie Wrote:

I would love to have an Elf themed sort of thing like in the Lord of the Rings (with marisole)… Also can you make sure she has a bow and arrows?(that would be awesome!)…. I’m sort of imagining her with a little medievial themed clothing.

marisole-elven-princess-color{Click Here for a PDF of Elven Maiden in Color} {Click Here for a 150 dpi PNG of Elven Maiden in Color}

So I openly confess that the last time I read Lord of the Rings I was thirteen, stuck in Italy and only got through it due to the lack of other English language reading material. I’m not much of a Tolkien fan, truth be told. Never the less, I liked the movies (not enough to own them, just enough to not mind watching them with others) and I do think Tolkien was the father of modern epic fantasy. Not being a huge epic fantasy reader, the jury is out as to whether or not this was good thing.

Needless to say, I wanted to try to capture the spirit of the LOtR elves from the movie to the best of my ability without actually copying anything from the films. The Costumer’s Guide to Movie Costumes was a godsend in this regard, proving me with a wealth of photos of elven costumes to pull from. The kimono sleeves are my addition, because I love kimono sleeves and the modified mandarin collars give everything a tiny bit of Asian flair.

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{Click Here for a PDF of Elven Maiden in Black and White} {Click Here for a 150 dpi PNG of Elven Maiden in Black and White}

Normally, I don’t post both the black and white and the color versions at the same time and I won’t be doing this again, but I didn’t want to make Natalie wait for the color version of her paper doll set. Both are here for printing, so people can select their choice. I did a sort of autumn theme for the colors. Natalie didn’t give me any guidance on the color scheme, since she said she wanted to be surprised.

Natalie, if this color scheme is a little too surprising, let me know. I can re-color them for you. 🙂

So, did I capture the spirit of Lord of the Rings or totally fall flat? Let me know in a comment, since I’m not going to be picking up those books again if I can help it.