Category: Paper Dolls

Star Wars Paper Dolls: Luke Skywalker

Luke Skywalker Star Wars paper dollWelcome to Force February! All throughout the month I’ll be posting paper dolls and costumes inspired the Original Star Wars Trilogy (and eventually from the first sequel trilogy film, The Force Awakens.

I tend to think about Star Wars as an ensemble saga, but at the heart of it will always be Luke Skywalker whose journey from Tatooine farmboy to Jedi Knight enthralled my generation starting with A New Hope in 1977. So we’ll kick off Force February with Luke in his iconic Tatooine desert costume. I included his long rifle (though I think it’s a bit short). The design in the background is the symbol of the Rebel Alliance.

In the war of “who’s your favorite character in Star Wars?” Luke never won a battle in my book, but not because he isn’t amazing. I just always had a terrible crush on his father ~ ha! I can certainly say I appreciate Luke more now than I ever did when I was a kid because I can see all the things I learned from him throughout the Original Trilogy. And I recognize more than ever that even as a kid I always wanted to strongly identify with his empathy and unswervable moral goodness. Perhaps the fact that I loved his father is a strong indication that I actually identified more with Luke, subconsciously.

Luke Skywalker Star Wars paper dollAnd Mark Hamill is just an awesome guy (check out his Twitter @HamillHimself). He embraces the fandom with humor, humility, and generosity. What’s not to love?  It’s so nice to see him return to this iconic role after spending the last twenty some-odd years voicing the Joker for WB/DC cartoons and the Arkham video games.  That makes him a favorite character for me in multiple genres!

I drew Luke first when I began this series and I’m surprised at how many costume changes he ended up with (way more than I expected). I skipped the redundancy of his padded Hoth flight suit since it was so similar to his regular X-Wing costume, but I covered all the other pieces. He has six plates in all and comes with a variety of headgear and weapons.

I have not yet updated him for The Force Awakens, so there may be an additional plate eventually when I figure out what to do with the other half of that plate.

[Click on each image to download a printable .pdf copy of each plate]

To see all Star Wars related posts and plates, click the tag or the category at right. Click the Luke Skywalker tag to see all of Luke’s plates (this is the first).

Some general notes about this whole series:

  1.  The Heads: all of the characters’ heads are separated from their bodies so that they can be switched out. Ideally you want to place a paper backing on them so that they can be slipped on over the doll. It’s important that the costumes can be slipped under the chin as many of them have high necklines.
  2. The Process: I really wanted to try different things with this series. I wasn’t nearly as experimental as I hoped, but I did push myself a little to include more accessories than I normally produce for paper dolls.
  3. The Colored Plates: this is my first time producing both black & white and color variants. For coloring I opted to go digital because once I’d completed the linework, shading, and scanning I thought digital color would be quick and easy. Not only was I wrong, but I’m not sure I like how it came out. I wanted to try something new, though, so there you have it. I may yet go back and hand-color the original art.
  4. The Accuracy: I was generally pretty good about looking up references (of which there are plenty), but I still ended up fudging a bit. If you’re so super-geeky to recognize my flubs, you get major points ~ ha!

Judy : Vol. 25, 1879 Plate 4

Judy 19th Century paper dollJudy Tuesday brings you weird sporting wear from 1879! It’s highly doubtful anyone in 1879 ever wore anything so gaudy unless they were in the circus or doing burlesque, but if we think of Chasemore’s designs as poking fun of trends in fashion, who knows what hideous thing in Paris might have inspired either of these pajama-looking atrocities. Of course, to a modern eye they’re probably not so awful (or at least not shocking in any way).

Either way the Ladies’ Football costume strikes me as especially hideous with that crazy mix of patterns. I can only imagine Chasemore was also visually commenting on how ridiculous women in sports were by suggesting such an eyesore getup.

One more plate from this volume next week and then we leap forward (appropriately since this is a Leap Year and it’s Leap Month) to Volume 29!

As usual, to find all the plates in this series (and the dolls themselves) click on the Judy tag down below.

[Click this link or the image to download a printable .pdf of these costumes]

 

Mistress of Mayhem: Harley Quinn’s Closet Plate No. 3

Harley Quinn paper dollThis Monday’s Mayhem brings you a new plate of very teeny-tiny outfits for Harley Quinn.

Harley Quinn has been overtly sexualized since her inception, but the artists who draw her in her solo series (typically Chad Hardin and John Timms on interiors, and Amanda Conner on covers) know how to make her sexy without being ridiculous. Yeah, she sometimes wanders around scantily-clad, but it’s never truly gratuitous and many opportunities to make it so are avoided. So, if she moonbathes on her rooftop in her purple bikini, it’s because she’s crazy like that and not because it’s an opportunity to put her in compromising positions to delight 13 year-old boys.

I actually bet the majority of Harley Quinn’s readership is, in fact, female, and the type who don’t put up with that sort of thing. Which is my long-winded way of saying yes, this week’s offerings include some very teeny-tiny outfits, but what’s to come is more along the lines of the pirate ensemble from Issue No. 3 (2014)–complete with buckle shoes and epaulets.

My favorite thing on this plate is her flip-flops. Was loathe to draw them, but pushed myself–and in doing so decided to make her footwear mix-match. Yay!

You can find the doll by clicking on the Harley Quinn tag below or in the menu at the right.

[Click on this link or the primary image in this post to download a printable .pdf of this plate]

Also: it’s officially Force February, so expect to see all-new Star Wars plates to begin posting on Wednesday.  Guess that means I’d better go finish them!

Judy : Vol. 25, 1879 Plate 3

Vol25_03_thumbJudy Tuesday here with another plate from Volume 25, which ran from July to December in 1879.  These two particular outfits were featured in the month of August and include (as previously promised) a funny bird head hat. Given that it’s a bathing costume, it almost makes sense since it could be a tightly-fit cap that’s almost sort of aerodynamic for swimming. No?

The Holiday Time costume was something fun that was in the margins (not part of Chasemore’s actual “series”), but this volume was low on costumes I wanted to reproduce, so I teased this one out for inclusion.

I guess I should mention, in case it’s not obvious: I am picking and choosing which costumes I’m drawing out of many. In these early volumes there aren’t as many good choices so I’m only filling about 5 plates. In the 1880s there are a lot more to choose from as Chasemore got more fanciful with his designs.

In the meantime, enjoy this weird bird thing and the holiday costume with the jingle bells. To find all the plates in this series (and the dolls themselves) click on the Judy tag down below.

[Click this link or the image to download a printable .pdf of these costumes]

Judy : Vol. 25, 1879 Plate 2

Vol25_02_thumbJudy Tuesday brings us some more whimsical stylings from the 19th century.  These two Wimbledon costumes illustrate the contrast between “civilized” Britain and the great untamed wilderness of Canada. My favorite thing is the fringed moccasins on the Canadian costume. I also rather enjoyed making the woolly hat and trim on that particular costume.

The British costume is less interesting, but I do like the hat and the fact that the rifle doubles as an umbrella.

I’m sure these costumes were making some commentary about the relationship between Britain and Canada at the time. Canada has fairly recently become a Confederation and relations back and forth “across the pond” were fraught with city vs. frontier mentalities.

Three more plates from Vol. 25 are forthcoming. Next week I promise another very silly hat.

To find all the plates in this series (and the dolls themselves) click on the Judy tag down below.

[Click this link or the image to download a printable .pdf of these costumes]

Mistress of Mayhem: Harley Quinn’s Closet Plate No. 2

Harley Quinn paper dollMonday Mayhem continues with some pretty traditional outfits for Harley Quinn. These are the costumes she wears most often in her new series: a basic bustier and hot pants with a jacket, and then her roller derby outfit.

When I originally drafted this doll, I made these costumes all one piece, but in my revision I thought it would be more fun if you could mix and match her footwear, so I separated the boots and roller skates out (and will continue to do this for future costumes).

We’ll be seeing more diverse outfits for Harley soon enough. She does have a lot of red & black to cycle through, but lots of fun stuff on the horizon.

Harley’s also about to undergo a style change and launch a new miniseries featuring her diverse gang. She’s become quite the anti-hero in the last couple of years. Read about her new mini-series here.

You can find the doll by clicking on the Harley Quinn tag below or in the menu at the right.

[Click on this link or the primary image in this post to download a printable .pdf of this platel]

 

 

 

The Walking Dead Paper Dolls: Michonne’s Pets

twd04_walker_pets_thumbThis is the final plate I made for the regular Walking Dead series. I wanted to make sure to include some walkers and these two guys are probably two of the most well-known. Mike and Terry knew Michonne before they were “turned” and she used them as camouflage so that she could travel without being harassed. In order to render them harmless, she removed their arms and jaws (pretty gruesome!).

I was going to draw their shirts and the backpacks they carried (Michonne used them to haul supplies), but I never got around to it. But I did add chains, which can go around their necks just for kicks.

Working on this series was fun, but harder than I expected. A good lesson in taking on cultural icons “just because”. When I don’t feel absolutely passionate, staying on focus is difficult.

[Click this link or the image to download a printable .pdf of these costumes]

Next week, I’ll start posting plates from Fear the Walking Dead (in full color). I continue to fall behind and I’ve honestly gotten lazy about it, but I’m determined to get the first season completed before Season 2 starts in April.

Judy : Vol. 25, 1879 Plate 1

Today we begin a new volume for Judy Tuesday! Vol25_01_thumb

Volume 25 takes us back a year to 1879 and features more “sedate” costuming than the later volumes. Even so, here are some fancy hats and fans to start with. If there’s symbolism in the carafe and the eye on the fan, I have no idea what it might be. But I do love the butterfly-looking fascinator.

No clue whatsoever how the other one represents a “mid-summer” costume, but again, the costumes seem to get more literal later on the years. These early ones sometimes just seem to reflect fashionable (and/or laughable) trends in dress.

[Click on this link or the image to download a printable .pdf of this plate]

Note: I know I said I was going to post something about Star Wars last week (and a related paper doll on Sunday), but things got weird and I mothballed my original plan (it’s a long story). So now I’m in the process of rethinking what to do with it.

I’ll post more on that tomorrow.

Clown Prince of Crime: The Joker’s Closet Plate No. 1

Joker_01_thumbI’m not going to apologize for loving the Joker. The fact that he celebrated his 75th birthday in 2015 means I’m not the only one. Batman’s arch-nemesis was originally killed off in his first appearance, but at the last second, the editors shoe-horned a panel at the end of the story indicating that he didn’t die after all. Since then, the Joker has had a career to rival Wile E. Coyote, getting hit by trains, falling off of cliffs, and even being electrocuted in the chair–but somehow always managing to come back.

One of the fascinating things about the character is his social history over such a long haul and how attitudes toward his behavior evolve with each new generation (from a vile disposable gangster to a mentally insane prankster to a sociopath anarchist). Throughout his comic book and film life, the Joker’s been approached and interpreted in dozens of different ways (from pure evil to actually being quite sympathetic).

Alan Moore wrote the definitive Joker in 1988’s The Killing Joke so far as I’m concerned. And even Moore’s version is ingeniously ambiguous (the book has polarized fans for almost thirty years).

What hasn’t changed about the Joker is his signature purple suit.

Oh sure. the style has changed, sometimes dramatically, and then reverted a lot. But he’s also had other colors and costumes throughout his lifetime (I ain’t drawing 75 years worth of purple suits, people!). Still, you can expect to see a lot of purple, while I trawl for the distinct stuff. I think a lot of people think of the Joker as that guy in the funny purple suit with the coattails. Interestingly, there was nothing out of the ordinary about his suit originally; it was a perfectly fashionable cutaway morning coat for 1940; perhaps a bit falutin’, but nothing you would blink at (and the coloring was due to limitations in the press). As the character evolved, the purpleness of the suit became a point of interest and even though all the other characters moved on in style as they went through the decades, the Joker remained stuck in 1940 (probably until the 1970s, though many artists still draw him in the long coattails today).

BatmanVol1No1_1939_1But enough of the history lesson for now. I’m working through the entire 75 years of Jokers but I’ll skip a lot (and around). I’m sure I’ll do movie costumes eventually, but the focus for now is on comics.

Note: don’t be surprised when you download the .pdf to see the figure’s head detached. As per the instructions, this is so clothes will fit under the chin and you can trade out heads when I draw additional ones. The face here is inspired and heavily influenced by Marshall Rogers and Brian Bolland.

Also note: purple is my kryptonite. It’s not a color I “see” well (my red/blue cones must be dented or something). I have a hard time matching or complementing it and often can’t identify it in the wild (i.e. while out shopping). Nevertheless, I’ll try to use a variety of purples throughout this series to keep it interesting.

[Click on this link or the primary image in this post to download a printable .pdf of the paper doll]

The Walking Dead Paper Dolls: Michonne’s Closet

twd07_michonne_thumbWelcome to the kick-off of Fear Friday!

Friday will be reserved for things that make you skin crawl. The current paper doll sets I will be posting are the last two plates of The Walking Dead and then the plates of the spin-off show, Fear the Walking Dead.

Today we have a few outfits for Michonne. Of the three characters I did for this show, Michonne was the hardest to find good costume variations. I finally gave up and reproduced her outfit from the comic book series. It feels a little cheaty, but I was tired of flipping through pictures and I wanted to get this series wrapped up.

On a show full of Mary Sue-ish characters, Michonne strikes me as the most Mary Sue-ish of all. I have yet to feel like she’s a real person at all (and probably never will). She’s still cool, though, and Danai Gurira, who plays her, is awesome.

[Click this link or the image to download a printable .pdf of these costumes]

You can find the plate with Michonne by clicking on her tag below, or click The Walking Dead category link to see all of the plates in this series.