Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Halloween Gothic look for L&B Paper Dolls - Vampire Brides and Black Accessories

With it being Halloween, I thought it would be especially fun to create 
a few altered dolls with a more "Gothic" look to them.  
I fondly call them "Vampire Brides"; since they 
have that pale "tied" to a Vampire look.

I've also included some additional "black" doll part accessories 
that work well with the "Goth Girl" look.

I hope you Enjoy them!

An assembled "Vampire Bride #1" using Multi-Jointed limbs sheet
Above is a doll I put together using an altered Vampire Bride doll sheet
and a multi-jointed parts sheet so she can be posed in a variety of ways.

Here are two multi-jointed parts sheets I created.
The first one on the left has a regular skin tone look that will work with most of the dolls 
I've already posted and the sheet on the right is for the Goth dolls in this Halloween post.


I found 3 of the previously posted L&B Dolls had a look that translated well 
to the Goth-Vampire world and here they are.

EKD - Vampire Bride #1
This first Vampire Bride is based on the original doll seen - HERE


Vampire Bride #2
This Vampire Bride is based on an original L&B paper doll seen - HERE


Vampire Bride #3
The last and final Vampire Bride is based on the doll from yesterday's post - HERE

These brides are all in white but I know how important black accessories are in the Goth world so I've created some altered accessories for you to mix in with all the L&B dolls I've posted about.
An Assortment of Black Doll Torsos
I had a bit of fun creating a fishnet look on some of the stockings shown below 
and created matching torsos to go with them for some added dress-up fun.

The limbs below should work with most of the L&B paper dolls I've already posted.
The flesh part of the upper arms will not work with the "Gothic" dolls shown above.

Black Stockings and Opera Gloves

Gold Fishnet Stockings

Silver Fishnet Stockings

Black Fishnet Stockings

Black Limbs with Straighter legs
Here is a sheet where I straightened out the legs a bit and gave and extra pair of arms for variety.

*******

Printing and Assembly of a Jointed Paper Doll

* Start by downloading the largest available size of the dolls you want to craft with.
Downloading Hint: Click on the image you want before saving the image.
That way you get the larger downloadable size and not the smaller thumbnail size. 
* Print the doll on the best quality paper you have access to, with the correct printer settings 
for type of paper, weight and image quality adjusted to fine or something similar that will 
give you a high quality print or take to a print center to have them run you a few quality prints.
(Setting your printer to the correct settings can make a big difference in how she looks) 
Most of the L&B doll parts should work well together at the current printed size; 
however depending on the parts or portions of parts you want to use 
some minor adjusting on your part may be necessary.
My printed sheet - ready to mount and cut
I printed mine out on heavy glossy brochure paper using an OKI laser printer.
When I select Print I get a Print pop-up box with options:
  I went to "Properties" and clicked the "Setup Tab" then went to "Weight" and choose 
the Ultra Heavy 35-54 lb setting since I use a 44lb brochure paper. 
Next I click the "Job Options" Tab and select Fine and then I can print it.
(depending on the printer you have your setting placement and options may be different).
I get lovely printed images that are ready to back, cut, assemble and decorate.
Add Adhesive to the back of the sheets so they can be bonded to a sheet of heavy cardstock before cutting
Personally I find running my parts through a xyron adhesive machine to be the quickest way to get full coverage adhesive on the back of the sheets so they can then be bonded to a sheet of heavy weight cardstock.  Spray adhesive can also be used or any other method you prefer to use.

Just remember that if you are going to assemble your dolls with brads or eyelets they need the extra support from cardstock or light weight cardboard.  This will give the doll greater stability and longevity after assembling; since the paper alone just can't handle the stress of moving joints and metal fasteners. 

Some of the supplies used to assemble my paper doll
I cut all the parts out using a sharp pair of detail cutting scissors that had a fine tip on them.
I also had ready some products to tough-up my doll parts as well as some tiny brads and a tiny 1/16th inch hole punch to use with them.


View of doll head after she is cut out - showing some white edges that need touching up





Even cutting close to the edge with sharp scissors you can still get raw looking white edges especially around dark areas of your image.  It is also easy to accidentally gouge or scrape part of the printed ink layer away as the edge of your scissors works around corners and sharp turns.

I find the best way to fix this when using glossy paper is by sponging on 
some ink and using sharpie pens for detail touch ups. 

The same doll head after touch up with ink - on glossy paper




I sponged on the ink all around the perimeter of the image, on the thin side of the paper and on the top part of the paper very close to the edge in the dark areas like the hair where lots of white was showing.  To hide additional marks that the sponge could not get, I used Sharpie markers in matching colors. Browns for the hair and a pale skin tone for the body and bodice.

I did the same process for the other limbs so they did not have "raw" looking edges either.

Assembled doll
Once I finished touching up all the raw edges, I punched my holes, 
added my brads and posed my lady.

She is now ready to be styled any way you want.

I've created a fun outfit for her based on some vintage Victorian 
clothing; so check in tomorrow to see her Gothic Costume.


Till Next Time...





This post is in memory of my beloved cat Sherlock who had to be put to sleep today.
I'll miss you my sweet baby boy!


8 comments:

  1. Hi, dear Evelyn! Thank you so much for your tipps to making paper dolls. Sometimes small things make Art better or perfect or lovely also.

    I hope so much your Sherlock is in a better world now. It is so hard to let them go. Thinking of you and him. Big warm hugs to you

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Erika - I'm so glad you found the assembly tips useful. I know how frustrating it can be to work on a project and not get it to come out like the picture; so I wanted to show some of the issues I've encountered in making these dolls as well as the tricks and fixes I used to get them to look their best.

      Thanks too for the hugs! It's tough loosing a loving pet and Sherlock was super special to us. Ya, I have to think of him being in a happy place and cancer free. He left us with lots of funny stories and great memories to cherish.

      Hugs back to you,
      Evelyn

      Delete
  2. So sorry to hear about your sweet Sherlock. :(
    He looked like a fine fellow with his little folded ear and his handsome green eyes.
    Thanks for posting all these wonderful paper dolls. I love to print and dress them and use them in my art projects. They're all so wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Constance - I'm so very glad you are enjoying the paper dolls. I think they are lots of fun so I'm always glad to hear back that others like these lovely Victorian gals as well.

      Thanks also for the kind words about my sweet, scruffy boy "Sherlock". I miss him and know I will be sad over the loss for a long time. He was a unique cat and so very affectionate. I have some amazing memories of him and am glad that he was a part of our family for the past twelve years.

      Wishing you all my best,
      Evelyn

      Delete
  3. Hello,
    I'm a little late for Halloween, but these paper dolls have a look so chic they can be used for other occasions. Thank you so much for the instructions. I do not know Xyron printers, are they special?
    When I have to cut out of cardboard, I use a scalpel instead of a pair of scissors. It is certain, we must be very careful and take it easy, but it avoids having small white scraps near the image, but the idea of ​​coloring is very good!

    It is very sad to lose a pet, especially after so many years, but I'm sure their little soul remains close to us.
    Thank you soooo much!
    Sylvie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Greetings Sylvie - Thanks for the kind words on my kitty, he was an unusual fellow and will be missed.

      I'm so glad you like the dolls and instructions. I don't do well when I try and cut with a scalpel or blade tool but I agree the edges would be cleaner for those who use one. Great tip, so thanks for sharing.

      The Xyron is actually a great tool that adds adhesive to the back of items in one easy step.

      Grins,
      Evelyn

      Delete
  4. Thank you for offering these images, I look forward to using them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for letting me know you liked the images.
      I hope you enjoy using them.

      Best Wishes,
      Evelyn aka EKDuncan

      Delete