I have always loved paperdolls. I’m pretty sure it goes beyond being a girl and paperdolls being one of the few fashion dolls I was allowed to have. Paperdolls allowed me to be artistic because, by the age of five, I’d figured out I could (gasp) draw my own. And I’ve done so here and there.
So it’s only natural for me to want to put out a paperdoll as I slowly back off from working 24/7 and begin to incorporate fun things back into my life again like hobbies and art for the art of it. And crafts. Because don’t you know my self-employment actually began with selling crafts and beadwork, age 18.
Taus, the Akashik version was even put into a paperdoll project very briefly. You can still get the downloadable PDF of her in the OOAK Leaf store or find her on Etsy.com.
Something really neat about paperdolls is how important they are to the world and our history. They date way… waaaay back… as far as paper dates back… and once upon a time a paperdoll wasn’t just a doll. He or she was a precious addition to the household collection. They were given their own little houses, dressed very carefully every day like real people, and their clothes were made of silk, lace and other fine materials. We didn’t start to devalue the paperdoll in our lives until the past 100 years when mass marketing gave us the ability to crank out cheaply made versions.
And I’ve been thinking about this bit of history, and I decided to bring one of my old dreams back to life. And I’m in the works now of making a new paperdoll line. This is one reason why I’d love a cutter… please….
At first I was going to call the first girl in the series Della, after my grandmother, but… that’s inappropriate. Here is why: I intend to aim these dolls at adult collectors. This means the doll, when undressed, will be flat nekkid complete with (gasp!) nipples. I intend to have limited edition outfits that I’ll make from time to time. They’ll have lace and sequins, 3D parts, and even see-through areas. Yep, nighties will be slightly naughty. But not overly so… cheesecake is as far as I like to go on most days.
I envision this doll, her friends, or whatever member of the collection a person gets being a conversation piece on a business person’s desk or just something to tinker with in a home office. I’m thinking I’ll put out a PDF for fee download with her and one outfit for folks who don’t want to buy the made doll and dolls I make and sell myself will have stands and metal parts. I do like the tabs on traditional paperdolls, but I love the ease of magnetic paper and hope to use that. The hard part at this time is figuring out how to make the metal stand and backing for the doll so she can pose for you without help.
I also envision this doll’s make will be a HOBBY. I mean sure there are still paperdoll artists out there in the world who get interviewed and are making a living at it. I’m me, I’m mostly invisible, I think I’d be lucky to sell even one.
So I’m naming her Darling. I’m using 3D to create her art base – mostly because I was creating something for Heavenly Bride the other day and accidentally made a character I fell in love with. I’ll be releasing her looks when I am finally happy with it.