Tracing and Creating Paper Dolls

Last week, I posted a behind-the-scenes image of a book I'm working on. The more I looked at those paper doll sketches, the more I disliked them. They're stiff and awkward and I just feel like I can do better. I've had a bit of art block for quite a while so I've been drawing less - right now, it REALLY shows! To boost my inspiration and skills, I decided to trace some dress pattern cover illustrations that I found online.

Trace?! 

Yes, trace. Or, as I choose think of it, analyzing with line. 

I've been reading up on tracing. It's not something I usually do. I'm a bit of a purist and I think the best way to improve is through observation. Go to a figure drawing class, draw a 3D doll, set up a still-life...doesn't matter which, they all help! But sometimes, I need something more tailored, more specific. This is where tracing comes in. 

Let's first take a detour about tracing. 

Some say it's cheating. Some say it isn't. The truth, for me, is somewhere in the middle. I read a phrase that really summed it up for me - tracing is cheating if you're setting out to deceive. Are you learning? Trace away! Tracing your own art? Go for it! Using public domain or some other rights managed image that you legally have the right to use? Again, go for it! Is tracing a shortcut to a selling someone else's work as your own? Nope. 

So why tracing?

My drawings feel off lately. There's something missing and I'm not quite sure what it is. I don't feel like I'm growing or improving. I'd like to have a more vintage fashion illustration aesthetic and I've been collecting images for inspiration for a while. My eclipse paper doll is adapted from a vintage fashion illustration. Sure, I can sketch from reference all day long but I want to gather information a bit faster. That's where the idea of analyzing with line comes it...

First, I gathered a bunch of images I liked. Second, I opened Photoshop and created a sizing template. The images I found were different sizes and different resolutions and I wanted them all to be roughly the same size for ease of comparison.

I settled on an 8 head height. Typically, an adult is about 7 1/2 to 8 heads high and fashion figures are often drawn at 9 heads, with longer legs. I adjusted each image to be about 8 heads which looked good and felt right for these illustrations.

Once I had the figures all arranged, I imported them into Procreate. I didn't end up tracing every image, just a few until I tired of it! 

 

I focused on vintage pattern cover illustrations, mostly 60s and 70s. 

 

When searching for illustrations, I focused on bathing suit sewing patterns. They felt like the closest analog to a traditional paper doll.

I picked a variety of poses, sometimes similar poses and sometimes quirky poses.

When I like details, such as hair or face, I traced more of that. Some of the faces are great! 

 

Here's one pose and tracing isolated together. Feel free to download any of these images to see a larger version.

 

So what was the point? What did I learn?

 

A few things! Some of these faces are great and could really help me get over my "same face" issues. Breaking the poses down into simple lines also helped clarify the poses. I can see these as a jumping off point for more exploration, too, maybe combining part into new poses. I also think feet and hands are challenging for most of us!!  Maybe these will spark some new inspiration for my top secret book....

 

Behind the Scenes: Paper Doll Book Process

I didn't want January to end without at least one more post! I'm still working through a bit of art block/ennui/whatever. I'm not depressed, really, just more like unmotivated. Life happens. I'm working through it. 

I'm also working on one of several new books for Paperdoll Review. I'm not ready to share the titles or themes or any details, but I did want to share a bit of my process.

 

The book I'm working on will have two dolls but I'll walk through the process with just one. It's basically the same for both.  Drawing the dolls is the hardest part for me! Sometimes it just works (like the Timeless Teens book. That one just effortlessly worked!) Here, I found a pose I mostly liked and ran with it. The sketch on the right is from my physical sketchbook - I drew a body and a larger head, then smooshed them together in Photoshop. It's a VERY rough sketch.

Sometimes I'll manipulate the sketch a little with warping tools, sometimes I don't. Next up, I'll refine the sketch.

 

Drawing on my large screen can be a little clunky. Generally, I'll transfer my sketch to my iPad and play with it in Procreate. Could I do all of this in Photoshop? Probably. Could I do all of this on my iPad? Again, probably. However, my XP-Pen screen is more than double the size of my iPad and I like looking at my flaws and errors as large as possible!! 

At this point, I was frustrated and annoyed so I traced the reference.

WHAT?! TRACING?! Yes. I traced it because I just could not make sense of the pose. In fact, tracing is a tool that I will explore soon on the ol' blog. Stay tuned. 

 

The trace versus the reference. Doing this really helps me understand the pose. The tracing does not end up in my final art, ever. Tracing helped me simplify the reference image and understand the pose a bit better.

I kept refining the sketch, checking proportions, angles, etc. I'm still in the process of refining! I've found that it's best if I draw and walk away, as many times as it takes. I've been working on this on & off for about two weeks. I'm still thinking about it! The second doll (on the left) may or may not have a second arm! I STILL can't decide! If you have thoughts on how the dolls are coming along, feel free to share. As I continue to sort this out, I'll share more.

Also, I've been way less active on social media. I'm going to try to revive the blog & see what happens.
 

Goals for 2025

I'm not a New Year's resolution kind of person. In January, I look back at the previous year and come up with some very loose goals. In September, at the beginning of the school year (because some habits NEVER go away...), I reassess. This all makes me sound far more organized than I am! Really, it's just that I need the motivation. Seeing a body of work motivates me to keep working, keep practicing. 

2024 was all about practicing. I'd like to continue with that into 2025. So here are some goal-type aspirations for this year, with scribbles that I made in 2024.

Try Something New

This is a really quick, rough sketch from an image I found at Sketch Daily.

There are so many things I want to try! 

• Urban sketching. I need to get out of my house once in a while! I also want to be the person who does these amazing ten minute sketches while on vacation. Right now, I'm not that at all! 
• New programs and apps. At the end of last year, I started tinkering with InDesign. I pay for that whole stupid and expensive suite of programs so I might as well learn how to use them. I'd also like to look into free or cheap programs because cost should not be a barrier to creativity. Also, paper and pencil is just about as affordable as you can get and I'd like to revisit simple techniques.
• Paper doll how-to books. These have become an odd focus of my very small collection of paper dolls. I love how-to books, tutorials, etc, and I'd like to work through some of those.
• Sewing, maybe. I have some non-standard dolls in my collection and I'd like to learn how to sew for them. I also have all of my grandmother's cross stitching supplies. I'd like to use some of that.

Which brings me to my next goal...

Use It Up

Another quick sketch, based on a sewing pattern cover design

I have SO MANY THINGS! I bet you do, too. I have oil paints, watercolors, gouache paints, brushes, panels, sketchbooks, sheets of watercolor paper, mat board, scrapbook paper, embroidery floss and fabric, apps I've never opened, books I've never read....the list goes on! So before I seek out the dopamine hit of buying new art supplies, I'm going to use them up. I want to stretch this goal out to everything. Do I need a new t-shirt just because I like the graphic? Do I need a new book? What does "need" even mean anymore???

And that ties into my third goal...

Spend Mindfully

Faces I drew from the Sketch Daily site

I like the idea of spending money with intention. I really want to think before I buy something. Maybe it's better to buy a higher quality item that will last longer rather than something quick & cheap. And support creative people! Buy things from small businesses and artisans and creative folks. It's good for them, it's good for me, and we can all feel awesome about it.

Pay It Forward

Close-up of a sketch, also from Sketch Daily

 

I'm incredibly lucky! I get to do what I love every day. I've been able to stay home with my kids and create. It's something I am deeply aware of and I want to share it. My plan is to write more tutorials. My work has improved incredibly since I started this little blog almost thirteen years ago. And it's had its ups and downs! But I'm at a place where the teens need me less and I need to channel that time into something productive.

 

And finally...

 

Create More

An art history book I'm very eager to read!

 

Drawing, painting, and such are definitely on my to-do list. I want to make more beautiful things. More paper dolls, paper doll books, paintings, writing, etc. But I also want to make more time. I want to take the time to hang out with the teens. My oldest is a freshman in high school and my youngest is in 7th grade. They have their own lives but they're still here and I want to hang out with them. My husband and I can finally get out once in a while and I want to make time for that, too. And reading! Yes, I read a lot, but most of it is sci-fi for fun and not anything with substance. I have loads of art history books I've never read. There needs to be time for that, too. 

 

Another sort of miscellaneous goal is to spend more time offline. Social media, doom scrolling, online shopping - it's all been a bit much lately. It's making me feel unproductive and triggers my depression. I'd like 2025 to be more like 1995, where I walked everywhere, always had a book and a sketchbook handy, and had to actually CALL or SEE people.

That's all of it. Five very vague ideas for what I'd like to do in 2025. I know everyone talks about SMART goals - that is WAY more organized than I can handle. Maybe these resonate with you, too. Feel free to share your goals and aspirations!