Akinyi, A Mix and Match Paper Doll

I've mentioned before that I've been working in Photoshop lately.  There's a style that I started working with way back with my Karl Urban paper doll and I've been refining it on & off ever since.  When I colored the Karl Urban doll, I used a Wacom tablet.  It's great, but wasn't quite what I wanted.  Since then, I've upgraded (with some challenges) to a Microsoft Surface Pro 3.  It provides a much more natural drawing/painting feel since I'm drawing directly on the screen.

Last summer, I pulled a tiny sketch out of one of my sketchbooks.  It was an older scribble, not great but interesting.  So I started playing around with it.  Eventually, I created 4 paper dolls that I thought might become my December paper doll.  They didn't, for a number of reasons.

Here's one of those sketches, complete with notes.  I write a lot of notes on my initial sketches -- sometimes it takes me years to come back to a project!

I liked the winter outfit sketches for these dolls, but it still just wasn't something I was interested in pursuing.  I needed a reason to work on these dolls.  I found this summer (so about a year later...) that a great reason would be to practice my ever-evolving Photoshop coloring technique and perfecting the use of my Surface.

To download, right-click and save image.  This is a jpg image and should print just fine!

I still wanted a mix and match doll.  I wanted to represent a broad swath of skin tones and ethnicities.  I also wanted to work with some patterns & textures that I recently acquired for a totally different project.  This is the first paper doll in the set.

I'm posting it as just the jpg but I may have a pdf at some point.  The four dolls in this set with have mix and match wardrobes on each sheet, as well as mixing with each other.  I may release wardrobe-only sheets after the initial four doll set is complete.

The coloring on these came out exactly the way I wanted!  The lines and anatomy....well, I have a lot more to say about that.  Maybe on Monday.

One last thing -- if there's any demand for this as a black & white sheet for coloring, I can do that.  Just let me know!

I promise, there will be more toddler paper dolls in the future.  I just needed a bit of a break!

Toddler Fashion Friday - Carolyn

Today's toddler is based on Charlotte, from way back in January 2013.  At that time, I had a 10 month old baby and a barely-3 toddler.  Now, I sit on my couch, typing away while this two kiddos play video games together.  My youngest is now 3 and my oldest is getting ready for kindergarten! I'm amazed and thrilled that I'm still working on these paper dolls and that my boys are turning into fantastic little people!

Download Toddler Fashion Friday - Carolyn pdf here

I'm getting closer to revealing a new paper doll project! Hopefully it'll be ready next week.  It's a fun one and I want to get it just right....! Til then, have a great weekend!

Toddler Fashion Friday - Sparrow

We're going to the zoo!  My sister, her daughters, and me with my boys are all going to the zoo today.  So why not a zoo inspired toddler paper doll?!

Download Toddler Fashion Friday - Sparrow pdf here

 

I went with a couple of animal prints on this doll and some nature inspired colors.  If you're feeling adventurous, you could add Tamsin's zebra leggings to this mix, too!  And pretty much all of Kelly's wardrobe would mix well.

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!

Fashion Friday - Camille

My computer is back up & running.  I was lucky that it was a simple fix this time. I love drawing on my Surface way too much to switch to something else, despite it's obvious flaws.....

In keeping with my Japanese theme for this month, I have something a little different today.  The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has a lovely collection of Asian art as well as Impressionist art.  One painting that spans both is La Japonaise by Claude Monet.  This is a painting of his wife, Camille, in a blonde wig and Japanese kimono.  It's returning to the MFA after conservation & a tour abroad.

Download Fashion Friday - Camille pdf here

This painting seemed like a fitting subject for a paper doll! Now, I'm not sure what Camille Monet wore under HER kimono, so I kept the doll base the same as all of the others.  I'm not totally sure about the accuracy of the kimono either.  The painting shows figure in profile, so I had to guess at the front of this.  Check out the MFA's page on the painting here.

Maybe I'll do a whole series of art paper dolls.  How fun would that be?!  Anyway, enjoy!

Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Fail AGAIN

This is not the ideal forum for this rant. But in a way, it kind of is. I create digital art and most of the art on this blog is digital. When my computer fails, I can't create for myself or clients and I'm seriously annoyed.

I'm on my way to the Microsoft store again today. For those who have not been following along, I'm on my 5th Surface Pro 3 since August 2014. This is the paperwork I've accumulated. I bought my Surface August 16, had it replaced October 22. I brought it back in March and had it replaced twice in one month. I then brought it in in April where it was replaced again. I chose a machine for digital art and it's great for that when it works. And the techs at the store are great but seriously Microsoft, get your shit together. I may not be a famous comics artist but I want a functioning digital art computer too. /rant ‪#‎MicrosoftSurfacePro‬ ‪#‎fail‬

Fashion Friday - Hana

For Mother's Day, my husband & sons got me a membership to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.  We had a chance to go this past weekend and it was great! I've been going to the MFA for at least 15 years, and I try to go a minimum of once a year.  It's a great collection and is especially strong in Japanese art.

Check out this little gem that I found.

I found a 19th century Japanese paper doll! How funny is that?! This was in the Japanese galleries, a place I always visit when I go to the MFA.  I've probably walked by this a dozen times and never noticed it! Here's a photo of the description that was next to it.

This is especially coincidental since I had planned on making a Japanese inspired paper doll for today.

I am not an expert on Japanese fashion.  Not even a little bit.  I am more than happy to derive inspiration for people who know more than I do.  For this project, I visited Liana's Pinterest board on furisode. If you, like me, have no idea what a furisode is, Wikipedia has a nice little article.  My paper dolls are meant to be teens/young women so a furisode seemed appropriate.

Download Fashion Friday - Hana pdf here

I also had the good fortune to find a bunch of vector Japanese patterns.  Now, I don't know much about the cultural meanings of certain colors or patterns. I did know enough to steer clear of white.  I think this is cute & youthful and hopefully a good representation of a furisode.