Paper doll process

I've always had a fascination with paper toys. As a kid, I made houses and characters out of scrap paper, magazines and shiny pieces of foil. I loved opening the flat box and watching a whole world tumble forth. It was like a fairy tale room that was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. Anyway, I still make paper toys and it's still fun to create characters and watch them develop from a sketch, into a finished piece. 

The smaller unicorn is the first draft from the sketch. I made the larger one after, making notes and more sketches to improve the form so it would look good in multiple poses.

Making this crow was surprisingly challenging. Drawing shapes that captured a crows striking form took several drafts. I had a tendency to draw a blackbird, with its lighter body and smaller beak. It's getting there, the body could stand to be a bit bigger and the wing tips longer.

I've had this guy on the drawing board for awhile. I've made a few variations, but I think this one is the strongest. I'm going to make the base of the tentacles wider and change some of the shapes, so that they can be in more varied poses. 

The final steps include making a light pencil drawing, with all the pieces arranged so it's easy to see how they are supposed to go together and then painting the drawing with watercolor and gouache. My favorite part is cutting out the final and putting it all together. It's always a pleasure to compare the sketch with the finished piece. Now I'm off to paint!