Masquerade Paper Doll -- Collaboration with Paper Thin Personas

Happy Halloween!  Today is a big deal in my house. I love Halloween and my boys do, too.  As I mentioned recently, Rachel from Paper Thin Personas, boots with her new site Pop Culture Paper Dolls and I decided to do a paper doll round-robin.

It was a great success!

We had numerous submissions.  We decided to split them into three pdfs, so you'll have to go to each site to get the complete set.  I have the first section, which includes the base doll, and an overview here.  You'll have to visit the other two sites -- I suspect many of you are already familiar with Paper Thin Personas and Pop Culture Paper Dolls is going to be amazing! Well worth visiting...

One more thing before I share the doll.  I want to say a special thank you to the children who participated.  I have always felt that paper dolls are a lovely art form, but above all else, they're toys.  They are engaging, creative, fun toys and it's no secret that I developed my love of art in part because of paper dolls.  So thank you to my youngest contributors.  I'm always eager to see new artists develop their talents.  Keep drawing!

Grab the first pdf here.

Visit Paper Thin Personas and Pop Culture Paper Dolls to round out your collection!

Have a happy, sugar-filled, and safe Halloween!!

Halloween Toddler Fashion Friday - Kefira

I LOVE it when I can end a project with a bang -- and this is it!  I love this doll.  Seriously.  I try not to play favorites (like with my kiddos!!) but this is one of my all-time favorites.  I kind of want to use that cat pattern on everything. (Shameless self-promotion: sometimes I do take the patterns I make for my paper dolls and release them as fabric on Spoonflower.com)

Download Halloween Toddler Fashion Friday - Kefira pdf here

I asked for suggestions last week, and one reader suggested animal costumes.  I love that idea and I think it would make a nice little mini series.  Today, I settled on a cat costume.  The only way I could really get the mask to work was to make it specific to this doll.  As much as I like flexibility, sometimes I just need to use the simplest solution to a problem.

Do you like her purple hair?  It was a last-minute decision.  I wanted it to look like purple spray on hair color.  I kinda like it! And her name -- Kefira -- is apparently Hebrew for lion cub.  It was an unusual name that seemed appropriate!

That's the end of the toddler costumes.  I'm going to have some simpler dolls for November so that I can focus on my annual December paper doll.  I have a rough idea I'm toying with, but suggestions are always welcome (and encouraged!)

Have a nice Halloween.  I might even have a treat up that day... ;)

Halloween Toddler Fashion Friday - Lucas

First, old business:  If you're interested in participating in the Halloween round-robin, the deadline is fast approaching! Grab the paper doll and see the details here. Submissions are due Saturday, October 24th by midnight Eastern Standard Time.  We've had some great submissions so far -- make sure you send us yours!!

Now, this week's toddler paper doll, Lucas.

Download Halloween Toddler Fashion Friday - Lucas pdf here

Lucas is a ghost for Halloween! This ghost costume should fit any of the boy toddlers and might fit most of the girl ones, too.  I'm really happy with this one!  My boys love hoodies right now, so I included one of those.  And I really like the colors.  Halloween doesn't have to be just blacks & greys!

Next week is the last Halloween toddler.  I'm not sure what I'll make yet, so if you want to share an idea, go for it!  I do know it'll be a girl, but that's it.  Til then, sharpen your pencils (or Photoshop, Illustrator, etc...) and send in your masquerade paper doll outfits!

Reminder: Halloween Round-Robin Paper Doll

Just a reminder -- if you want to participate in the Halloween round-robin paper paper doll project, the deadline is October 24th.  We've had some great early submissions & we'd love some more! Details below.... 

How this Works: 
Step 1: Download the paper doll (PDF is here or right-click on the jpg in the post)
Step 2: Print the file at Full Size or Open the file with your favorite graphics editor.
Step 3: Draw a masquerade gown. It can be in color or black and white. No judgement here. Just create something that inspires you.
Step 4. Save or scan your gown at 300 dpi as a JPG or PNG. (This part is important to I can make sure all the gowns are high quality for the finished set.)
Step 4: Email your gown to me at paperthinpersonas@gmail.com  or Julie at jamatthews@ymail.com before Midnight (Eastern Time) on the 24th of October. Be sure to include how you’d like to be credited and if you want to say something about your design, than tell us that too!
Step 5: Wait until the 31st of October when Rachel and I will post the finished gowns and the doll, all ready to attend the Masquerade Ball!

Rachel and I are both really excited about this project!  We're hoping you are, too.  So, sharpen your pencil and jump into this project with us! 

Halloween Toddler Fashion Friday - Ailsa

First of all, I'm super excited about the Halloween paper doll round-robin!  Check out the details here and be sure to participate. The more, the merrier!

I just started reading the Outlander novels -- these are VERY much adult books, but really good.  They take place in Scotland and I felt inspired to name my autumn fairy Ailsa, a Scottish name that means "supernatural victory".

Download Halloween Toddler Fashion Friday - Ailsa pdf here

I like dark & spooky costumes at Halloween, but it occurred to me that fairies & princesses might be popular.  Today I have an autumn fairy.  Some parts are better than others, I'll admit.  I like the fall leaf pattern and the lower fairy costume top works for me, but some of the other pieces....well, less so. Anyway, I'll have another boy Halloween doll up next Friday!

Halloween Paper Doll Round-Robin

It's October and I have already said way too many times that I love Halloween.  What better way to spend October than by drawing paper dolls?  Rachel over at Paper Thin Personas agrees and we've decided to launch a collaboration project!

I drew the masquerade base doll.  It's been ages since I drew a crazy awesome gown and when Rachel suggested it, I was totally on board! We have some artists who are ready to draw along with us and we're hoping that our readers will join us, too.

How this Works: 
Step 1: Download the paper doll (PDF is here or right-click on the jpg in the post)
Step 2: Print the file at Full Size or Open the file with your favorite graphics editor.
Step 3: Draw a masquerade gown. It can be in color or black and white. No judgement here. Just create something that inspires you.
Step 4. Save or scan your gown at 300 dpi as a JPG or PNG. (This part is important to I can make sure all the gowns are high quality for the finished set.)
Step 4: Email your gown to me at paperthinpersonas@gmail.com  or Julie at jamatthews@ymail.com before Midnight (Eastern Time) on the 24th of October. Be sure to include how you’d like to be credited and if you want to say something about your design, than tell us that too!
Step 5: Wait until the 31st of October when Rachel and I will post the finished gowns and the doll, all ready to attend the Masquerade Ball!

Rachel and I are both really excited about this project!  We're hoping you are, too.  So, sharpen your pencil and jump into this project with us! 

Halloween Toddler Fashion Friday - Isaac

My oldest son is now in kindergarten and I get to hear all of the kindergarten gossip on our walk home every day.  He's made lots of friends -- which is great -- and I hear about the same friends regularly.  One of them is Isaac, a name I've always liked anyway.  I asked my son what Isaac looked like and he said he had yellow hair.  So my Isaac is a blond (he has the same skin and hair as Shelby and would make a great brother for her!).

Download Halloween Toddler Fashion Friday - Isaac pdf here

Isaac has a skeleton Halloween costume.  The skull mask won't fit any other dolls, but the costume will.  The rest of Isaac's wardrobe is skull & crossbone themed.  I need to create some new boy clothing but truthfully, boy clothing is pretty boring once they're past infancy.  It's pants or shorts with a limited variety of shirt styles.  I'll see what I can do about variety....

Next week is another Halloween toddler!

Halloween Toddler Fashion Friday - Catrina

Happy October!  I LOVE Halloween....probably more than any other holiday.  If you're looking for Halloween paper dolls past, there are a bunch from last year (starting here or in book form here) and one from my much-neglected portfolio site here.  And some decorating paper crafts here,  which I may print out for my kids this year.

I'll be posting costumed toddler paper dolls every Friday this month.  Today I'm starting with Catrina!

 Download Halloween Toddler Fashion Friday - Catrina here

Catrina is dressing up as a witch for Halloween!  I'm not 100% sure the hat will work.  There's a line to cut and a tab to glue.  It should be ok.... I don't make a lot of paper doll hats! 

I'm going to do a mix of boy & girl dolls in the coming weeks.  Next week there's going to be a cute little boy.  Watch for it and have fun cutting out Catrina!