My Paper Dolls for the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con Art Show

The 2016 San Diego International Comic-Con is just a few days away! I am back for my fourth year showcasing not only my paper dolls but now also my zodiac puffy pins. My puffy pins are my latest craft adventure which I wanted to share at this year's Art Show. I will be showing just 10 paper dolls compared to my usual goal of 12 to accommodate for the puffy pins. And like last year's Comic-Con Art Show, I tried to make as many fan-based paper dolls relevant to Comic-Con's celebration of comics and other pop-culture art forms. It will be an eclectic mix of paper and fabric art medium and I am excited to see how this year's Comic-Con Art Show attendees respond to my latest art exhibit!

Below are my final 10 paper dolls and their inspirations behind their creations plus a look at my zodiac puffy pins for the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con Art Show. Enjoy!

MERMAID PAPER DOLLS

Mermaid Paper Doll #120 - Rose

These first four mermaid paper dolls are based on characters from the animated television series "Steven Universe" by Rebecca Sugar. Both my sons and my husband Carlos are huge fans of this animated show and I made these mermaid-inspired "Crystal Gems" just for them.

Mermaid Paper Doll #120 is based on the character Rose Quartz from Steven Universe. On the show, Rose is the founder and former leader of the Crystal Gems and the mother of Steven Universe. She is indicated as having an all-loving, motherly personality. So to represent her, I made Mermaid Rose with an overall soft and glowing appearance with light watercolor pastels, gentle pink flowers, voluminous pink hair.

Mermaid Paper Doll #121 - Garnet

Mermaid Paper Doll #121 takes inspiration from the character Garnet from Steven Universe and musician Solange Knowles. Garnet is a fusion gem of the two of other gems Ruby and Sapphire. I wanted to give my Garnet mermaid a 1970s vibe with the appearance of fusion Gem's three eyes and pink and magenta colors. Also I thought it would be fun to give her two mermaid tails to illustrate her gem fusion and to kind of give her this look of wearing a pink jumpsuit. I am a huge fan of Solange Knowles fashion style! She often wears pink and an array of gorgeous jumpsuits including the one she wore at her wedding (pictured above).

Mermaid Paper Doll #122 - Pearl

My Pearl mermaid is based on the character Pearl from Steven Universe. Pearl is known to be a perfectionist and has a penchant for symmetry. For my mermaid Pearl I gave her a very simple, yet structured appearance with her peach colored hair and symmetrical pearl headpiece connecting to one central pearl gemstone near the middle of her forehead.

Mermaid Paper Doll #123 - Amethyst

My Mermaid Paper Doll #123 is based on the character Amethyst from Steven Universe. She is described as being fun-loving, carefree, and protective. With mermaid Amethyst I wanted to give her a bit of edginess combined with an ethereal quality to her. I completed her look with her pale lavender hair covering her left eye and even placing her gemstone on her chest.

Mermaid Paper Doll #124 - Queen Cersei

I am a huge "Game of Thrones" (GoT) fan and I am an even bigger fan of that awesome outfit Lena Headey wore for her character Cersei Lannister on the Season 6 finale of HBO's GoT. Costume Designer Michele Clapton designed the dress which was made from lightweight Italian-cut leather and silver and black textured brocade. Her silver shoulder plates were even more impressive - like a knight ready for battle. For my Queen Cersei mermaid paper doll, I wanted her outfit to look like she constructed her textured outfit from black fish scales and her armored shoulder plates from silver abalone shells and white pearls. She was an absolute pleasure to create!

Mermaid Paper Doll #125 - Lady Sansa

My Lady Sansa Mermaid Paper Doll is based on the "Game of Thrones" character Sansa Stark and her Season 6 dress with an embroidered House Stark dire wolf sigil. Her dress was more of a dark blue color on the show but I decided to give her mermaid dress more of an emerald green hue. Mermaid Sansa doesn't have a dire wolf sigil on her dress but instead wears a couture she-wolf bracelet. This she-wolf face is from a stamp my husband acquired when he went to Italy with his family in 1990. The wolf stamp is based on the Capitoline Wolf sculpture feeding the legendary twins Romulus and Remus, the founders of the city of Rome.

Mermaid Paper Doll #126 - Lupita in Calvin Klein

I absolutely love making mermaid paper dolls based on all the gorgeous looks worn by actress Lupita Nyong'o. Mermaid Paper Doll #126 will be my third Lupita mermaid doll to be shown at the San Diego Comic-Con Art Show. My latest Lupita mermaid took inspiration from her jade-colored, shimmery gown by Calvin Klein at the 2016 Met Gala. I made sure my mermaid Lupita also had the same amazing hairstyle that Lupita wore at the gala. Her hair style was inspired by "sculptural hairdos from around the continent" and from legendary musician Nina Simone. 

MENAGERIE PAPER DOLLS

Menagerie Paper Doll - Frida Kahlo Mermaid #1

My Menagerie Paper Dolls are composed of an array of miscellaneous rubber stamps. My Frida Kahlo Mermaid Paper Doll #1 takes inspiration from the artist's iconic flower crown and the use of plants and flowers in her art

Menagerie Paper Doll - Frida Kahlo Mermaid #2

My Frida Kahlo Mermaid Paper Doll #2 is inspired by the candid nude photographs of Kahlo by her lover Julien Levy in the 1930s.

BEBE PAPER DOLLS

Bebe Paper Doll #35 - Little Red Riding Hood

My Bebe Paper Doll #35 is inspired by the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood and the Big, Bad Wolf. I thought it would be fun to have my Bebe Red Riding Hood wearing a wolf hat instead of her iconic red hood. Her wolf hat is actually based on my own wolf hat which I totally love!!!

PUFFY PINS

Zodiac Puffy Pins

Cute and totally wearable, my zodiac puffy pins take inspiration from Hello Kitty and the Japanese Kawaii culture. I first designed these zodiac girl heads about 12 years ago when two of my sisters and I had a small t-shirt graphic business called Three Sweet Yams. Although our business was short-lived it was a totally fun business adventure that I will always cherish being a part of with my sisters.

Example of Paper Doll framing for the Art Show

Example of Puffy Pin packaging for the Art Show.

I hope you enjoyed my paper dolls and puffy pins for the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con Art Show! Art show set-up will be on Wednesday, July 20th and if you were lucky enough to get Comic-Con badges this year, come stop by the Art Show located upstairs in the Sails Pavilion of the San Diego Convention Center and check out my art exhibit. All my paper dolls and puffy pins will be up for auction during the Comic-Con and any unsold items will added to my Etsy shops Rock Paper Tekla and The Puffy Pin Maker.

I look forward to sharing pictures of my art exhibit as well as my time at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con in a later post. Thanks for stopping by!