Thursday, September 19, 2013

Fall Foliage: My Latest Paper Dolls

Fall is in the air - I can definitely feel it! I absolutely love this time of the year especially since Halloween is just around the corner! Halloween is my favorite holiday and I have so much fun decorating for this holiday both inside and outside my home. Even my 7-year old has already asked if we could start putting up Halloween decorations and it's only September! Also, check out one of my favorite blog posts that I wrote last Fall which was "surprisingly" about Halloween!

It's really a fun time to make paper dolls too especially because I love to add a bit of Halloween-inspired ladies into the mix. Moreover, my latest group of paper ladies come from some great inspirations and are some of my most couture paper dolls yet. 

...and here are my latest paper dolls and their inspirations! Enjoy!


BEBE PAPER DOLL



Bebe Paper Doll #25 was inspired by the 1970s Hanna-Barbera cartoon character, Valerie Brown of "Josie & the Pussycats". Valerie was known as the highly intelligent and mechanical wizard of the trio, she also played the tambourines. This Bebe doll carries around her round moon bag perfect for trick-or-treating or for storing her tambourine. She also has a moveable tail!


MERMAID PAPER DOLLS






'Prettiest of Barnacles' paper doll was influenced from a couple of sources. I stumbled upon the first inspiration from a pin on Pinterest which was of a model wearing a flower head garland and a pretty pinkish salmon-colored dress from Hamda Al Fahim's 2013 Spring/Summer Collection.  I loved the whole look which I thought was totally mermaid-worthy.

The second inspiration was based also on Fahim's dress and it's collage of flowers at the waist. The flowers reminded me of barnacles and the way they attach themselves to surfaces. I wanted the flowers on 'Prettiest of Barnacles' to look the way barnacles form with the thick layers of flowers growing along her body.





My 'Masked Mermaid' paper doll was heavily based on Dolce & Gabbana Alta Moda Fall Collection which I first saw in this September's VOGUE magazine. As soon as I saw the fashion spread on Alta Moda and this particular dress, I knew I wanted to make a mermaid paper doll inspired by it. Gorgeous, dramatic, and perfectly masked for a fall evening masquerade!




I made Mermaid Paper Doll #89 out my deep curiosity about what a ballerina would look like in a world full of witches. I imagined if I were to attend a witch's ballet I would expect the ballerinas to forgo the pink tutus and opt for dresses made of old scrolls filled with cobwebs and spooky spells. And no swans on a lake here, only black cats!






Jellyfish are beautiful, eerie, and one of the most amazing creatures that drift through the ocean. Mermaid Paper Doll #90 'Medusa of the Jellyfish' was based on these magnificent animals. With her tangled tentacles atop her head, Mermaid #90 appears Medusa-like  gently and stealthily moving through the ocean waters. 




Dragonstone Castle


Daenerys, Mother of Dragons, with one of three dragon eggs.

If I haven't told you by now, I am a huge fan of HBO's "Game of Thrones". My 'Lady Dragonstone' mermaid was aptly named after the fictional ancient fortress known as the Castle of Dragonstone. This castle, located on the island of Dragonstone, was once ruled by the dragon lords known as the House Targaryen. 'Lady Dragonstone' features a scaled gown and tail reminiscent of the dragon eggs that Daenerys Targaryen, the platinum-blonde Mother of Dragons, received as a gift on her wedding day to Khal Drogo.






Mermaid Paper Doll #92 was inspired not only by Marchesa's Spring 2009 Collection but also by the gorgeous Halle Berry. Halle wore a strapless black and gold tulle Marchesa gown for the 2009 Vanity Fair Oscar party which she looked absolutely stunning in. My 'Marchesa' mermaid is an absolute beauty too!



A couple of weeks ago, Carlos and I took the boys to the beach at night to show them the amazing blue glowing waves created by bioluminescent dinoflagellates. They weren't as bright as the firefly squids of Japan's Toyama Bay but the subtle pops of blue in the waves were still quite beautiful. Mermaid Paper Doll #93 was based on these bioluminescent creatures and their bursts of glowing blue lights that illuminate the shoreline at night.




'Autumn Silhouette', the last of the Mermaid Paper Dolls for this Fall season, was named by my soon-to-be 10-year old son, Paco. I love to show my finished paper dolls to my boys and usually Paco is never shy to give his suggestions on potential names. His poetic name for Mermaid #94 captured exactly the beauty of bare tree branches against an Autumn skyline. 


I hope you enjoyed this look at my latest paper dolls and their inspirations! I plan to take a short break from making more dolls until Winter. Up next on my busy October plate: planning Paco's 10th Birthday on the 14th and setting up for Halloween!

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday, September 2, 2013

Making More Paper Dolls!

Fall is coming! I love this time of the year! I'll be continually working on more paper dolls throughout September and hope to add all of them to my Etsy Shop by the middle of the month. I've had a lot of great inspirations for my upcoming paper dolls and a handful of those dolls will be Halloween-inspired.

 Take a sneak peek at a couple of my latest mermaid paper dolls:

Mermaids wearing the latest in underwater fashion.

 Mermaid Paper Doll 87 "Prettiest of Barnacles" and Mermaid Paper Doll 88 "Masked Mermaid"


Can't wait to share the rest of my latest paper doll creations on my next blog post in a few weeks! Until then...

Happy September Everyone!!!

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

San Diego Comic-Con 2013

I can't believe it has already been more than a year since last year's San Diego Comic-Con. This year's Comic-Con International was so much fun just like every year before. And despite the outrageous crowds both inside and out, the excitement and energy of all the fans were felt everywhere. 


 Just for Comic-Con, the City of San Diego changed their trolley signs to the fictional language, Dothraki, from HBO's Game of Thrones. This trolley stop used to be 'Gaslamp Quarter' but has been changed to 'Vaes Dothrak', the city of the Dothraki people.

A view outside from my trolley window of the Gaslamp Quarter which is directly across from the Convention Center.

Me upstairs in the Sails Pavilion of the Convention Center.


A look inside the Convention with a hall lined with Game of Thrones banners.

Looking outside the Comic-Con with a view of Petco Park.

At the IDW Publishing booth: IDW rotating sign with a picture of Dodge from Joe Hill's Locke & Key comic book series; Carlos admiring the G.I. Joe Cobra: The Last Laugh deluxe hardcover.

Inside the Con: The Hasbro booth with the My Little Pony sign above.


Also, I have to admit that this particular Comic-Con was a bit more special than others. It was the first time I submitted my paper dolls for display at their art show. I was quite proud to be able to show my paper dolls at the Con and especially proud to have Carlos and our kids there with me while I put up my display. 

Comic-Con Art Show: Me and my paper dolls after set-up.

I'm glad to see that my paper dolls received some love from Comic-Con attendees. By the end of the 4-day Comic-Con, all my business cards were gone and I sold 6 out of 11 paper dolls. Funny thing about this whole art display process was the fact that I was told by one of the art show representatives that most buyers preferred not to have their art framed and they recommended that we didn't frame our art. So I was a bit relieved that I did prepare a mix of framed and unframed paper dolls. However, after picking up my unsold paper dolls, I realized that those dolls not framed were the ones not sold - definitely something to think about for next year's art show.

This year's Comic-Con was also a great year in terms of having a good many of my pretend boyfriends making appearances at the panels. Unfortunately, I did not see any of them at the panels because I could not fathom waiting in line for at least 8 hours to get a glimpse of them. Sorry boys! 

Here's a look at my pretend-boyfriends-of-the-moment at the Comic-Con:

  • Tom Hiddleston

Tom Hiddleston stole the thunder from everything buzz worthy in Hall H by taking the stage as his 'Thor' character Loki; later Tom was all smiles while attending an autograph signing for his upcoming movie Thor: The Dark World.

  • Michael Fassbender

Michael Fassbender wore an animal mask from the upcoming Lionsgate horror movie You're Next to the X-Men: Days of Future Past panel.

  • Kit Harington

Kit Harington 'Jon Snow' walks on-stage for the Game of Thrones Friday panel. Hot damn!

  • Andrew Garfield
Andrew Garfield donned his Spiderman costume for the Hall H crowd for the Amazing Spiderman 2 panel.


And once again, one of my favorite things to do while at the Con is looking at all the awesome costumes.


Science Ninja Team Gatchaman: Costumed fans of Jo, the Condor, and Jun, the Swan.


Star Wars Bounty Hunters: Boba Fett & Bossk


Old school Cylons from 1980s Battlestar Galactica.


The Horse Head Mask was seen everywhere throughout this year's Comic Con.


Comic-Con fan dressed in an awesome costume with wheelchair inspired by Madame Suliman from Hayao Miyazaki's Howl's Moving Castle.


Masters of the Universe He-Man and She-Ra.


Nintendo's Princesses: Daisy and Peach.




My daughter Salem as Luigi.




A Tale of Two Links: Goron (Fire) Tunic Link and Green Tunic Link from Nintendo's Legend of Zelda.




Semi-Justice League Reunion, in attendance: Wonder Woman, Flash, Batgirl, and Aquaman.


Not your typical Classic X-Men with Jean Grey, Wolverine, and Rogue.

Just a couple of mutants hanging out: Cyclops and Mystique.


 Marveltastic Costumes: Black Cat, Bullseye, and Electro.


Most of all, I love finding something special at and around the small press booths and artist alley...

At the Last Gasp booth: In love with interesting book covers.


I bought this beautifully illustrated book for the boys called Curiosities: An Illustrated History of Ancestral Oddity by Mike Yamada and Victoria Ying of Los Angeles-based design studio Extracurricular Activities. I was able to meet Mike and Victoria at their booth and they were both happy to sign their book for me.

I bought for myself this absolutely whimsical art print "Message in the bottle" by Patara of Vuduberi. She was a pleasure to meet and she signed my print as well.


And cheers again to another great Comic-Con year! Can't wait for next year!


(Sources: Boba Fett & BosskCyclops & Mystique, Nintendo, Marvel, DC Comics, Battlestar Galactica, Masters of the Universe, Howl's Moving Castle, Gatchaman, Andrew Garfield/Splash News/Renegade Cinema, Getty Images)