Little Ladies: Outfit Sheet 6

I didn't realize until I was finished with this set that the fashion plate I referenced was from 1898.  The first set of dresses were also from 1898! Maybe I just like that year in fashion....

Right-click to download and print

My next set will not be from 1898! There are so many great fashion plate examples to work from that it can be hard to choose.  I guess that's good, especially for a project like this!

Is there a year in the Victorian era you'd really like to set represented? Let me know and I'll fit it in. Come back Friday for another sheet!

Little Ladies: Outfit Sheet 5

December is as third of the way finished, which I find hard to believe! Also, I'm officially making these as-needed instead of well in advance!! Things got hectic and I fell behind.... I'm still confident that I'll be able to meet my deadlines, so you should definitely expect another set on the 13th!

Right-click to download and print

We've finally had our first snow here in New England.  From what I understand, pretty much everyone on the Eastern seaboard from Mexico to Canada got at least a little snow! Crazy!! We've got a lot ahead of us this month (two birthdays, Christmas, etc....) but this set is still a priority!!

Check back on the 13th and make sure I'm still on-task :)

Little Ladies: Outfit Sheet 4

Winter is finally on its way to New England! December snow is nice -- just enough to cover the ground, have a white Christmas, etc.  March and April snowstorms are significantly less fun!  But there's something almost amazing about the first snow and it's coming this weekend!

Today's Little Ladies wardrobe sheet features fur-trimmed jackets and skirts from circa 1893. I took a few liberties with my source material.  I'm not always crazy about giant bows.... And the hats for this series have been a challenge....

Right-click to download

I'd like to say that I'm super far ahead in this project and they're all just waiting to be posted.  I'd like to, but it would be a lie! I always manage to pull it off, though!

Let me know what you think so far - there will be another wardrobe sheet on Monday!

Little Ladies: Outfit Sheet 3

For today's installment of the Little Ladies, I wanted to make ballgowns.  I'm not totally happy with the skirt on the left.  I've said many times that "good enough" is sometimes adequate.  I'd like every drawing to be perfect, of course, but that just isn't how these things work!

Right-click to download and print today's Little Ladies sheet

These ballgowns are loosely based on these ballgowns. I may go back and edit the gown on the right.  I'm not sure yet.  In my reference image, the overskirt was all lace, but my wrist simply wasn't up for that challenge!

The next Little Ladies set will go up on the 9th - I'm running on an every/other schedule this year!

Little Ladies: Outfit Sheet 2

So what did everyone think of the first wardrobe sheet? I liked drawing all the fussy details and I hope you all enjoyed it, too.  That's why I decided to keep these black & white this year - there's no way I could have drawn all the details on every set AND colored them and posted them on schedule.

Right-click to download and print

Today's set is based on this fashion plate from 1876.  Because these dolls are so starkly front facing, much of the awesome details I liked about my source material kind of get scrapped.  Oh well.  I like the pleats on both sets as a bit of a unifying element.

If I ever get around to coloring all of these, I'll go with a limited palette for maximum mix and match options.  If you're coloring at home, you might want to experiment with that, too!  And for more fashions, come back on December 7th! 

Little Ladies: Outfit Sheet 1

Today is the first wardrobe sheet for the Little Ladies paper doll project! When I first sketched this out, I didn't have hats.  Hats are a pain to draw, easy to lose when cut out, and generally not my favorite thing to make.  However, hats were crucial to Victorian fashion and I wanted a Victorian inspired paper doll.  So there are hats. 

Right-click to download and print

These outfits are based on antique catalogue pages I found on Pinterest here and here.  I don't remember where I found the hats... Anyway, these aren't perfect representations of the source material, but a reasonable interpretation. These are fashions from about 1898, if anyone is curious! 

Look for more in this continuing, month-long series on December 5th - remember, I'm running an every other day schedule this year!

Little Ladies: A Victorian Mix and Match Paper Doll to Color

Happy December!!

I LOVE making a December paper doll every year! If you're new to the blog (or just want to look at previous years) here you go: 2016 (an angel paper doll), 2015 (Santa and Mrs Claus), 2014 (holiday fashions in red and green), and 2013 (Kawaii Kids). I posted one in 2012, too, but it isn't my best and I've always wanted to revisit it.  Also, several of the previous December paper dolls are available as books. Check out Lulu.com and Amazon.com for all of my books.

And that's enough self-promotion for one day... here's the December set!

Years ago, I drafted a stylized paper doll that I wanted to turn into a steampunk set, but it never quite felt right.  There were things I liked about it, and things I didn't.  Ultimately, the sketch sat in a drawer until I decided to tinker with it.  I made some edits in Photoshop, redrafted and inked it in ArtRage, and suddenly, it was pretty good!

Right-click to download and print.  There will be a PDF at the end of the project! 

This whole project is loosely based on historical images.  These undergarments are less accurate and more my interpretation of several images I found. I envision the left doll as pale skinned and the right as darker skinned, but feel free to do what you'd like! I may get around to coloring this at some point....

These paper dolls are drawn almost entirely in ArtRage5.  I ported them into Photoshop for minor touch-ups and such, but really, ArtRage is doing the heavy lifting.  My sketches were created with the pencil tool and the final inks were done with the technical pen.

One more thing to note about this year's paper doll: I will be posting every other day instead of every day. I couldn't find a way to format these with just one set per page that I liked.  There will be two mix and match sets every other day and a PDF at the end of the project.  If you color these & you'd like to share, feel free! You can email me or follow me on Instagram (it's a mix of projects & personal photos - @juliematthews).

So tomorrow there won't be a post but there will be on December 3rd! Happy coloring :)