You never really outgrow paper dolls! As with many other artists and crafters, paper dolls have a place in my work – and coming up with a theme; drawing and painting the girls; naming them; and making little embellished outfits for them is a lot of fun.
Today I’m introducing you to Fiona, the star of my “It’s Not Gossip … A Little Bird Told Me!” collage that’s made on a 6”-square board. I knew I wanted to use birds in this one, hence the title!
After selecting a color theme of pink and yellow, I drew, painted, and cut out the 5”-tall Fiona paper doll, and made a little paper dress with pockets and lots of added bling and a pink ribbon. I wanted the background to be a collage of sheet music covered in yellow paint, and this became my canvas.
Thin chipboard in the shape of a bird cage was covered with shiny gold paint, and, of course, more bling in the form of tiny “jewels!” For the chipboard birds, I traced their shapes onto color-coordinated, patterned paper, added a three-dimensional wing, and gave each a paper crown. Fiona, however, received the brightest and best crown – a gold, metal crown jauntily placed on her head.
For the numbers folks, the collage has 44 affixed gems, including the bird eyes and bird cage embellishment, as well as Fiona’s earrings, necklace, and dress trim. Paper doll girls like to shine!
While working on a collage like this, it’s fun to think about all kinds of possibilities for the piece’s title. This one came to me quicker than some others have, and it just felt like a natural fit. The title was printed onto white cardstock and trimmed with 1/8” pink ribbon – my tiny scissors and tweezers certainly came in handy with this project! The Fiona collage can stand on a small easel, or go on the wall with the small, metal hanger shown in the below photographs.
Fiona was one of a four-part set. The other collages with three different paper dolls were commissioned by a friend who gave them as Christmas gifts to her 20s-something daughters, and these collage titles were: “Enchanting Girls … Accessorize With Crowns!”; “Be The Most Fabulous … Ticket In Town!”; and “So Little Time … So Many Soirees!”. (I made the Fiona collage for myself!)
As mentioned in an earlier post Pencil…Pen…Marker…Go!, paper doll art will make an appearance occasionally on the pages of The Daily Artisan. What theme should I use for my next paper doll art project? Make your suggestions below!
