Colored Masquerade Gown in Black, White, Purple, Red and Gold

Click for larger version (PNG); click for PDF version. Click here for the list of dolls.

Sofia won my last contest for guessing that one of my top ten favorite movies is Casablanca. (The other nine: Whisper of the Heart, Vertigo, The Thin Man, Some Like It Hot, Robin Hood (Disney version), Porco Rosso, North by Northwest, Dr. Strangelove and All About Eve.) She wrote: “Casablanca is one of my favorite movies, too, and definitely a film everyone should see. Anyway, I’d like to see the masquerade dress from this post: https://lianaspaperdolls.com/2009/10/12/halloween-masquerade-series-1-black-and-white-masquerade-gown-with-bonus-colored-brown-and-red-elf-gown/ in dark colors… maybe a mottled red/black/purple kind of brocade or damask pattern on the skirt, with gold trim.” I hope you like this version, Sofia. I certainly do, although it made my thumb go numb again. I’ve got to start splitting up these pattern-heavy coloring jobs over the course of a couple of days! (Not a complaint, I really like being challenged to do something cool like this.)

Colors used: French Grey family (white cascade, sleeves, etc.), Cool Grey (70% and 90% on the top part), Dark Umber, Light Umber, Goldenrod, Sunburst Yellow, Crimson Lake, Tuscan Red, Moss Green, Limepeel, Imperial Violet, Greyed Lavender, Black Grape, Black, Colorless Blender


January Birthday Dress with Red Arabeque Patterned Tunic and Long-Sleeved Underdress with Snowdrops

Click for larger version (PNG); click for PDF version. Click here for the list of dolls.

And, for my last post of June, we have… the January birthday dress. Did I ever mention how lucky I am anyone still bothers reading this site? I’m sorry, January birthday people, although you do technically have one January dress for Sylvia. I never liked that one, though. You see the big white band on the red overskirt? There was supposed to be a snowdrop pattern there. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it for some reason. I don’t know if I like this one either, but that’s because the original is so much better than the scan… Oh well. Anyways, all I have to do is April now, and then I can catch up on the rest of the months as they come.

Prismacolors used: French Grey family (dress), Cool Grey family (snowdrops), Black, Kelly Green, Poppy Red, Crimson Red, Crimson Lake, Tuscan Red, Colorless Blender.


Black and White Medieval Gown with Flower Garlands

Click for larger version (PNG); click for PDF version. Click here for the list of dolls.

I wanted to play with long sleeves a little more, so that’s where this dress came from. You would have to cut the edge of the sleeve for the hand to fit, but I have confidence my readers or their adult paperdoll providers can figure it out.

I said there was a special contest coming up, and here it is! I use last.fm, a site that provides music recommendations, Internet radio and so on, mostly because I always listen to the radio while I’m working, but also partially because I’m a sucker for little graphs based on what I listen to. I was thinking it would be fun to do some paperdolls based on the music I like listening to, but there’s so much I couldn’t decide what to try.

That’s where you come in! To enter, take a look through my last.fm profile, choose any artist I’ve ever listened to, and post it as a comment. On the 28th, I’ll use a random number generator to pick five comments, and then draw something based in some way on those artists. For example, if one of the winners picked Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, I listen to the Scheherazade suite all the time, so perhaps I’d do something based off of the Arabian Nights, something from the ballet, or maybe something from 1888 when it was composed.

Here’s the rules:
1) Even if you’ve won one of my black-and-white contests, you can enter this one.
2) You can only make one guess, and it has to be on this post.
3) Entries will be accepted until 9 PM EST, June 28th.
4) Yes, Brian, even you can enter.
5) I’ll take suggestions, but I reserve the right to make the final decision on what exactly to draw.


Embroidered Robe and White Nightgown from Romeo et Juliette

Click for larger version (PNG); click for PDF version. Click here for the list of dolls.

Yesterday, I saw an encore presentation of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2007 performance of Roméo et Juliette through the Live in HD series, which they broadcast to participating movie theaters. I love these, and I’ve gone to as many as I can since last year. It would probably be a great experience to go to one live, but as it is, you get an amazing view of the costumes this way!

Shakespeare in a language besides English loses a lot of charm for me, but add singing and it becomes enjoyable. (Aside from the ending, in which Romeo downs the poison, then Juliet wakes up about five seconds later; they have a fair few minutes to express mutual joy in song, and all the while I am thinking that it might not be very romantic to induce vomiting but it would at least be worth trying…) I hated Romeo’s powder-blue tight pants, but Juliet, as it should be, had lovely costumes; this robe and nightgown set was used heavily, particularly the nightgown, which she was wearing under everything after the first party scene. I don’t think my drawing does justice to it at all, but at least now Ivy and Grace have something to lounge in.

By the way, I regret that I can’t see the encore presentation of Carmen late in July, because I will be a little busy after flying cross-country with two whiny, neurotic cats the day before. The rest of you, though, should try to see it, because it’s fantastic! I love Carmen, and I did get to see this performance before so really I have nothing to complain about.