Thanksgiving Fashion Paper Doll - William

Next up in the Thanksgiving mini-series is William.  In my house, both my husband and I cook.  Especially at Thanksgiving! We usually host it at our house & I couldn't possibly do it all on my own.  So our guy William here got his own apron for his time in the kitchen, too.

Download Fashion Friday - William pdf here

Aside from that, there's isn't much more to say about this set.  Next week, I'll post the tween Thanksgiving paper doll and then wrap things up with a toddler!

Fashion Friday - Independence Day

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while.  Sometimes I get busy, sometimes I get bored, and sometimes it's both.  The last couple of weeks have been busy.  I manage a couple of websites and two of them crashed.  I don't do a lot of web design -- I'm so out of practice!  I also had a logo commission which was such a great project.  I'd much rather create illustrations, logos, etc, than build websites! And THEN, my husband came up with a brilliant idea and we've been working diligently to bring it to life.  And finally, I'm still working with my almost-Kindergartener to get ready for school.  We're both a little nervous, honestly.  He's been with me for 5 1/2 years and I will totally bawl and blubber on his first day of school.

So that was the busy part.

I've also been a little bored.

I've been working more in Photoshop lately and loving it, so when I jump back into Illustrator to create the paper doll downloads for this blog it feels like work.  That's not good for me or you, honestly.  I have a paper doll that will be in the next Paperdoll Studio magazine that I created in Photoshop and I can't wait to share it here!  I want that kind of enthusiasm when I work on a project.  This is, after all, mainly a hobby and hobbies should be fun. (Not to say I wouldn't love to totally go pro, just throwing that out into the ether!!!)

So I'm thinking about developing a Photoshop-colored paper doll series for the blog.  I have some ideas, but nothing concrete.  Suggestions are always welcome! I'm not sure how much time I'll have as my oldest starts school and my joint project with my husband takes off, but I want to keep creating paper dolls.  We'll see what I come up with....

And finally, a paper doll!

Download the Independence Day paper doll pdf here

I wanted to make another family set, like I did at Easter.  In fact, I think these holiday family dolls might inspire a new paper doll book when I eventually have the time! 

Betsy here us actually from 2013 and was the inspiration for the whole set.  I left her unchanged in this set.  I loved the vintage colors & patterns in this doll!

George has a wardrobe that matches Betsy's.  I added shoes so that he can wear the shorts.  They aren't great.  I struggle with shoes.  I'm pretty confident that the shoes won't show with the shoes on the pants, but I didn't test it. And yes, he's named for George Washington.

John and Abigail (as in John and Abigail Adams) have coordinating wardrobes, too.  If you have not seen the John Adams miniseries, do it.  Do it now! American or not, this is an amazing story of a fascinating couple at a crucial moment in history.

So here you go.  A fun little paper doll set to get through a long holiday weekend!

A Family at Easter Paper Doll Set

First off, just a tiny little rant: I replaced my Surface Pro 3 AGAIN this week.  The folks at the Microsoft store were super helpful (and so awesome to my kids!) but seriously, I'm tired of replacing my computer ever 90 days.  This time, the touch screen malfunctioned.  Kind of a problem since that's the whole reason I bought this computer!  Anyway, they replaced my machine & that's great, but Microsoft -- please get your act together with the Surface. It has the potential to be amazing. Thanks :)

Now that I got that out of the way, I have an Easter family paper doll set this week!

Download A Family at Easter paper doll pdf here

This set has a mom, dad, and toddler.  Well, that's how I think of it anyway!  If you'd like a family with a different configuration, all of this outfits fit all of the previous paper dolls.  Maybe not the hats, though.  That might take a little experimenting!

Each set is named after something spring-ish.  The mom is Dahlia. She's got a sweater and skirt as well as the dress from the cover.

Robin, the dad, has an outfit inspired by the mom & daughter.  I made his daisy pattern & plaid blue tones instead of pink tones.  And I love the grey!

And finally, little miss Ivy.  I skipped the mix & match wardrobe this time and went with just dresses.  Her hat is the same as Dahlia's.  I don't draw a lot of hats so if these are a little off, then, well, I guess I need more practice!

Also, I've started venturing into stock art.  I love creating vectors, so I thought I'd try selling them.  Some of the elements in this set are from this experimenting. You can find them here and here.

And one more note.  If you love the font on the paper doll cover as much as I do, you can get it here.  I grabbed it for free during a promo, but all of the Ornaments of Grace sets are gorgeous.  (And I don't know the artist or have any financial interest, etc.  Just sharing something I love! Good karma & such.... )

So to all of you celebrating Easter, enjoy it!  I'll be cooking for my in-laws and having a generally busy weekend!!

Fashion Friday - Jack

I'll admit - today's doll isn't terribly inspired. It's the beginning of my busy season, and my brain is a bit fried! I host Thanksgiving at my house, then my oldest son has an early December birthday, my husband's birthday is near Christmas, then there's Christmas and the various family activities involved with that. Honestly, I enjoy being busy. I like hosting family and friends. I like the long drives to visit distant family.  And Christmas has become a true joy with my sons. I find, though, that "busy" and "creative" don't always fit together well.

So today we've got Jack in a holiday sweater and jeans.  I wanted to make a guy this week.  It's been a while! And, although the outfit isn't very exciting, the pattern is! I've been trying to figure out how to make a vector sweater pattern for ages and this is the result. I really should share a full tutorial on how I made this.  It wasn't super complicated, but it did take a little patience and a lot of alignment.  You'll see more sweater patterns in the future now that I've go the hang of it!

Also, here's a bit of a shout-out. Cory Jensen makes amazing paper dolls and he shared his Kristin Chenoweth paper doll on Twitter. She loved it! You can see for yourself on his Facebook or Twitter. Congrats on the brush with celebrity, Cory.  You deserve the attention!

Download Fashion Friday - Jack pdf here

Fairy Tale Friday- The Frog Prince

My nieces came to play with my sons this week and we all had a blast!  They love seeing what my newest projects are.  They got to see this doll in process & found that fascinating!

I thought is was time for another prince.  I didn't want a Disney-specific prince.  I try to avoid making direct fan art with these fairy tale dolls (though it does sometimes happen...) so I didn't want one of the Disney prince names.  Instead I have the Frog Prince.  I found some super cute frog clip art and incorporated that into a couple of patterns.  I also wanted a prince who was a little less blond & pale!  I'll be working on a non-white princess at some point, too.

So here's the Frog Prince.  I have another step in the vector paper doll process to post on Monday.  Have a great weekend!

Download Fairy Tale Friday - The Frog Prince pdf here

Fashion Friday - Sebastian

I had no idea what to post today!  I have a couple of ideas floating around, but didn't want to post them today.  Instead, I went to my new favorite site - Pinterest - and started digging around.  I found a fantastic men's suit and thought, why not?  So today we have a Kentucky Derby inspired men's outfit.

Enjoy!

Download Fashion Friday - Sebastian pdf here

Fairy Tale Fashion Friday - Prince Charming

My last fairy tale doll was not a favorite.  I may try to re-do that doll at some point.  Today I decided to post a Prince Charming doll, for two reasons.  First, I like to have some diversity -- why not make a prince to go with those (and forthcoming) princesses? And, secondly, my little prince is having a birthday tomorrow.  My youngest son is turning two, so this fair skinned blond prince is for him.

Download Fairy Tale Friday - Prince Charming pdf here

Fashion Doll Friday - Steve

Let me just say that "fashion" might be a bit of a stretch for this doll! If you've ever lived anywhere in the US that is cold and/or has hunting, you've seen this outfit.  As everyone knows by now, I live in New England and my family has been here for like a million generations or something.  For much of that time, we've lived in Vermont.  It's where I got my start.  Anyway, there is an institution in Vermont called the Johnson Woolen Mills and since the 1840s, they have been producing this hunting jacket.  Every man (and some of the women) in my family has at least one of these jackets!  One year, my father got a new one for Christmas or his birthday (I forget which now...) and it was  a bit snug.  So I inherited it! And I've been wearing it ever since.  When the storm hit this week, my husband was at work. He ended up working a 16 hour day and I had to shovel.  A task made much easier by my hearty Johnson Woolen jacket.

So thanks, Dad, for the warm coat and a family tradition.  Now we need to take my boys up to Vermont and get THEIR jackets!

Download the Fashion Friday - Steve pdf here

Fashion Friday - Megan

Today's doll is another commemorative one!  Last year, my husband & I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary.  Ironically, on the same day, one of my close high school friends got married.  So as we celebrate our 6th anniversary, she's enjoying her 1st this weekend.

I tried to be as faithful as possible to her lovely dress.  I think it's pretty close.  Her groom has a more generic suit because I couldn't see a good picture of it.  They're a cute, tanned, sun-loving Florida couple :)

So this doll is for you, Megan!  Happy anniversary!

 

Download Fashion Friday - Megan and Rob pdf here

50 Dolls! Fashion Friday - Madison and Michael

This is the 50th regularly scheduled Friday doll! To celebrate, I made it a double.  There's Madison and Michael in mad patterns.  I realize there are more than 50 dolls if you count the wedding dolls, but this is the 50th "regular" doll.

The patterns are from Din Pattern and worked surprisingly well in Illustrator.  These are .gif patterns designed for pixel-based editors (ie: Photoshop) or repeating backgrounds for websites.  And they are gorgeous.

Speaking of patterns, I've been experimenting with the newest version of Illustrator.  It has a built-in pattern maker so I've been going pattern crazy!

Anyway, here are Madison and Michael.  Enjoy!

Download the Madison-Michael pdf here

Fashion Friday - Wedding Edition 2013

This past weekend, my husband and I were invited to a lovely wedding for a terrific couple.  The bride & I have frequently talked about paper dolls, so I thought a commemorative doll was in order.   They were married at a seaside hotel right on the Atlantic, so I included an ocean view for the dolls.

I'm putting this up at full resolution and not as a PDF download.  If anyone would prefer a PDF, just let me know and I can do that.

Also, these dolls will fit with all the other fashion dolls, too.

And here's a link to the pdf (without backgrounds)

Enjoy!

Fashion Friday - Adam

Well, the family tree binge is just about over and I am overwhelmed!  I added over 600 people to my already ridiculously large tree, as well as several hundred documents.  Now it's time to get back to primary research: birth records, marriage records, gravesites, etc, and sifting through what I've accumulated.  I love research and I am very much looking forward to the next phase of a decade+ long project.

Enough about that, let's get to the doll!

Today's doll is a guy!  It felt like it was time to make another guy for the ladies, so I came up with Adam.  I wanted a young, hipster, grungy professor type of guy.  He's named for one of my favorite profs, Dr. Adams.  I really need to learn a little more about men's fashion.  I think they all wear t-shirts, jeans, and jackets! Anyway, let me know what you think.  Enjoy the doll!

Download Fashion Friday - Adam pdf here

Fashion Friday - Cole

And now for something completely different....

I decided to make a guy doll. I'll admit, this is more of a modified version of my groom doll than anything else, but it was fun nonetheless.

Still working furiously on a new doll project.  I was shooting for November 1st to launch, but it'll probably be more like the following Monday.  It's going to be a customizable/personalized doll.  Again, more on that to come.

Til now, help find Cole a date :)

Download Fashion Friday - Cole pdf here

Fashion Friday - Anniversary Edition

So the Fashion Friday doll this week is another wedding one.  It wasn't something I planned -- just worked out this way.  Today's doll is a bit different.  It's two pages and it's to commemorate my wedding anniversary.  Tomorrow is our 5th anniversary so I created a bride and groom doll.  I took a few liberties, but I love the way it came out.

For anyone printing the doll, it's a large pdf (about 10mb).  If the pdf is too big, I'll put up jpgs or something to download.  Also, the gown should fit all of the previous dolls just fine.  Created a male doll was a challenge & I might do more of them now that I've worked out the kinks.

Anyway, enjoy!  I'll try to post on Monday, but we'll be busy most of this weekend so if I post, it might be a little late.

Download the doll here