stockings Archives • Page 4 of 17 • Paper Thin Personas

Willow in a Post Apocalyptic Wasteland

July 11, 2017May 29, 2017

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Mad Max, The End of the World, Ext.

First of all, I’d like to wish a Happy (as Happy as a holiday about fallen servicemen and women can be) Memorial Day to all my Readers who are celebrating today.

I always think I’m going to do thematic posts for Holidays. I even go as far as to make a list and tell myself I totally got this.

And then inevitably, I forget or get distracted and it doesn’t happen. So, today’s printable paper doll has nothing to do with Memorial Day.

Instead, I recently re-watched Mad Max: Fury Road and that inspired a round of sketching for post-apocalyptic paper doll attire. So, today we have Willow in her world end get up.

I wanted her boots to be mismatched, but not so mismatched that they didn’t coordinate. Her dress was super hard and took about three different versions. I really wanted to contrast the soft folds of fabric with a heavy leather harness going over the top.

Her other accessories are some fingerless gloves, a machete and a canteen.

The doll herself is Willow, one of the first Sprites paper dolls. Her tattoos are, of course, original to this version. You’ll need to clip across her hair to make the tabs work, but there’s a dotted line to guide you.

I hope people are spending time today with their family and friends whether you get the holiday off or not.

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

A Rockabilly Inspired Paper Doll Coloring Page

May 25, 2017

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Delaney, a Paper Doll From 2014

After you’ve created as many paper dolls as I have, I find I sometimes “forget” that certain paper dolls exist until I am going through my own archives for some reason. Part of the fun of the Facebook page is picking out older paper dolls to post each month, because I get to go back and see things that I barely remember or that I remember and think happened a lot sooner than I recall.

So, one I stumbled across was my Pixie printable paper doll named Delaney. She was a sort of sweet and punky paper doll with a little but of a vintage edge.

Using those same themes, I created today’s outfit for the mini-maiden printable paper doll series.

I am not totally pleased with how the pattern came out on the dress, I think the spacing is pretty poorly done, but I liked the concept at least.

And I think her boots are super cute.

The whole thing feels very rockabilly to me, but perhaps not to everyone. I confess that’s a style that I sometimes don’t feel like I totally understand.

If you want to color this to match Delaney, then I would go with pale blues and pinks, but I also think a black and red scheme could be really pretty. It is totally up to you, which is, I suppose, the point of having black and white paper dolls.

And, as I announced yesterday, there’s a new paper doll coloring sheet for purchase in my Etsy store. Check it out, if you haven’t (and there’s a color version, too.)

Need a Mini-Maiden paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick a Mini-Maiden Paper Doll Here.

Marisole Monday & Friends: A Tudor Inspired Printable Paper Doll Dress

April 20, 2017

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: This Fashion Plate from 1880 and Things the Scare Me

Yesterday I posted fantasy garments based on some traditional Asian attire. Today I am hopping back to Europe to post a riff on 15th and 16th century dress.

Today’s Marisole Monday & Friend’s paper doll dress crosses Italian clothing in the late 1400s with English costume in the mid-1500s. There’s a definite Spanish Farthingale thing going on in that skirt shape. Spanish Farthngales were hoop skirts of their era and gave dresses a distinct cone shape. It was all the rage in England towards the end of the 1500s. Here’s an example of what I talking about.

The sleeves of today’s paper doll gown are pretty Italian. The style in Italy at the very end of the 1400s and the beginning of the 1500s. It was considered fashionable to have the shift sticking out through the spaces the sleeves- my paper dolls are nothing if not fashionable. Here is an example of the sleeves I mean and here is another one.

When it came time to color today’s paper doll, I fell back on the colors I tend to like when it comes to Tudor feeling things. I settled on copper and black for the color scheme. While I experimented with brighter options, I loved the sophistication these colors created.

As with many of my fantasy paper dolls, I added shoes and stockings to round out the outfit. After all, I do love to draw shoes. These shoes are neither English nor Italian, but more a pair of modern ones. So, that continues the cross-cultural experience here.

So, what do people think of my English-Italian Renaissance love child of a paper doll dress? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Meanwhile, if you want to support the blog, then think about donating through Patreon.

Need a Marisole Monday & Friends Lady Paper Doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick One Out Here.

The Poppets Dress up as Gretel of Hansel and Gretel

April 12, 2017

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Gretel of Hansel and Gretel

The new addition to the Fairy Tales and Nursery Rhymes Poppet paper doll series is a Gretel costume from the tale of Hansel and Gretel.

Recorded by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812, Hansel and Gretel are a young brother and sister captured by a cannibalistic witch living deep in the forest in a house made of candy and gingerbread. The two children save their lives by outwitting the witch and their own cruel parents.

The story is, like a lot of fairy tales, a bit dark.

When I was working up my list of fairy tales, I had not intention to originally include Hansel and Gretel. It’s just not a fairy tale that I really love.

However, it is a fairy tale with a child protagonist and a pretty strong female character, as it is Gretel who pushes the cannibalistic Witch into the oven.

So, it seemed like a fitting on to do.

I wanted to use the colors of ginger bread in this Gretel costume, so I stuck with brown, cream and red. The edge of her skirt is decorated with gingerbread men and peppermint candies, mostly because I knew I could draw them.

The shape of the jumper is based on braces used with lederhosen. I don’t know a lot about Bavarian clothing, ain’t gonna lie, but I’ve always liked the suspenders/braces that go with lederhosen.

Please think about donating through Patreon, it really does help. Plus you get access to the behind the scenes blog, here’s two I’ve opened to the public- sketchbook photos and Some Stuff about my Process.

Need a paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick a Poppet Paper Doll Here.

Steampunk Fashions for the Sprites Paper Dolls

March 30, 2017

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: This Corset and These Shoes

This is a week of first, it seems. Yesterday was my first 1930s dress for the Mini-Maiden series and today is my first attempt at steampunk clothing design for the Sprites printable paper dolls.

Whenever I try my hand at steampunk designs, I worry some secret cabal of steampunk clothing design purists are going to come along and say, “That’s not steampunk enough!”

I never said it was a rational worry. Let’s be clear.

Mostly, because I’m pretty sure there isn’t such a thing as a secret cabal of steampunk clothing design purists.

(But if I’m wrong and anyone is a member, wanna put in a good word for me?)

Anyway, I know this isn’t doing to be the last time I try to my hand at steampunk clothing design for the Sprites, so I did try to establish some neutral shades that I liked. That way, in the future, I can use the same browns and things to improve the mix and match options.

And now it is sources time! So here we go… The corset is based on this one, the shoes are based on these. The gent’s clothing is much more from my imagination. His trousers are vaguely inspired by 18th century men’s pants, but that’s about it.

One quick thing- tomorrow is the last say for the Reader 2017 coupon in the Etsy store. It’s 25% off of an order of 4 dollars or more. There’s steampunk designs in the Etsy store, too, if that’s your thing.

Looking for some Sprite paper dolls to wear these outfits? Pick out Sprite paper dolls here.

Marisole Monday Medieval Maiden

March 27, 2017

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Medieval Dresses, Sort of…

So, today’s paper doll doll is Monica of the Marisole Monday & Friends crew with a fantasy dress up thing going. Her gown is vaguely medieval, vaguely not. Sometimes, I just want to draw a pretty dress. Nothing more, nothing less.

And this was one of those times.

I went with a pastel color scheme, because I thought that would look best against Monica’s rich skin tone.

Not sure which Marisole Monday & Friend’s doll is which? Here’s a guide I created last year when people had questions. I need to update it. I probably should write similar guides for all the paper dolls. Would folks find that helpful?

I confess that now that I have been looking at the colors in today’s paper doll dress for a while, they have begun to remind me of a sunrise. The blue dress being the pale sky and the pink and peach the colors of the clouds as the sun rises.

Along with her gown, Monica has white boots and stockings to fill out her paper doll fantasy dress up experience.

Love the blog? Want to help keep it on the internet? Join Patreon. Just a dollar a month makes a huge difference in off-setting server & other backend costs.

The 25% off Etsy coupon, READER2017, ends on Saturday. Check out the Etsy Store here!

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

Ms Mannequin and a 1960s Fashion Experience

March 15, 2017

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: This 1960s Fashion Design

Given how much I like 1960s fashion, it is a trifle weird how little of it has made its way onto the blog. I think part of that is the lack of online sources. Sadly, stuff created in the 1960s is still under copyright, because the open access date hasn’t moved forward as was originally intended. (Thank you, Disney for messing up that.)

I only have one book on 1960s fashion. To give a comparison, I have three on 1920s fashion. So, if anyone has a rec, leave it in the comments. I really should track down more, since I do enjoy the era. Today’s Ms. Mannequin outfit comes from this fashion design by Creators Studio.

The original dress was a blue and blue windowpane plaid, but plaid is my nemesis, so I omitted it.

Want to help keep the blog running and see super fun behind the scenes content? Then join the Patreon group. Plus, there also the Facebook page where I am sharing stuff from the archives and the erratic sketchbook page.

Meanwhile, there’s a 25% off coupon for my readers (Reader2017) good in my Etsy store until the end of the month. Nothing terribly 1960s in there, yet, but I have done some smashing evening gowns.

Need a paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick out a Ms. Mannequin Paper Doll Here

The Sprites Paper Dolls & Their Gothic Fashions

May 13, 2017March 3, 2017

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Gothic Fashions

Sometimes, I create paper doll clothing set and then I forget about them. This happens to me with disturbing regularity. So, I could have sworn that I posted these gothic paper doll Sprites outfits back in November of 2016. As it turns out, I had them totally done, but didn’t get them formatted or saved as PDFs.

So, clearly my memory was deeply flawed. Here they are in today all their gothic paper doll fashion glory. Better late than never.

When I dabble in gothic fashion, I try to create things that are interesting and not all black. Black is a challenging color for printable paper dolls, because printers have varying sensitivities to it. So, sometimes the tones are too dark and other times they are too light. I try to find a compromise by using several different shades of black in the same outfit which keeps the outfit from feeling flat.

This is a trick I use with pretty much all my paper doll clothing, but in black pieces it is particularly important

The other big challenge of the Sprites printable paper dolls is the fact that they exist in pairs. Every lady printable paper doll outfit is accompanied by a gentlemen’s printable paper doll outfit. This symmetry is both part of the fun and part of the frustration.

In today’s gothic fashions, I gave the Lady Sprites a black and purple scheme. The Gentlemen Sprites have a black and red color scheme.

This is the last Sprites printable paper doll set from my stash. So, I have to get working on finishing some things in progress for March. The problem with a strong backlog is that it lulls me into a false sense of confidence.

Meanwhile, if you love the blog, then consider donating through Patreon.

There’s still my Reader2017 coupon running in the Etsy store and the blog has a facebook page now.

Looking for some Sprite paper dolls to wear these outfits? Pick out Sprite paper dolls here.

A Sailor Lolita Outfit for the Mini-Maiden Printable Paper Dolls

March 2, 2017

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Patron Requests for and Sailor Lolita Styles

I have done a variety of Lolita styles before, but never Sailor Lolita as was pointed out by one of my Patrons. (Join here if you want to support PTP.) So, here’s my foray into that style.

Lolita is an alliterative fashion style from Japan that is heavily influenced by Victorian and Edwardian children’s clothing. It’s street fashion and like every genre of street fashion, there are seemingly endless variations. Sailor Lolita is the term used for Lolita dresses infulenced by sailor suits of the Edwardian and Victorian era. There is a nearly endless obcession with sailor suits in the 19th and 20th century.

Examples of early sailor suits include these designs from the 1900s, this version from 1905 and this version from the 1920s. I decided to base today’s Sailor Lolita outfit off of examples like this one and this one.

You can see a bunch more on my Lolita Fashion board on Pinterest.

I’m adding new things to the Paper Thin Personas shop on Etsy this week, inculding steampunk styles in three color schemes and black and white.Remember, the coupon called: READER2017 is good for 25% off an order of 4.00 or more through the end of March.

Need a Mini-Maiden paper doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick a Mini-Maiden Paper Doll Here.

Marisole Monday in a Women’s 1920s Golf Clothes

March 1, 2017March 1, 2017

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Golfing Outfits from the 1920s

I can’t tell you how many times my father has dropped hints that I should draw some golf clothing. He’s a fan of the sport. So, today I am pleased to present some 1920s historical clothing attire for the Marisole Monday & Freind’s paper dolls.

The history of women’s sports attire has always fascinated me. By the 1920s, from which today’s paper doll outfit hails, women were participating in many different team and individual sports including basketball, tennis, archery, fencing, and, of course, golf. Golf was pretty popular in the 1920s and women’s 1920s golf clothes were being designed by big names like this golf outfit by Worth.

Most women’s golf outfits have skirts, but there were also trousers options, like the ones shown in this article about golf in advertisements. I based today’s outfit off illustrations from my two favorite 1920s fashion history books, Everyday Fashions of the Twenties: As Pictured in Sears and Other Catalogs and 1920s Fashions from B. Altman & Company, both of which are from Dover publications and are excellent resources on 1920s clothing. Sears was a more affordable company while B. Altman was much more fashionable and expensive.

Catalogs offer such a great window into what people could purchase in the past.

Anyway, I also had to draw a golf club for today’s outfit. Now, I will openly confess that I am not a skillful golfer, but I have taken a lesson or two. I based my golf club (I was not about to draw a whole set) on photos of 1920s golf clubs from Google Image Search. I know, I know. Not the best research practice.

Need a Marisole Monday & Friends Lady Paper Doll to wear today’s outfit? Pick One Out Here.

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