Mermaid paper dolls

 Hello!

Original Paper Collage Painting by inkspired

All paper collages are hand cut from recycled junk mail - catalogs, flyers, magazines, etc.

Let’s have some fun with mermaid paper dolls!

Unless noted, these are all free for you to download and print for your personal enjoyment. Let’s play nice and not try to sell them or mass produce any.

Unfortunately most I have found on Pinterest with no identifying info on who drew them or where you could find them.

As always, I try to give credit where it is due. If you know information about any of these please let me know so I can give credit.

Some of the paper doll clothes do not have tabs, so be sure to add those when you are cutting them out.

Artist: Milka Tertsunen; ArtStation

Cory Jensen is a favorite paper doll artist of mine for two reasons. He is incredibly talented, and most of his paper dolls he offers for free! Here are a few of his:

Paper dolls by Cory Jensen

By Cory Jensen

Here are a few more versions of The Little Mermaid; many are styled after Disney’s Ariel.

By Cory Jensen

Unknown

By Cory Jensen

‘Irina’ Collage Art Doll by inkspired

Paperthinpersonas.com

If you like these paper dolls the artist offers free ones when you sign up for her e-mails.

Artist: Audrey Kaiser

Print out your mermaid twice. The first one glue to thin cardboard, like a cereal box. Or you can print onto a heavier weight cardstock. Then cut out. Draw a stand on first if you want, and cut as one.

The second print is printed on paper. Cut the costumes out, remembering to add tabs if there aren’t any. If it needs to be colored, do this before you cut out.

Paper dolls by Cory Jensen

I thought we needed some mer-men to compliment our mermaids.

Here is a jointed merman by a different artist-

Artist: Shawne Johnson

Here is another jointed PaperDoll, a mermaid, you can put together with brads, eyelets, or string.

PheeMcFaddell.com

Here is one by the same artist that you can color yourself-

This next one is just the mermaid. I thought it was such a great, simple design that you might like to draw some outfits for her. 

Print her out. Go over the major lines with a black Sharpie. Place on a window, with a plain sheet of paper on top. Trace the main lines. Now you have the basic shape and you can start creating outfits to fit!

Make a few copies of the basic shape. Draw your clothes slightly larger, and don’t forget to add tabs. Since she is a mermaid, draw a stand so she can stand alone for playtime. You could draw a piece of coral or seaweed for her to ‘sit’ on.

Have fun!

www.finfriends.com/printable-mermaid-easter-paper-dolls/

Posted on Pinterest by Crafty Annabelle

Now it’s time to go take a break and drink some water and eat goldfish crackers!

The next 2 mermaid paper dolls are by the same artist, but very different styles-

Artist: Julie Allen Matthews

Artist: Julie Allen Matthews 

Next I have 2 more by Cory Jensen-

Paper dolls by Cory Jensen

The next 2 paper dolls are Lucia and Rina, drawn in manga style-

Artist unknown

 I’ve covered many different styles of mermaids for you. Now the hard part - which one to pick to print and play with first?

‘Til next time,

inkspired

You can find me on Pinterest as

Karen Kloberdans

Mermaid Musings

 Hello!

All of my paper collage mermaids are cut from junk mail, old catalogs, recycled magazines, etc.

If you have read very many of my blogs, or follow me on Facebook or Pinterest, you know I love mermaids.

A lot.

I regularly post mermaid paper dolls, illustrations, paintings, etc.

Mermen when I can find them!

I realized I have never delved into the history of mermaids.

So here we go on a wild ocean adventure to see where we might find a mermaid or two…or three…

I found this adorable mermaid on Pinterest, and was very disappointed I could not find who created it.

Mermaids have been around, or at least stories about them have been around, for a very very long time.

Pretty much each culture around the globe have stories of mermaid-like creatures.

Sulamith Wolfing, ‘The Little Mermaid’

They have different names, like:

marrow - Ireland

iaru - Brazil

ceasy -  Scotland

jengu - Cameroon

haffru’ - Iceland

ben-varrey - Isle of Man

havfrue/havmand - Denmark

margygr/marmennill - Norway

Disney animation style

In the Philippines (Tagalong) they are called sirena and sixokoy

In China mer-folk are called Di people.

In Japan they are ningyo (human fish).

Pinterest 

In Slavic countries such as Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, the Rusalkas live in lakes and rivers. 

In West, Central and Southern Africa they have MamiWater (mother of the water).

In Zimbabwe there are njuzu (literally ‘ocean spirits’).

Persian countries have maneli.

Antique advertising

As early as 3 BC there is Greek art depicting mermaid type creatures.

Often they have ‘split’ tails that look very similar to legs. Early Etruscan 6th century art show 2 tails as part of the ancient myth of Scylla and Charybois.

Another common variety are half snake/half woman.

Through the ages these slowly morphed into half fish/half woman.

Painted on a wooden ceiling, c1109 - 1114, St. Martin Church, Zillo, Switzerland

Other names for mermaids are oceanids, nereids, naiads, deities, water nymphs, tritonesses or merfolk…

From the medieval (c1260) manuscript “The Rutland Psalter”

Depending on where in the world, it is believed mermaids foretell disasters, and even provoke disasters into happening. They can warn of approaching rough weather, and seeing one is considered an unlucky omen.

Magazine cover

Paper Collage Art by inkspired

In other cultures mermaids are seen as benevolent and helpful to mankind.

Pinterest

The ancient Assyrian goddess Atargatis evolved with both benevolent and dangerous traits. This was a reflection of that era’s opinion on the vagaries of female emotions and actions, and the unpredictable behavior of the sea.

Pinterest

Storms, shipwrecks, drownings - let’s blame it on a supernatural creature. Oh. And let’s make that creature woman-like!
Then the mermaid became a siren.

French magazine cover

Not only was she dangerous and unpredictable, now she was deliberately luring poor sailors to their death.

She used her beauty and lovely singing voice to trick these hapless men.

I believe the above painting is by Delaware.

AI generated, Pinterest

The 7th - 8th century added a comb and mirror as symbols for the sea maidens. She had become vain and self absorbed.

‘Mermaids Preening’ paper collage art by inkspired

Mer-woman, water sprite, sea-maiden, siren - no matter the name mermaids have remained popular throughout the ages. Books have been written about her, poems penned and paintings created with the mermaid as the central theme.

Illustrated by Jonathan Wood, 1951

‘Peter Pan” illustrated by Alice Woodward, 1907

Mermaids remain a popular subject for movies and tv shows. Just a few are Miranda, 1948; Night Tide, 1961; Splash, 1984; Disney’s The Little Mermaid, 1989; Aquamarine, 2006; and H2O Just Add Water, 2006-2010.

Famous composers Mendelssohn and Wagner both wrote musical scores about mermaids (Fair Melusina overture and Der Ring des Nibelungen respectively).

Famous artists such as John William Waterhouse, Howard Pyle and John Reinhardt Weguelin have painted mermaids as their main subject.

Artist John William Waterhouse

Mermaids even lend their tails to advertise all sorts of things from canned tuna fish to airlines to perfume.

Whether Christopher Columbus saw actual mermaids or manatees, legends of the sea sirens seem here to stay.

I’m so glad!

Paper Collage Art by inkspired

1960’s advertisement

Wonderful artist found on Pinterest. Could not find the name.

Here’s another by the same artist:

‘Til next time,

inkspired

Some of the websites I visited for information, in no particular order:

Wikipedia

Encyclopedia Britannica 

Pinterest 

Mythologyworldwide.com
historytools.org

Paper Collage Art by inkspired