Fan Art Paper Doll

For this last day of January, I have a fan art paper doll to share! I don't create a lot of fan art. Part of that is because I enjoy making my own things. That's not a judgement thing - make whatever resonates with you - but it's just not for me. Second, I'm not a huge pop culture person. I'm just not. I'd be perfectly fine never turning on a TV or attending a movie ever again. My musical taste stalled out around 1998 and very little has been added since then. If not for my kids & husband, I would have no clue about current culture. 

I do, however, like video games.

I'm more of a cozy/exploring and retro kind of gamer. I resisted Minecraft for a long time but my boys dragged me into it. And it's so fun! I often play in peaceful mode because I like exploring, gathering, and building without having a creeper blow me up in a deep dark mine. I have young parents so we had a couple of Atari systems growing up. Also, I've been a Nintendo fan since I first tried it in the late 80s. Super Mario 3 is easily my favorite game ever. I like fun games, not "slaughter monsters" kind of games. All of the men in my house enjoy those and that's fine. Just not for me.

My current cozy go-to game is Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Now before you all come here and tell me that I'm a little late to the party, I know. 2020 was a BIG year for Animal Crossing. My 2020 was a bit busy and I posted literally nothing here in 2021. Life happens. 

Anyway...I asked for a Nintendo Switch Lite for my birthday last year. I was tired of sharing with the kids and I wanted to spend less time on my phone. Sometimes I get stuck in the mud of the internet. It's a problem. In keeping with my goal of being a bit more 1995 and a little less 2025, I've been playing my Nintendo a lot. Like A LOT. Most of it in Animal Crossing.

 That's me! That's my character! AND those are all clothing items from my in-game wardrobe. It's fan art so feel free to print it and play with it but it's for personal use only. If you want to see other fan art from over the years, I have Mabel from Gravity Falls here and here as well as Fiona from Adventure Time. 

Because transparency is really important to me, I want to share how I made this paper doll. I tried drawing this one free-hand but I just could not get it. The sketch is so truly bad that I just cannot share it. It's so far outside of my style that I just couldn't crack it. This was meant to be a fun personal project, not a stressful experience. So I traced parts of this and improvised other parts. I learned so much about how these characters are constructed that I would not have learned without tracing it. Tracing is a tool for learning so that's what I did. I learned. AND I had fun. Honestly, I think I might make it a point to trace other things that are way outside of my style so that I can learn different approaches. 

And that's ok. 

One of my favorite social media personalities right now is Scott Christian Sava. If you aren't familiar with him, go to his YouTube. I also follow him on Instagram. Everything about him is an inspiration but what I love most is that he shares his deepest thoughts about art and the art making process. He's shared videos about how he traces to learn even after decades of making amazing art. Check him out because he's excellent!

Let me know what you think of my fan art Animal Crossing gal! I have loads of fun in-game outfits that would make an excellent second page at some point. And if YOU happen to play Animal Crossing, let's connect! I still need cherries and oranges for my island. My current goal is to get all of the fruits.