It's October. I know this. But in order to get myself organized for a chaotic holiday season, I decided to start working on my December paper doll early. This has its advantages: first, I'm not super stressed out in November trying to complete a 30 page doll; second, it allows me a little time to actually research what I want to make; and third, it allows for a bit of input from my dear readers.
Last year, I created
Santa and Mrs Claus paper dolls that I just loved. (You can grab an
extended paper doll book here -- these printed beautifully and I highly recommend it!) The style felt really natural and the project came together fairly easily. I've been kicking around some ideas for this year's doll and I settled on something I hope everyone likes.
Feel free to right-click and download this paper doll and make your own outfits for her! (Personal use only, etc, etc...)
Now, I don't like to do things that are overtly religious. I don't belong to any organized religion myself and one of my goals for this blog is to be inclusive. Diversity in everything including something as niche as paper dolls can only be a good thing, I think.
Angels occur in many religions and cultures, so I feel fairly safe using them as a somewhat neutral theme.
The other thing I try to avoid is being overly political, both here and in my personal social media. Again, I respect everyone's opinions and hope that others respect mine. This year, though, there's a tiny bit of politics in this project. I'm heartbroken about the events occurring in my country. The violence, hatred, and xenophobia are a bit hard to swallow at the moment. I want to highlight the goodness we still have and that's the inspiration for this angel.
I'm still trying to decide on a face for the paper doll. I'm leaning towards the downcast, closed eyes. Anyone else have an opinion? And yes, she's a brown skinned angel. I felt that was important in light of what I said above. I already know that I want some African inspired outfits for her.
And this is where things become more challenging.
Can I create an inclusive angel paper dolls without being accused of cultural appropriate? I hope so. There's so much beauty in the world and I want to see all of it. I understand the significance of color in kente clothe about as much as I understand the clan associations of Scottish tartans (which is not at all). I want to learn and creating is how I learn.
So let me know what you think of this draft. I have some kinks to work out and I'm undecided about the face. And please, I'd love suggestions for outfits! I'm no where near the 30 I need for the month! Also, call me out on this. Is it a good idea? A bad idea? I love the collaborative input of sharing my projects on a blog. Hopefully I can post more process images along the way!
