gown

Tutorial: Shading and Blending with Prismacolors

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Click for larger version (PNG); click for PDF version. Click here for the list of dolls. I draw pretty much everything using Prismacolor pencils, and one thing I’ve intended to do for, well, longer than I might care to admit, is a basic tutorial on how I use them. Now that I’m feeling guilty about having neglected my page for half a year, I’m finally, finally going to show you how I shade my dresses! Let’s get a little music going, that’s crucial. If I get really into drawing I like something I can sing to while I work, but I’m interrupting my work to scan and write the tutorial, so today it’ll be Bound Together, a remix of music from the SNES game Earthbound. (If you want the full following along experience, here’s my favorite track: SnowBound.)

This turned out to be extremely long, so please click “read more” to see the rest!

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Belated Black and White Valentine’s Day Gown

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

Unsurprisingly, I’m late for Valentine’s Day, but I had to do a Valentine’s Day gown for two reasons. One, Valentine’s Day is the perfect occasion for the type of ridiculousness I do best. Although I appreciate the simplicity of the re-branded Valentine’s Day, I’m having none of it. (Pass the lace.) Two, I love all of you for not forgetting me like I so richly deserve. I’m sorry.

The truth is, for the last few months I’ve been devoting myself to my other great interest, which is studying Japanese, and for some reason, when I’m really devoting myself to one thing, my interest in everything else is non-existent, and I am lucky if I can start work on time and make dinner in a consistent fashion. I really miss drawing, though. I’m going to take a stab at doing both. As a matter of fact, I was thinking, if I could combine my Japanese studies and my paperdolls somehow, I would never get tired of either of them! I’m seriously open to suggestions on this point. If you were me, what would you do with these two incongruous, underdeveloped skills?

In the meantime… well, we’ll see. I really miss paperdolling. But even if you don’t see me again for another month (and I really will try not to be that flaky this time!) at least now you have a new dress to color. This one could keep you busy for a while, too…

The Twelve Days of Christmas, Day 1: A Partridge in a Pear Tree à la reine

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

~On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, a partridge in a pear tree~

Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate it, and for those of you who don’t, I hope you can still find some amusement in birds. Lots of birds.

Blue Winter Gown, and an apology

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

Remember me?
… I know, I know. I do some of the best dresses I’ve ever drawn, and then I up and vanish on you. I’m very sorry, everyone… I do tend to swing between obsessions, and I don’t know if it’s quite time to return to paperdolls, but my mom was quite right when she said it’s past time for the fire gown to be the first thing everyone sees when they look at the site. This isn’t the December birthday dress or anything… it’s just pretty. I hope. I’m kind of rusty. And it’s blue because I’m feeling blue about being such a lousy paperdoll blog maintainer. Kidding. Sort of.

I will have another couple of updates in the coming days, but for now I thought I had just better post something, apologize for the complete and total neglect, and get it over with!