Paper Dolls

The little girl in me loves making paper dolls. It is therapy, it's fun, it makes me feel really young and carefree. It also is a great way to use up scraps...all those special little bits that are too pretty to throw away, and too small to really do much with. Scroll down to see all different sections and all the possibilities!

 I'm excited to have my very own STENCIL for dollmaking! It's available on the StencilGirl website. Here's some art I made with my new stencil:

And here's more recent dolls. I used a vintage face, stencils from Gwen Lafluer's Boho Vibes StencilClub set, and a toilet paper tube base wrapped in a purple silk sari scrap for the skirt!

Another sari silk scrap doll...the body is made from one of my stencils, done with gold molding paste on heavy painted turquoise watercolor paper. The face was done with an Art Foamie stamp, then scanned and reduced to doll size.

I've been up-cycling cheap calendars (freebies that come in the mail) for the past few years. Here's a few fun ones from 2023:

For an excellent paper doll template, a Santos Cage Doll kit, or other doll-related items, visit Retro Cafe Arts.  For wonderfully quirky doll faces, clothing, or collage sheets, visit Art Tea Life's Etsy Shop, One Crabapple.

Here's some of my favorite past dolls and artwork made with paper doll components: 

Self portrait doll (I really do wear big glasses and love cowboy boots!)

Four of my favorite ICAD2021 creations, using my own stencils, faces by ArtTeaLife, and assorted stamps

Radiate Joy: a journal page created with stamps and stencils by Gwen Lafluer, plus art tea life elements, and a face from one of my own painted portraits (reduced to doll size!)

A whimsical journal page with a dress stamp and ArtTeaLife faces

 

Some of my paper dolls appeared in the publication Little U, volume 3, June 2021.

PAPER DOLL JOURNAL PAGES

I like to use paper doll parts to create journal pages. Sometimes I attach them with brads so the pieces are moveable, sometimes I glue them to the journal page. Here's some of my favorites:

This page honors the nurses and medical staff I worked with at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx. They were part of a Mother's Day show on Ellen, and won vacation trips for their service and dedication.

This journal spread has a doll mixed with my Lemurian Leaf stencil (done in white embossing powder) and paper designs, with a washi-tape and doodle stripe on the left.

Here, I incorporated tags from The Graphics Fairy with a doll. The doll parts and words are from ArtTeaLife.

I made this journal page with a Statue of Liberty inspired figure while awaiting the vote count in the 2020 Presidential election.

Some days, you just don't feel at the top of your game, especially when there's a world-wide pandemic and you have to go out to work every day, riding the subway, double-masked, enroute to an inner-city public hospital. The background is my Lemurian Spiral done in gold on black paper, with scribbles and dots of Posca Pen. I hand-wrote the words.

 

ANIMAL HUMAN HYBRID

An animal-human hybrid is a great way to honor a beloved pet, and also a whole lot of fun. Here's my tribute to our Maltese dog Coco, who has crossed the rainbow bridge, but is still very much in our hearts:

Coco, our beloved Maltese, with quirky outfits from ArtTeaLife.

 

 THREE DIMENSIONAL DOLL ART

 Doll parts can also be used on Artist Trading Blocks: or as part of a free-standing triptych:

 ATC DOLLS

An ATC, or Artist Trading Card, is a 2.5" x 3.5" rectangular piece of art. When heads and limbs are attached, they can be the base of an ATC doll. There's one rule: the pieces have to twist and tuck to fit that 2.5" x 3.5" size, with nothing peeking out.

Here's some samples:

PAINTBRUSH DOLLS

 And I can't forget another favorite type of doll...the paintbrush doll! Here's a few of my creations:

This quirky doll has an inspirational quote from Gray Panther Maggie Kuhn.

This was a New Year's Paintbrush Doll, with different looks and messages on the front and back.

This was my first paintbrush doll, created with a kit from Retro Cafe Art.

SCRAP DOLLS

I save pretty bits and pieces from my various art projects, and cut them into arms, legs, and bodies, then assemble them by mixing and matching.  I keep the parts in a pretty tin, and when I have free time, putter with different arrangements until a new doll emerges.

Here's some process photos:

Cut pieces are laid out on my worktable to see what goes together.

Before attaching the pieces with brads, I lay the pieces on a table to see what works and what needs to be switched.

Here's a few winged women I created from the scraps.

Here's some recent scrap dolls, mixed and matched, stamped and stenciled:

These two dolls were made with painted scraps of watercolor paper that were stamped with various Gwen Lafluer PaperArtsy stamps. Above: I added a face, crown and shoes from ArtTeaLife. Below: I added grunged-up gold Dresden wings.

 

OLD FAVORITE DOLLS

Drizella, the ugly stepsister, for the theme "favorite storybook character."

Frida Kahlo Santos Cage Doll

Santos Cage Dolls With Dina Wakley Heads

Angel Warrior Doll

 

Turn of the 20th Century Zetti Bather-female

Turn of the 20th Century Zetti Bather-male

Verdigiri Inspired Doll

Geisha-inspired Doll

Back to School Linnie ala 1967

Merman & Mermaid (with my mother's face!)

Vintage Halloween Girl with Removable Cat Mask

Indigo Girls

ATC Doll

Teen With Attitude

Steampunk Dolls, "Just Steampunk, Vol. 2"

Tea & Lace Doll