I have been asked some questions about my free paper doll and fashion pages. I hope this blog post will answer some of your questions.Q. What paper should I use when I print the paper doll?
A. Although you can certainly use plain paper, I suggest you use cardstock to print the actual paper doll, which is currently Clara. She will be more durable as you put on and remove the various outfits. If you really want Clara to last for a long time, print the paper doll on cardstock, and then use a good coat of spray adhesive to glue another sheet of cardstock to the back of the printed sheet. Color and cut out as usual. Clara will be more durable.
Q. What paper should I use for the fashion pages?
A. I recommend you print the fashion pages on normal paper. Cardstock will work, but the tabs will be more difficult to fold around the paper doll. If you are particular about your paper, a nicer quality of paper or cotton bond will take colored pencil nicely.
Q. How do I color the paper dolls?
A. Any way you want. I do suggest using colored pencils, but markers and crayons work just fine. In each blog post, if I know the actual, original color of the outfit used for inspiration, I will provide that information. Some of the fashion pages are drawn from vintage photographs, which are usually black and white, so the original color may not be known. With each post, I also try to provide some of the colors that were popular in the era represented by the fashion design.
Q. Can I make my own dresses for Clara?
A. Although Clara and the fashion pages are copyrighted, you can certainly make your own dresses for her. Making my own dresses for paper dolls was a favorite childhood pastime for me. Just don't try to sell Clara as your own work. I am certainly interested to see how creative my readers are, so if you want to send me a scan or photo of any new dresses, I would love to see what you are doing.
Q. Can I send copies of Clara and the fashion pages to my cousin/sister/daughter?
A. Actually, please just send them a link to my blog. Thanks!
Q. Why are all your paper dolls and dresses in Adobe Acrobat (or PDF) format?
A. So you can have high quality prints, and all the dolls and fashion pages will print at the same exact scale. Please let me know if you ever have an issue printing one of my fashion pages.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
Dear Melinda,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this lovely site. It's a beautiful tribute to your Allison. I'm glad you are continuing to give the generous gift of your design talent to the fashion dreamers out there :). I will be trying these out with my 9 year old.
I love your site, too! I just forwarded this link to several friends who have little girls just the right age for paperdolls. I remember loving paper dolls when I was a child. Good luck with your project!
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