Welcome!
Summer weather is here.
The kids are out of school, and there’s nothing to do.
Let’s print and play with paper dolls.
Not just any, but ones with fanciful swimsuits.
dilhermando de Assis, Pinterest
These sets are fairly modern.
Here’s one that is very simplistic:
Supercoloring.com, personal use only
Paper dolls remain a favorite of mine. I still remember the ones I had when I was 4 years old. Those early ones had punch out clothes so my hands didn’t have to deal with precise scissor cutting.
Black and white color-your-own paper dolls are great for kids to improve their fine motor skills. Choosing your own colors encourages creativity and self-expression also.
Next is a reproduction of a July 1918 paper doll drawn by R. Lane Herron.
Love the bloomers!
Katy Keene was a comic book character.
She had her own newspaper strip, and even her own tv show at one time. Bill Woggon was the artist. He relied heavily on readers’ submissions for costume ideas.
And what a plethora of ideas!
Katy Keene has appeared in Archie Comics since 1945. The publisher markets her as a singer/model/actress. She has also been known as “America’s Queen of Pin-Ups and Fashion”.
One thing I love about the Katy Keene paper dolls are all the different poses Bill Woggon draws her in. She is not always the standard straight on, arms down doll.
Readers were encouraged to send in their sketches and ideas not only for Katy’s fashions but also for cars, homes, rockets, boats and much more!
She is also 80 some years old!
Occasionally there were special editions. This next one celebrates 50 years of Katy Keene in the form of a fantasy Swimsuit Illustrated paper doll edition.
As you can see, swimsuit styles have always been very popular!
Aren’t we glad styles and fabrics have changed since then?!
To get the most playtime with print yourself paper dolls, first print the doll out onto card stock. Next print the clothes out onto glossy paper if you have it. If not, a heavier typing/copy paper will work.
After cutting out the doll decide what kind of stand you want. Then trace around the doll onto the back of a cereal box. The cardboard is perfect to back paper dolls! Before cutting out, draw in your stand, then cut out. Use extra cereal box pieces as needed. Glue the doll onto the cereal cardboard. Cut slots as needed in the stand.
Here is one more Katy Keene set:
I hope you have some fun printing, cutting and playing with these ‘hot’ paper dolls. Have you tried drawing your own outfits for them yet?
‘Til next time,
inkspired
