Paper Couture VI: The Paper Wardrobe Project

Sparked by my recent participation in a vintage dress form tutorial, I was inspired to begin launching a series of articles having to do with paper couture.

paper machè bustier or corset top

During my searches for material I came across a blog called Alice and Camilla. Margaret, the author of the blog began a project called Dress Up 2010 in which she created one paper dress every month for an entire year.

Serafina gypsy mermaid mixed media painting ~ paper corset

I was so inspired by the idea that I finally figured out a way to put my own twist on it. I call it the Paper Wardrobe Project. Coincidentally, I happen to be working on a mixed media painting of a mermaid and created this rather exquisite paper bustier corset top for her.

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So here's the deal. Beginning in August I will be creating one item a month having to do with the paper couture articles presented here and I challenge you to join me. I've got lots of good stuff planned which includes links to templates and tutorials posted in the right sidebar so grab a blog button, add me to your favorites and check back often!

 

Paper Couture V: Cutest Little Paper Dress

Aren't these the cutest lil paper dresses ever?!  These were created and posted on Paper Whimsy by Nancy Maxwell James of Sugar Lump Studios who also provides a short tutorial on how she created these adorable wee dresses.

Created for PaperWhimsy by Nancy Maxwell James 

The tutorial also includes a link to a paper dress template so you can print out each of the three patterns shown here and begin creating your own paper wardrobe.

Note: The image and template posted in association with this listing remain the copyrighted, intellectual property of Nancy Maxwell James and Sugar Lump Studios.

Paper Couture IV: The Perfect Paper Dress

As I tended to my garden of dreams on the eve of the last full moon, an enchanted fairy princess did visit me and whispered in my ear.

The Butterfly Catcher

"The date of the mid summer night ball will soon be here and it would be so lovely if I could arrive draped in the finest paper dress this year," said she.

Ballet Assemblage 3 - The Gypsy

"Only the best will do for a grand occasion such as this," said I and wasted not a second in suggesting that she flutter her way to Ms. Messie Jessie's shoppe since I've been told she makes the most exquisite frocks.

Assemblage Dress Collection

With so many scrumptious and beautiful gowns from which to choose, the fairy princess found that narrowing down the selection to only one was quite a task indeed.

Part of the Rosebud Ballet Series

Luxurious vintage fabrics combined with piles of perfect pleats, sprinkled with charm and heaped with imagination, these dresses were everything the princess could ever hope to find and more!

The Original Ballet Dress

She had searched high and low for that perfect little dress and did agree with me that Ms. Messie Jessie's closet truly has the best.

Assemblage - Sari

Clouds began to part and angels did sing when the fairy princess caught sight of this heavenly thing. A  little hot pink and bit of tulle really make this number flirty and fun. So the princess had it wrapped and away she went confident that she would reign as belle of the mid summer night's ball.

Assemblage - Valentine

I searched the internet for hours looking for some shred of charm in a paper dress that didn't include a super model. I was seeing dresses in leaves and floor tile patterns until I found this shoppe and literally fell in love. Sue, your dresses are superior! Thank you so much for the visual treat.

Note: All images posted in association with this listing remain the copyrighted intellectual property of Messie Jessie and Sue Griffiths.

Paper Couture III: Marie Antoinette Paper Hair

Marie Antoinette is such a rich source of inspiration for many that paper couture can not ignore the possibilities for creating exquisite paper hair. The combined artistic talents of Nikki Salk and Amy Flurry of the Paper Cut Project are the driving force behind these cutting edge, paper wig installations.

"Afro"

Full of energy and fun, this first wig is probably my favorite of the 3 I've selected to show you here. I can't help but see endless possibilities for incorporating paper vines and other botanical themes into a similar hairdo, something I've been dying to try for some time now. 

"Wig 3"

There is something positively magical and intriguing about the combination of the soothing, crisp lines of the front of this Marie Antoinette coiffe juxtaposed against piles of energetically, swirling curls in back. The eye begins its exploration peacefully as if on a motionless pond only to find itself summersaulting through endless fields of sun kissed wildflowers dancing in the breeze. What a visual treat!

"Wig 7" 

This sweet and sassy little number beautifully combines shorter tight curls in front with longer more relaxed strands in back. I imagine that if Marie were living among us today, she might be sporting a hairdo similar to this. Understated extravagance meets the 21st century. We would expect nothing less.

Note: All images associated with this post remain the copyrighted, intellectual property of Nikki Salk, Amy Flurry and the Paper Cut Project.

Paper Couture II: Marie Antoinette Paper Shoes

If you drooled over the Marie Antoinette inspired paper shoe I posted Monday, Get ready, because this second installment of paper couture just might leave you giddy with creative enthusiasm. Terri Gordon of Artful Affirmations has put together a little tutorial on how to make your own paper shoe.

Click the paper shoe image above to be transported to Terri's tutorial

A free shoe template is also provided on the Artful Affirmations blog if you care to try this for yourself. I created the shoes below following Terri's excellent instruction so don't be shy. These shoes were made to fit into a paper match box for a swap I participated in so they are pretty tiny.

Miniature paper shoes by Kellie Reynolds

For more decadent, Marie inspired paper creations, be sure to visit Terri at Designs by Terri Gordon.

Note: Image 1 of this post remains the copyrighted, intellectual property of Terri Gordon.

Paper Couture I: Marie Antoinette Paper Shoes

Since my creative muse seems to have begun steering me in the direction of antique paper dress forms these days I thought I would do a series of articles on paper couture beginning with Marie Antoinette inspired paper shoes.

The amazingly talented Noel Solomon of Fanciful Designs  teases the senses with this sumptuous hand made paper creation in decadent shades of pale pink that would make Marie herself blush with pride.

Noel says she spent hours flipping through pictures for inspiration, hand dying papers and selecting just the right fabrics and embellishments that would breathe life into this exquisite paper shoe.

The result is truly stunning and one that is my absolute pleasure to share with you here. To see more of Noel's incredible paper designs, stop by the Fanciful Designs shoppe.

Note: All images associated with this post remain the copyrighted, intellectual property of Noel Solomon and Fanciful Designs.

Karla Nathan's Mini Dress Forms

During an image search for a simple line drawing of a dress form I recently came across Karla Nathan's Mini Dress Form Workshop. One look at the dress forms created by her and her students and I was hooked! I had to know how to make them for myself.

Dress Forms by Karla Nathan

This workshop is only $15 and you will be amazed at how easy these are to create using items you probably already have around the house. The dress forms lend themselves so well to a variety of mediums including paint, paper machè, wall paper, fabric, vintage baubles, old books and crepe paper to name a few.

Incredible Student Work

Imagine the possibility for paper dresses of all kinds. A few words that come to mind to help spark some ideas might be fairy tale couture, Marie Antoinette, or vintage vogue. Really, the sky's the limit. Enjoy!

All images associated with this post remain the copyrighted, intellectual property of Karla Nathan.

Du Buh Du Art Dolls

I am fascinated and intrigued by art dolls in just about any form so it was no surprise for me to go all a twitter after finding Christine Alvarado of Du Buh Du Designs. What captivates me the most about Christine's gorgeous art dolls is her ability to connect with us on an emotional level.

Through her photographs we can almost feel the wind on our faces or hear the sounds of a rustling paper dress.

The cheers of a roaring circus crowd begin to tickle our ears as acrobats twirl from dizzying heights defying gravity just for the thrill of it. The movement of a juggler's mid air dance almost completes itself enticing our imaginations to continue the story.

Who hasn't thought of taking a ride on a flying carpet? I only ever imagined that it would be a happy occasion filled with magic and heavenly delight but what it is that makes this girl seem so sad? Is she running away or moving forward? She can be whatever I imagine her to be.

 

Christine captures mood so well not just with the expressions in the faces of her dolls but in the well thought out placement of her scenes which serves to greatly enhance those feelings of somberness or quiet contemplation. We can't help but wonder how the story ends or even how it began.

Christine's art dolls dare us to dream, to let our minds soar and connect with those soft parts of ourselves that leave us deliciously vulnerable to all of life's pleasures and pain.

All images associated with this post remain the intellectual, copyrighted property of Christine Alvarado and Du Buh Du Designs.

Distressed Edge Photoshop Brush

If you have ever wondered about how to add those fantastic distressed edges to your digital collages, I've got good news.  I found a tutorial called Ripped and Torn Edges and Stuff that describes step by step how to make a brush in Photoshop that you can use to simulate torn, distressed edges.

Vintage French Digital Collage

I've experimented with this brush in creating my own digital collages and just love the effect. I added some lines using the pencil tool to give the piece that aged, scratchy look. Try playing around with layer properties, line thickness and color to get your lines just right. Enjoy!

Vintage Dress Form Digital Collage

There is something so emotionally irresistible to me about vintage dress forms in just about any medium and certainly digital collage is no exception. Inspired by the work of others I decided to step away from painting for a moment and try my hand at my own digital creation.

Vintage Dress Form Digital Collage on Etsy

Using the black and white image of the dress form pictured below, some bits of clip art, vintage ephemera, a few of my own original designs and a little imagination I was able to create this beautiful collage pictured above. This beauty can be found in the Kell Belle Boutique.

Vintage Dress Form 

Are you inspired? Feel free to grab a copy of this dress form by clicking and saving the image on your desktop.

Modern Folk Art Painting ~ Maya on Canvas

Maya on canvas is the 5th in a series of modern folk art paintings I've done over the past 3 months. With each painting I learn a little more and I seem to be getting better and better at blending my acrylic paint.

"Maya"
Purchase Original & Prints

Maya was created in mixed media collage style using acrylic paint, decorative papers and rubber stamps. The orchids are individually hand cut from watercolor paper, folded sculpted and assembled into a 3 dimensional element. Orchid centers are embellished with a tiny faux pearl.

Gesture Drawing: How to Draw a Mermaid

Gesture drawings can help take the fear out of drawing the human form. If you ever thought that you can't even draw a stick figure, I've got great news for you folks! I don't consider myself to be Michael Angelo at drawing mermaids or the figure in general but I can tell you that gesture drawing helped me more than I could have imagined.

Serafina mermaid as stick figure gesture

I went from drawing this simple sketch above to the drawing you see below. One thing to keep in mind is that this drawing was pieced together using several drawings. Hey, that's why they invented tracing paper but you'll learn more about that later.

Serafina mermaid final drawing

Kell Bell studio is pleased to present a short series of videos on how to use gesture drawing to draw a mermaid. The only things you'll need to get started are a pencil, sketch book and a little imagination. Let go of your fear and have fun, it's just pencil and paper. Erasers are optional!

Mixed Media Art ~ Creating a collage painting on wood panel

Mixed media art has been such fun for me especially the creation of this collage painting on wood panel entitled "Sabine." The creation of this piece was all about the process and for the first time I was not in a hurry to get to an outcome. I took my time, learned, played and most of all, I had fun!

"Sabine"
Prints Available on Etsy

I put together a video of the progression of the piece. You can watch various stages of both the drawing and the painting process. I hope you enjoy.