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For those of you who haven’t been following my site for a couple of years (or a decade, depending on how you look at it), allow me to explain why today’s dresses seem rather different from usual: they’re from Liana’s Paper Doll Boutique, which was my first paper doll-centric website. I drew outfits for it from December 1998, my sophomore year of high school, to May 2000, partially through my first year of college. It’s no longer online in its entirety, but from time to time I’ll put up some of the old content as filler for anyone with an interest in how my drawing skills developed, and it’s also a thrill to hear from people who followed the old site from time to time.
I’m not sure why it seemed like a good idea in the first place. I had been drawing paperdolls for my own amusement for a few years beforehand. I wish I knew where some of those old ones were, but I distinctly remember doing some for my cousins and a black-and-white historical set for my own amusement. As I imply above, it wasn’t my first website; I was a geek and put up all sorts of webpages about things that interested me – video games, music, interactive stories. In terms of attention received, it was my most successful, but my future husband e-mailed me after reading my video game site, so I can’t necessarily call my paper doll boutique my favorite project I did as a teenager! In any case, I suppose it was only natural to combine my two interests.
At some point, the site’s host vanished, or I had migrated it to my University of Michigan webspace and that vanished, I don’t remember, but either way it was gone. My mom tried to get me to put it back up online somewhere, but by then I was embarrassed at how childish the drawings seemed. But I don’t mind now, they seem cute to me, so I’ll let you all see them too! As you can see, I always did like the concept of the birthday dresses. It is a little sad, though, that after all this time, I haven’t ever done a whole set, much less a whole set in just one year. Hopefully this will be the year to change that…
HEH HEH! FIRST COMMENTER!
Anyway, it’s nice to see that Liana had talent even as a child! I figured that would be the case…but here’s some proof to back that up! Great May dress, by the way…I’d wear it!
I saw the website but somehow I’ve never seen the dresses you put up on this site when I looked at the old boutique. I do have all of them printed and cut out though.
I like it- THEM!!!!
Wow you’ve really developed!!! Not that you were bad then…you were really good. I cant draw stuff like this what-so-ever. And I never saw your old sight…i was two at the time and as far as i remember i didnt like paper dolls then. And I really like these dresses
“…my future husband e-mailed me after reading my video game site…”
THAT’S SO SWEET!!! =^_^=
Haha, the dresses are cute too. ♥
When I first learned of your old site, I went back and looked at everything I could find. You are an amazing and creative artist with a real gift. Your dolls are a delight to my three granddaughters and to me. Thank you for staying with this endeavor–even if it isnt the one that brought you your true love!
Lovely dresses, I really like the May one.
I just noticed though, while going through my collection of paperdoll dresses that you do indeed have a dress for April from 2009. The months you don’t have are July and August. January gets the most dresses, 3, while March and June have 2 (June has a dress from 2004). That’s not counting these dresses of course.
I found the Anna Karenina black velvet ballgown from your old site on my memory card about three months ago and it inspired me to look for you again. I love your new site, but I really liked the old one too, and your paper doll designs have made me want to go back and dig up my old pds that I did in high school too. Oddly enough I have always kept them and know where they are, so I guess I wasnt finished with them. You have really grown and developed as an artist, but your earlier dresses do have a lot of charm and are very pretty. And your designs for Anna were great!!!!! I think you definitively nailed the black ballgown, it is (imo) every way consistent with Tolstoy’s description.
I loved the paper doll boutique – i believe i got in trouble for running a couple ink cartridges dry printing them all :) And my, how you’ve progressed! I also seem to remember a java site or some such, basic flash???