raincoats for penguins

Meet Liga. Little Liga.

My first paper doll is a ballerina and this is a vulnerable first draft-

The idea is that Little Liga will also become a little magnetic and sticker gift card set.

This particular project satisfies my inner child and hopefully appeases the adult part of my brain that has once again pirouetted itself down the rabbit hole of whimsy and craft.

There is a lot of reference material to admire and you could stay in this realm for hours.

And hours.

1

The Australian Women’s Weekly¹ gave a bonus insert of ‘paper doll dress-up fun’ in their December 1970 edition. It’s over 50 years old and it’s stunning.

2

On her recent trip to Latvia my sister gifted me a paper doll² with Baltic folk costumes and accessories. She is magical.

3

My daughter loves miniature dress ups and miniature role play. From her theatre box kit³ we dress a 2D bear and a 2D fox in various magnetic costumes. Effortless creativity really. Perfection.

4

Ballerina Sticker Paper Doll books and magazines⁴ are gorgeous. They have a commercial vibe to them but it’s unbelievable how much entertainment value they contain.

They all have a particular magic I want to appropriate in my own illustrative style.

Draft 1

I can’t find my original sketches so the following images are photocopies I took because I had the foresight to know I would loose the originals.

Yes. This is a little typical of me.

But let’s refocus.

A Prima Ballerina has a few ‘principle’ looks:

Herself

Odile / The Black Swan

Clara

Giselle

These are the first costume sketches.

The next step is to trace them with pencil onto watercolour paper so I can edit what works and doesn’t, and then… colour!

So meet me back here soon for Part 2 :)

1. The Australian Women’s Weekly – December 30, 1970
   Drawn and Designed by ASTRA
   Congress Printing Ltd, Sydney
   http://trove.nla.gov.au/collection/womensweekly/browse
   ↩︎
2. Selija- Austra no Selijas – Claudia, papira lelles
   by,
   J.Furmane/Priedite/A.Furmane/Stukle-Zuitina
   Latvia
   https://m.db.lv/galerijas/papira-lellem-claudia-tapusi-nacionalo-tautas-terpu-koleekcija-468836
   ↩︎
3. Make Believe: Magnetic Dress Up,
   Petit Collage, Chronicle Books 2021
   UK
   http://www.petitcollage.com
   ↩︎
4. Dress-up Ballerinas
   Illustrations by Bee Brown
   Lake Press Ltd 2023
   Australia
   http://lakepress.com.au ↩︎