Books! Books! Books!

It's been a looooong time between posts! Pandemics, remote learning, etc, have definitely cut into art time. I'm not posting here as much as I'd like but I AM keeping busy! I have two new books available and I wanted to share them here.

First up, Fun with Mom. 

I wanted to create a vintage style mom & daughter book wit modern themes. It went through A LOT of sketches and edits! 

The covers were especially tough for me. I've worked on a bunch of covers and layouts for other artists, but found my own challenging. I reached out for help & the absolutely wonderful David Wolfe cooked up a vintage inspired idea.

I'm really happy with how it all came together! You can grab a copy here.

Next up is Rose & Ivy.
 

This started as a 100 day project way back in April of 2019. I decided to pick & chose among the 20 pages I created for that project and added a few new new pieces, too. For this, the cover was designed before the doll was even colored! I had some clip art that I just loved and based the color scheme on that as well. Once I colored the dolls in pink and green, that's when I came up with Rose and Ivy. This book was almost exclusively colored in Autodesk Sketchbook Pro - it's a natural media program and it's free for just about every platform. You can download it here if you're interested.The outfits are loosely based on the Victorian era. And it's all skirts and dresses! Grab your copy here. 

I'm hoping to share a few more projects before the end of the year. I'm on Instagram with more regular updates!

DAY 100!!!!

....and that's a wrap!

I managed to complete the 100 Days of Paper Dolls! It wasn't 100 consecutive days but I'm ok with that.   The point is this: I started it, I finished it, and I'm proud of that.  It's TOUGH and I very nearly did not complete it.  Honestly, I'm amazed by anyone who completes a 100 day challenge, etc. Even finishing half of it is a job well done in my opinion.

A special thanks to everyone who had words of encouragement. It really does make a difference!! At some point I'll color these and arrange them into something.  Just not sure what yet.

So Happy New Year from me to all of you out there! I'll have more posts & projects in January.  Not sure what or when, but it's coming.  See you in 2020!

100 Days of Paper Dolls - Day 95

One more page...one more page... I'm really hoping to get that last page finished.  You'd think that vacation would be the ideal time to wrap this up. Nope! Honestly, though, my husband is home for the same days as the kids and we've been doing stuff together. Paper dolls can wait!

Days 91-95 are on this sheet. 

Maybe I'll get up before everyone tomorrow and get that last sheet done. Maybe. And I do plan on finishing the collaboration pages.  That will probably be early January.  I just ran out of hours!

One more page...just one more...!!!!

100 Days of Paper Dolls - Day 90

Wow day 90! Didn't think it would EVER happen but I'm glad I went back to it. Sometimes taking a break is a good thing!

The reason these last two sets were posted so close together is because I drew them back-to-back. I posted one, decided to keep drawing, and managed to pull together today's sheet in about two hours.  That was very speedy for sure!

Today's sheet coordinates with this sheet. Somewhere along the way my numbering and posting got a bit tangled up.  That's fine. It all worked out!

Because my previous sheet had kind of a '40s vibe, I did that with this one, too. Two more sheets to go and then it's on to coloring these!

100 Days of Paper Dolls - Day 85

THREE TO GO!! Ok, I'm pretty excited at the prospect of finishing this up.  Unfinished projects annoy me....!

This set is very weather appropriate - we've had a few snowstorms this year.  It's a nice change over last year where we had almost nothing.  Although there's some debate in my house about that...my husband (who usually clears the driveway!) is not exactly a fan of the snow!

Fur is so fun to draw! And I love all things embroidered.  This set is meant to coordinate with this one from May. It'll be fun to see them all together at the end of this. 

Ok, back to the drawing board.  Three sheets to go!!

100 Days of Paper Dolls - Day 80

Any one else looking at their calendars and asking where December went?! I met up with a friend this week who said she hadn't seen me in ages. And I laughed because it's true!! From Thanksgiving until New Year's, my calendar is so jam-packed with doctor's appointments, school activities, parent-teacher conferences, and two birthdays ON TOP OF Christmas that I feel like I hardly have time to sleep! I know I'm not the only one, either.  It's a nutty time of year but I wouldn't trade it for anything.  Ok, maybe more coffee....

Today I have Day 80 of the 100 Days of Paper Dolls.

There isn't a whole lot to say about this one. I love ruffles, of course.  And I'm starting to get excited about coloring all of these pages. The end is in sight!

Speaking of color.... The ol' blog has been black & white all of this year! I didn't really mean to do that and I DO plan on having some color posts for next year! Gotta figure out what to do for next year.....!

100 Days of Paper Dolls - Days 66-75

As promised. I have two sheets for the second doll in the 100 Days project. My wrist is fine - it felt terrible most of Tuesday but I rested & here we are.

I've been trying to match the previous doll.  These two sheets are based on this one and this one. When I create a "matching" set like the back half of this 100 Days project, I try not to make an exact match.  Rather, I try to take details and broad ideas from one set and apply it to the second. In the 66-70 sheet, I wanted to repeat the angular yoke, stirrup leggings, ruffles, and vest of the previous set.  With the 71-75 sheet, I wanted to repeat the lace, ruffles, hairpiece, and jacket.  Some of these are more successful than others and that's ok. I'm not crazy about the ruffled skirt on the left...but then again, I wasn't crazy about the one it's based on so that makes sense.  I don't think of this as final, either.  I like to tinker!

By my estimation, there are 4 more sheets to come.  So watch for those!

100 Days of Paper Dolls - sketches

I hope everyone in the US had a happy Thanksgiving! And that you're all safe from the snow... We spent it with my family - always a good time! I got a bit busy with family stuff and winter stuff, so I'm a bit behind. I have two 100 Days sheets to work on and the collaboration sheet. I may push the November one out to December and post them together.

Today's post is going to be a little different. I didn't get the the 100 Days sheets. My plan was to work on them today but we got hit with a foot of snow with more on the way! Our snowblower broke (it's fixable!!) so the boys & I went out to shovel what we could while my husband went to work.

And I sprained my right wrist.

It isn't terrible. I have a brace on it & I'm going to rest it. Should be fine in a day of two.  In the meantime, I can't do much. Drawing is pretty much out of the question and typing is not great.  So instead of pushing it, I'm going to post some sketches!

After I finished the first 50 days of the 100 Day project, I decided to take a break and draw a new doll. I started drawing it in ArtRage and this is a screenshot of that. I was not happy with it at all! So I abandoned it. Not every drawing is good. That's ok.

I took another break to work on other projects. At this point I discovered Sketchbook Pro. And I thought I'd experiment with that.  I found a pose I mostly liked and went from there.

An arm replacement....

Here's the sketch. I make it a point of pride NOT to trace. I add the reference image(s) to my file, draw, and then compare just the same way I do on paper.  I used a rough pencil tool to sketch and a pen tool to line.  This becomes my final image.

And here are the two dolls together. I wanted to make sure the poses were complimentary and the size of the two doll was similar.  I see mistakes in both but what artist doesn't?!

So that's a brief walk through. I'm hoping to get my sheets drawn and posted by the end of the week! Meanwhile, stay safe & warm. That's my plan!

100 Days of Paper Dolls - Day 65

It's almost Thanksgiving here in the US! The kiddos have a short week (2 and a half days) and then it's off to see family.  We're planning on seeing the new Frozen movie so that'll be fun. I'm also hoping to work on the next installment of this project. We'll see how that goes!

I'm really enjoying this return to the 100 day project. Revisiting the previous doll has been fun (and nerve wracking - sometimes I want to redraw all the things!!) Today's set coordinates with this set here.  Truthfully, I couldn't draw the truly complicated folds that I wanted to this time because I messed up my back. Apparently I'm at the age where sitting can cause injury. Who knew?! As a result, my desk chair & I have not been getting along well....

If you didn't know this already, I love drawing ringlets.  There was a method I hit upon a while back and, as a result,  I draw them all the time! And ruffles. Same thing happened with ruffles. Just goes to show how important it is to always be open to learning. 

That's it for today! I'm going to stay out of my chair, rest my back, and try to get the next post up Saturday.  Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate!

100 Days of Paper Dolls - Day 60

Anyone else having a super busy November?! Trick question - everyone is!

Last weekend was a busy one for me.  A few people from my local paper doll group (if you're in New England and interested, PLEASE reach out to me - we have so much fun!) went into Boston for a visit with the delightful artist Ralph Hodgdon.  It's always a thrill seeing another artist' studio.  I was too enthralled to take any pictures.  We all had a lovely time! After that, two of us popped over to the Hynes Convention Center for the Boston Book Fair.  We listed to the curator of the Kay Nielsen exhibition at the MFA and then wandered around the fair.  Again, I didn't take any pictures. Sometimes you just need to be in the moment!! Anyway, it was terrific! I was lucky enough to tour with an incredibly knowledgeable collector and saw some unbelievable paper dolls. I'll definitely go again!

Today I have another sheet in the 100 Days of Paper Dolls series.

This page is meant to coordinate with the second sheet for the first doll. Lots of ruffles, tabs, and buttons on this one! And it looks like the next page should be ready on Tuesday, so look for that!


AND since it's that time of year already, if you're looking to buy paper dolls (mine or anyone else's of course) for the holidays, hop over to Paperdoll Review. There's some really great stuff there....!

100 Days of Paper Dolls - Day 55

As promised, I have the first full wardrobe sheet for the second paper doll in the 100 Days of Paper Dolls project.

I want these two dolls to "speak" to each other.  The wardrobe for the second doll is based on the wardrobe for the first doll.  Here's the first page of the first doll for comparison.

Because I simply can't leave well enough alone, I'll probably go back and tinker with BOTH of these paper dolls once the project wraps up.  The next page should be up on Thursday (give or take a day or two!!) so watch for that!    

100 Days of Paper Dolls - Day 51

The year is quickly wrapping up! I decided to go back and finish up the 100 Days of Paper Dolls project.  I'll post the last 50 days from now until the end of the year. My plan is to post a full sheet every 5 days. This will be instead of a big December project but I think it's a nice way to finish out the year.

Also, everything I posted this year was black & white! I absolutely did not plan that! I do want to start thinking about next year and the next phase of this little ol' blog.  What would YOU like to see? Any thoughts are always appreciated!

There's a lot of real-world stuff going on.  First, I have THREE books coming out from Paper Studio Press.  Two are perfected versions of earlier projects so they may look familiar.  One is a collaboration with the extraordinary David Wolfe.

First up is Josephine's Wardrobe.  This set has always been a favorite of mine! She got a little jazzed up and there are some completely new items in here. I got my copies recently - they are beautiful!

Second is Victorian Mix & Match. This set was one that I meticulously researched! Every outfit is based on a real one.  I went through and cleaned up every single item in this edition.  It's the definitive version and, again, beautifully printed.

Third, is Stripes! It's the most unique project I've ever done. I've mentioned it previously but in short, it's a collaboration project.  David Wolfe came up with the concept and drawings while I digitally colored them.  It's gorgeous!

 I've been keeping busy and loving every minute of it!

Today I have Day 51 of the 100 Days of Paper Dolls. I'll post Day 55 (the first full sheet) on Saturday and a full sheet every five days after that.

You can find the first doll in the set here.  The main difference between the first and the second dolls is medium.  For the first, I used ArtRage.  For the second, I'm using Sketchbook Pro.  Both are great for drawing with a stylus on screen. Can you tell the difference? IS there a difference?!

Check back in for more on Saturday!

100 Days of Paper Dolls - Sets 9 and 10

I have two more sheets in the 100 day day project.  They're my last (for now....) I had to stop at 50. There's been A LOT going on lately! I do plan on going back to it and when I do, I'll start from day 51 & continue. 

One of the things I've been up to is working with the team at Paperdoll Review magazine.  I've been helping with miscellaneous bits & pieces and I'm hoping to continue.  If you aren't getting this magazine already, take a look at my brief (and rough! ugh!) flip-through.  It's available at Paperdoll Review. I'm not really into vintage paper dolls all that much but I love this magazine anyway! Well worth it!! And I always learn something.

The other thing I want to mention is that the old blog here is SEVEN!! I think of the blog as one of my babies because it came about at around the same time.

Look at those faces! My oldest (who is now 9 and a half) is nearly as tall as I am.  My youngest (who is 7) is the main reason why I started the blog in the first place.  Motherhood was fine with one kiddo, but a tough pregnancy, a medication with depression as the first side effect, AND a round of post-partum depression left me in a bad place in 2012 with kiddo number two.  Sometimes I wish I had shared that then, but I wasn't ready.  This little blog and my internet friends helped keep me sane and active creatively when that was exactly what I needed even if I couldn't say it then. So thank you to all of you from the early days and all of you who put up with my more sporadic posting these days! 

And a lot has changed in 7 years! Sure, I post a bit less but that's because I'm doing more out in the real world.  I've had a book published, help out with a magazine, attended a terrific paper doll regional gathering, and joined a local paper doll group. And in my "real" life, I'm still raising two kiddos with my awesome husband and my grandmother moved in with us a couple of years ago.  At almost 89 with vision and hearing loss, she needs more help than she used to, so I handle that, too.  My hours get pretty full pretty quickly!

Anyway...

Here's a couple of paper doll sheets!

I'll definitely get back to this with a companion doll as soon as I can. And I plan on continuing with the blog even if it's a bit random at the moment. Thanks, as always, for sticking with me!

100 Days of Paper Dolls - Set 8

If this sheet has a slightly 1940s vibe and not a more Neo-Victorian vibe, I blame it on Morgantown! I drew this sheet in my hotel room one morning and I think I absorbed a bit of the theme.

In non-paper doll news, today is the day I met my husband 13 years ago.  It's been a pretty happy run so far! He's far and away my biggest fan and strongest advocate.  And tomorrow is my birthday. Another trip around the sun and it's been a good one :)

I've decided to break this project up at the 50 day mark.  Days 51-100 will feature a new, complimentary doll.  That's on my agenda!!

To follow along, check out my Instagram....or join in the fun with #100daysofpaperdolls!

100 Days of Paper Dolls - Set 7

Although it's May, New England has not exactly felt very spring-like.  We've had a ton of rain! I know we aren't the only ones across the country dealing with crazy weather.  It's been dark and dreary and depressing for a couple of months.

So I channeled that into a winter-ish set for the 100 Days paper doll!

I have an embroidered jacket with a fur-ish trim (it's like a faux sheepskin kind of texture) and I LOVE it! This set is inspired a bit by that.  There are things I'd like to re-work about this sheet when I get to the coloring stage. But that's another project for another day!

Follow along daily with my Instagram....or join in the fun with #100daysofpaperdolls!

100 Days of Paper Dolls - Set 6

Last weekend, I went to the Morgantown PA paper doll party. It was AMAZING!!!! I got to meet Jenny Taliadoros, the publisher of Paper Doll Studio Magazine and Paperdoll Review (and my book, of course).  She's just the best.  In fact, everyone I met was great.  It felt more like a family reunion than a first-time meeting!

I didn't take many pictures while I was there - I was too busy having a great time! There were lots of fantastic artists and collectors. I was also the big winner during the raffle! This is all of the raffle prizes I won along with souvenirs from the convention and the Barbie paper dolls books from my childhood that I just had to have!

I highly recommend attending a local or regional paper doll party. It's really a lot of fun with a lot of really cool people.

Ok, ok, I have a paper doll sheet to share!

I'm a bit behind on posting these. I have three more sheets ready to post after this one. To follow along, check out my Instagram....or join in the fun with #100daysofpaperdolls!
 

And if you subscribe to Paper Studio Press magazine, check out my submission for the Green theme.  I'm really happy with it!! (You can order issues or subscribe here.  Totally worth it!!)

100 Days of Paper Dolls - Set 5

Apparently, I messed up my last 100 Days posting - it's the wrong set! So I'm going to post the CORRECT page today...

THIS is the page that should have gone up last time.  Still really trying to keep the Neo-Victorian vibe going here.  I've got a working title for the set, maybe something like Ruffles & Frills: A Neo-Victorian Paper Doll.  I love it today, I may hate it tomorrow!

To follow along, check out my Instagram....or join in the fun with #100daysofpaperdolls!

100 Days of Paper Dolls - Set 4

Day 25 of the #100daysofpaperdolls project! I'm a quarter of the way through!! There are some great artists drawing some fun stuff so I suggest you check it out in Instagram if you can.

I'm trying to keep the neo-Victorian vibe going.  No pants this time but that's alright.  I want that jacket - the whole outfit on the right is based on this pin I found on Pinterest.  The more I draw of this, the more I want to color it! It's such a huge project.....

Also, I'll be in Morgantown (you can find the details here) the first weekend of May! This will be the largest gathering of paper doll enthusiasts that I've attended so far & it sounds like a great time! Hopefully I can snap some pics and share them on the ol' blog.

I'll post more 100 Day pages as I complete them or you can follow along on Instagram! 

100 Days of Paper Dolls - Set 3

I'm continuing to work on the #100daysofpaperdolls project and today I have another full sheet to share.  This one is full of ruffles!!!!

This set covers days 11 through 15.  Lots of ruffles and some ringlets, too.  I like having a neo-Victorian and yet modern vibe to these sets.  I'll keep it up as long as I can! Feel free to follow along on Instagram (@julieamatthews) or wait for the full sheets here.

100 Days of Paper Dolls - Set 2

If you follow me on Instagram (@julieamatthews), you'll be up to date with the whole project.  I'm posting complete sheets here on the blog when I complete them (and remember!!!!).

This sheet covers days 6 through 10.  I'm trying to keep with the neo-Victorian vibe.  And I'm already thinking about how to color these! I don't think I put out any books last year aside from Kitchen Kitsch (which you can get here and here. It's really beautiful!! Highly recommend. Shameless self-promotion!)  I've been kicking around the idea of putting together a sketchbook type of book, too, but haven't quite gotten around to it.  There simply are not enough hours in the day!

Anyway, watch for sporadically posted pages from the project here. Or follow along on Instgram.  There's a few of us there doing this and it's all great!