Kawaii Kids #14 - Prince & Princess

I'm not sure if this counts as a winter or holiday doll, but I love it anyway! This is my attempt at a fairytale prince & princess. Have fun coloring it!

Kawaii Kids #13 - Ice Skating

As a kid, I moved a couple of times.  We moved from Vermont, to Connecticut, to New Hampshire.  I always think of New Hampshire and the town I went to high school in as my "hometown".  I grew up in one of the most amazing little Main Street towns.  Idyllic doesn't begin to describe it.  Anyway, every winter the town would flood the public tennis courts for ice skating.  There was a little house where you could rent skates, grab a hot chocolate, and gossip with friends.  And the best of '90s music blasted over the loudspeakers.

It was the place to be in the winter.  And we went every night!  My sister & I would rush home to do our homework, have a quick dinner, and then it was off to skate til 9.  I loved it.  I'm still looking for a rink like that near me so that my kids can learn to skate!

So this doll is inspired by that.  The skates aren't all that convincing, but I think they work well enough!

Kawaii Kids #12 - Angels

Still working on some dolls for December.  Today's features angels.  For anyone who doesn't know, there are several reasons why I like making vector illustrations.  First is the absolutely amazing crispness of the images.  I've always wanted that level of perfection and this is the best way for me to get it.  Second, vector images scale infinitely.  If I want a post card sized image or a billboard sized image, I can do that with no loss of resolution.  And third, I love to reuse elements that that came out great in a different image.  This is one of those projects.  The large feathers I used in the angel wings is something I made for an entirely different project.  I love not having to reinvent the wheel every time I want to create an image.  I think using a template or reusing elements actually helps me to be more creative.  If I already have a template, or a perfect element, or whatever, I can spend my energy solving other creative problems.

And that's why I'm so happy with these little angels.  I focused more on make a beautiful doll than on fussing over details!  So if you see me reusing stuff, don't think of it as "cheating" -- think of it as a shortcut to creativity!

Kawaii Kids #11 - Poinsettia

Is it just me or are there some words that are just impossible to spell correctly? Poinsettia.  Seriously, I never get it right.  I'm thankful for spellcheck every day!

What I DID get right is this doll.  The poinsettia dolls are easily my favorite in the Kawaii Kids sets.  I love this doll so much!   This will probably be the first doll I color in.  I love it and I hope you do, too!

PS: the is my 200th post!  I never thought that would happen.  This all started as something to keep me creative during naptime and it has grown to so much more!! I make paper dolls (and other art) because I love to, and it means everything to me that other people enjoy my work, too.

Kawaii Kids #10 - Footie PJs

I still have several ideas I want to get to this December, but this is a fun one and today seemed like as good a day as any to post it!

I loved footie pajamas as a kid and these kids have Christmas patterned pjs for the holiday.

I'll try to post a doll tomorrow.  I had a freelance gig come in again (yay!) and it's taking up some of my time.  I should be able to meet my 30 day theme challenge regardless! 

Kawaii Kids #9 - Sugar Plum Fairy and the Mouse King

Here's the second part of the Nutcracker paper doll set.  Today it's the Sugar Plum Fairy & the Mouse King.  Definitely the most complicated dolls I've made for this series but I love them! I hope you do, too!

Kawaii Kids #8 - Let it Snow!

As much as I wanted to get the second Nutcracker doll up today, it didn't happen. I'm hoping to get it up tomorrow.  Yesterday was a busy day for me - I took my oldest son to see Frozen.  It was tons of fun, but also exhausting!  Taking a not-quite-4 year old to a movie is an undertaking, especially for a boy who doesn't have a resting state!!  He was good, his cousins were happy to see him, and the movie was great.

So today's doll has a snow theme instead of the Nutcracker!  And go see Frozen.  Worth it.