winter

Poppet Paper Doll’s Get a 1920s Coat to Wear With Matching Hats

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: 1920s Fashions from B. Altman & Company

A 1920s coat design for the Poppets printable paper dolls from paperthingpersonas.com. One of dozens of historical paper doll designs.

A 1920s coat design for the Poppets printable paper dolls from paperthingpersonas.com. One of dozens of historical paper doll designs.

I’m writing this post on a Sunday night, as I often do. Outside, it is raining very hard and I am reminded of how much we all need outerwear. So, it seemed fitting to post a 1926 coat for the Poppet’s 1920s Children’s Wardrobe Collection today.

But paper doll outerwear poses a unique challenge, because paper doesn’t exactly conform to the shape of the coat in question. So, when I create outwear for paper dolls, I tend to size up in the hope that the layering will all work out all right.

There’s a lot of complex 1920s coats in magazines. Fur trimming was popular and so were asymmetrical styles. But I didn’t really feel like drawing all that. I just wanted a coat. Nothing too complex.

I haven’t really drawn many coats (or any?) for the Poppet’s. So, I figured if the coat could be both part of the 1920s Children’s Wardrobe Collection and serve as a regular coat than that would be useful.

This is the last piece I have ready to go for the 1920s Children’s Wardrobe Collection, but don’t worry. There’s four more pieces in my sketchbook that I inked today, including some really cute pajamas.

If you haven’t checked it out, there’s about 8 posts in the 1920s Children’s Wardrobe Collection including 2 different dolls.

Just in case you are curious, today’s paper doll coat comes from 1920s Fashions from B. Altman & Company by Dover. I now own all of Dover’s 1920s fashion books, so clearly they need to publish more of them for me. I am running out of places to find my 1920s children’s clothing designs.

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

Marisole Monday & Friends Now Have an 1820s Inspired Winter Walking Dress

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Pelisses from the 1820s, such as this one from 1822
A fantasy winter walking costume for a paper doll based on pelisse of the 1820s from paperthinpersonas.com.

A fantasy winter walking costume for a paper doll based on pelisse of the 1820s from paperthinpersonas.com in black and white for coloring.

First of all, Happy St. Patrick’s Day and this paper doll has nothing to do with it. 🙂

Last Friday, I shared a ballgown inspired by the late 1860s, but today I have a winter walking costume inspired by the 1820s pelisse like this one from 1822, this one from 1818 and this one from 1825. It is the companion piece to last week’s printable paper doll dress.

The pelisse from 1822 was the one that was today’s paper doll gown’s strongest influence.

I went back and forth about the color scheme for a while, but I really wanted to do something in the red family. As it happens, I super like red.

Monochrome color schemes aren’t something I do much, but maybe I should play with them more. I find I often go back to the same colors for paper doll clothing over and over again.

I was trying to get all my wintery paper doll stuff backlog taken care off before it gets too warm, but frankly the weather has been freakish.

It keeps switching between Spring, in the 70s, and Winter, in the 30s and 40s. I don’t really care which one it chooses, but I dislike having to check my phone every morning to see if I need to grab my coat.

That’s enough complaining about Alabama’s wacky spring weather.

Meanwhile, if you want to support the blog, then think about donating through Patreon. I’ve opened up two example behind the scenes blog posts one with sketchbook photos and one where I talk about how I decide what to work on, so if you like those then seeing more just costs a dollar a month.

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

A Wintertime Steampunk Costume for the Mini-Maidens Paper Dolls

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: The Greta’s Trousseau Project
A wintertime steampunk costume paper doll coloring sheet for the Mini-Maidens paper doll series.
So, back in 2013, I started a project called Greta’s Steampunk Trousseau. The idea was to draw the extensive ladies wardrobe of the 19th century in a steampunk style. I added steampunk costumes to Greta’s Trousseau until about 2015 when I lost interest in the project and moved onto other paper doll things.

But, earlier this month, I was panicking. That the end of January was near and I didn’t have any Mini-Maiden paper doll posts ready for February. Searching for something to post, I discovered this wintertime steampunk costume which I had created for Greta’s Trousseau.

I thought to myself, “I swear I posted that.”

And then a through search of my archives informed me that I hadn’t.

So, because I am not one to waste a perfectly good paper doll outfit find and because everyone needs thigh high gaiters, I cleaned it up and here it is today.

As some of you know, I love Victorian fashion magazines. So, here’s me channeling my inner Victorian fashion magazine to describe today’s steampunk costume:

An elegant, but practical, promenade toilette for the colder months of the year. The jeacket has draped sleeves trimmed in fur, a high collar and a longer silouette with provides additional protection from the chilled air. The draped skirt is trimmed in fur. The long gaiters provide needed protection against winter mud and muck, while also being a practical alternative to high boots. The hat is a simple style and trimmed in wide ruched ribbon.

In case you doubt how old this design is, here’s the doodle it was based on from 2014.

So, should I take on another long term project like this? I have a few ideas for one which I am letting my Patrons vote on right now. So far the things that have been bouncing around in my head range from another steampunk thing (I do love me my neo-Victorian stuff) to a alien space princess. Everything is better with Alien space princesses.

Thoughts from y’all? Is another long term thing like this a good idea? Let me know in a comment.

Meanwhile, if you want to vote, then become a patron. Plus, the blog has a facebook page now which is pretty neat.

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

Min-Seo With a Fur and Pearl Trimmed Winter Fantasy dress

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Holiday Barbie, Pageant hair-dos and Fur Trim
A fur trimmed fantasy gown and an Asian paper doll with blue fur trimmed booties

A fur trimmed fantasy gown and an Asian paper doll color page with fur trimmed booties. Print from paperthinpersonas.com

So, back when I decided in December to do a winter paper doll each week, I did what I often do. I messed around on Pinterest and went looking for ideas. A lot of what I saw were those Christmas Barbies and I think a little of that went into this dress.

Today’s Min-Seo paper doll’s dress is sort of weird medieval fantasy meets an ice staking costume. Or, in other words, Camelot on Ice. Everything is better on ice.

And the thing you need to do with such a gown is clearly fur trimmed blue booties and a pageant sort of up-do. Why not? What are you losing? The dress is already absurd. So, I say- go for gold on the absurdity scale.

Plus, somehow in my head “winter = fur trimming” and I can’t seem to shake that.

Not even sure I should be trying to shake that, but that’s neither here nor there.

Meanwhile, if you like the blog, then consider donating through Patreon, plus there’s a behind the scenes blog and early paper doll previews and other fun content. For example, earlier this week, I posted my annual Year In Review 2016 post.

Also, to my Patrons, Patreon is having some issues with their email system. So, if you usually get an email to know when I post there, you might want to pop over and see if you missed anything. I will let you know when the problem is resolved.

And this ends Min-Seo printable paper doll week. Regular blog posting will continue next week.

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

B&B Get a Victorian Fantasy Ball Gown

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations: Rosettes, Victorian Ball Gowns and Corsets

A Victorian corset ball gown for the Bodacious and Buxom curvy paper doll series from paperthinpersonas. Free to print in color or black and white.

Victorian inspired madness today. Madness!

Okay, maybe not madness… but this is a pretty over the top Victorian corset ball gown creation. Still, if you spent any time with Victorian fashions, they do get pretty over the top.

And I like rosettes. They’re fun to draw. I don’t know when things get too over the top. I mean, does the ruching do it? Or the pleated details? Or the corset? I mean, at what point do you say, “Girl, that is a bit much.”

But here’s my thing, I figure the B&B series stands for Bodacious and Buxom. What is more bodacious than a ball gown covered in three types of trimming?

I did try to make things feel cohesive (something you have to do with three trims) by using a monochromatic color scheme. This is a fantasy Victorian corset ball gown, it does not need a super contrasting color scheme to go on top of all that. Unless you really want one, in which case I direct you to the black and white version and say, “You go for it!”

Meanwhile, I am going to stick with my slightly sedate (as much as this dress could be called sedate) version here. Somehow, despite the rosettes, with these colors, this dress reminds me of winter skies.

The actual “winter” themed paper doll set for the day will be up Friday. There are carolers and my first ever Christmas paper doll.

Also, am I the only person who thinks “ball gown” should be one word and not two? Seriously.

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Need to get a Bodacious & Buxom paper doll to wear these fabulous clothes? Pick one out here.

B&B: A Steampunk Arctic Explorer

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:Arctic Explorers, Photos of Ladies on Glaciers in High Heels, and Fur Trim

A steampunk arctic explorer outfit for my curvy paper doll series. Free to print from paperthinpersonas.com.

This week’s “winter” outfit is this set of winter time steampunk arctic explorer clothing, because why not? I mean, everyone needs to have something fab to wear while exploring the arctic, don’t they?

I know nothing about arctic exploration, except what I know from living in Alaska and having to study the history of the state in school. My sister is a professional geologist and she has done crazy things like ice coring, but I didn’t ask for her advice.

I did try to be a bit practical with a skypole/walking stick with a spike and I went with trousers. I’ve seen 1890s photos of women on glaciers wearing high heels, so she got heels, but I wonder if maybe I should have drawn her some ice cleats or something. I’ll have to think about that next time I draw a steampunk arctic explorer outfit.

Maybe I should have asked Sis for advice. 🙂

This is only my second EVER steampunk inspired B&B paper doll outfit. I can’t believe that, but a quick foray into my archives does tell me it is true. Wow.

I have get on that in the New Year.

By the way, today’s post, as with all my posts, is possible because of my amazing Patrons, so think about giving a donation to help or following the blog on Twitter or  leaving a comment or telling a friend about it or posting it to social media. Every little thing helps!

Need to get a Bodacious & Buxom paper doll to wear these fabulous clothes? Pick one out here.

Ms. Mannequin: Coats and Boots for Fashionable Winter Wear

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Today’s Printable Paper Doll Inspirations:  Sorel Boots, Coats and Boots Worn by College Students

Paper dolls need warm clothing, too! Here are coats and boots for the Ms. Mannequin series. Free to print in black and white or in color from paperthinpersonas.com.

I grew up in Southeast Alaska where the winter weather is so horrid that stylish winter wear is pretty much out of the question. One of the things I like about Alabama is that our winters are fairly mild and I can wear a coat that is cute, rather than waterproof and really warm.

As I mentioned last week, I am trying to post one “winter” themed piece a week for December. Today’s coats and boots are this weeks “winter” items. Not quite as ambitious as say Julie’s amazing 30 days of Angel paper dolls, but my little nod to the season. I do find since I just draw “one” thing for each day, it is much easier to do holiday/themed pieces, because finishing one paper doll outfit last minute is far simpler than finishing four or five that I needed to fill up a sheet in the past.

Needless to say, I am really enjoying this new way of doing things.

All right, so the white boots with the fur trim are based on some Sorel boots, but only in the vaguest of ways. The brown boots are based on some I saw a college student wearing and thought were cute. The coats are both based on items from various fashion magazines in my house.

Meanwhile, if you like the blog then think of making a donation through Patreon.

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

Warm in Winter: A Printable Paper Doll

logo-warm-colorI think maybe I drew this paper doll, because I want it to get cold in Alabama. It just hasn’t happened yet and it’s annoying me. So, I might not need my cute purple winter coat, but at least Marisole has her cute paper winter coats.

My wardrobe would be so much larger if I could just wear winter coats that I drew on pieces of paper. Seriously, that would be pretty cool.

So, let’s talk color scheme, shall we? I use ColourLovers to track my color schemes and this scheme was one I created called Seaweed and Salt. I always name my color palettes in ColourLovers totally random things. The inspiration color was that electric green color which I created named Acid Cabbage Attack– Hex Code C2DB06. It should work for all your bright green color needs. 🙂

(See, I know someone who reads this was thinking- Obnoxiously bright green is totally what I need in my life.)

As much as I make fun of Acid Cabbage Attack (and yes, I did name it), I actually think that bright green is a lovely color against Marisole‘s skin-tone.

warm-in-winter-paper-doll-color

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My only regret about this set is that I chickened out of making one of the coats Acid Cabbage Attack colored.

Clearly, I am having way to much fun with my background-color xtml code. Also Acid Cabbage Attack makes me think of that TV show about the evil tomatoes, or as it a movie? Did this actually exist or is my memory just inventing things?

(Thanks to Google, I now know the movie was Attack of the Killer Tomatoes)

So, what do people think of today’s Marisole? I’d love to hear in the comments and if you enjoy the paper dolls, consider supporting the blog on Patreon.

Warm in Winter: African-American Paper Doll Coloring Page

logo-warm-bwHappy Hanukkah to everyone who is celebrating along with me.

Anyway, onto the paper doll, it was important to me to get a coat based set up before it was, you know, March or April. 🙂 So, here is some cute coats along with a fantastic updo and some boots for Marisole Monday and all her friends.

So, I used to think I was really bad about matching up the season to the paper doll set of clothing and I was about to write this whole post about how proud I was for getting these coats up now and not in, you know, June. Then I went through my archives looking for an example of a totally off seasonal post from Marisole Monday & Friends and I couldn’t really find one,

I guess I’m better at pairing up sets to the right season than I ever thought I was. Live and learn, I suppose.

Anyway, today’s printable paper doll is all about the coats. My favorite is the biker jacket. Which one is your favorite?

warm-in-winter-paper-doll-bw

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I love hairsyle magazines for hair ideas, especially for black hairstyles and for short hairstyles- two areas I often think I need help with. I try to pick up hairstyle magazines every few months for new hair ideas. Then I sometimes play a game where I draw things from like every seventh page or I decide I will pick something from an odd numbered page or… You get the idea.

For example, today’s braided style comes from the November 2015 issue of Sophisticate’s Black Hair Styles and Care Guide. According to the magazine, the hair style is a combination of cornrows and box-braids. (I’m still learning my braiding terminology.) I don’t think I captured it perfectly (Marisole has a really low forehead, so that doesn’t help), but I’m pleased with the outcome.

Over on my Pateron, my patrons are busy voting for what the blog goals for 2016 should be. If you’d like to vote too, consider joining up to support the blog on Patreon.

I haven’t decided if I am going to do my usual end of the year drawing for a custom paper doll or not. I confess to being very divided on the subject- there’s a lot on my plate right now.

A Winter Frock and a Summer Frock

ladyship-wig-8My favorite part of this set might be the wacky looking musical instrument. Just maybe, because I also love both of these dresses. Rarely do things come out as close to how I imagined them in my mind.

I am fascinated by historical dress, because dress is one physical manifestation of social and cultural phenomena. By it’s nature, dress is tied to technology and trade of the time when it was created. So, when I am creating a fantasy dress set, part of the process is thinking about consistency in design elements to create an coherent vision for a whole set. This vision comes out in both the sillouhette of the costumes and in specific repeated design elements.

The silhouette for all of Her Ladyship’s paper wardrobe is a high waist with long sleeves and square necklines (the riding and skating outfits don’t have square necklines, but we’ll get there in a minute). Nearly all the dresses are layered with an under-dress and than an over-dress on top. The two dresses that violate these rules are both for activities that, due to their athletic nature, have masculine overtones. The riding habit and the skating costume are both inspired by men’s wear.

ld8-paper-doll
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Her Ladyship’s winter frock shares design elements with her archery outfit. Similarly, her riding habit and her skating costume are very similar- both are athletic outfits.

Her Ladyship’s wardrobe feels like a “set”, because the outfits repeat design elements and style. This is also something I try to do with my one page fantasy sets and my contemporary sets. Dionisia’s wardrobe is held together by doublets. Akemi’s armors are all angular and layered. Denise’s contemporary clothing embraces various types of pleats. If a set feels disjointed, chances are that it is because there are not repeating elements to connect the items.