Creativity With Clip Art!
What you can DO with the free clip art
images from the Clip Art Gallery at Doll Collecting at About.com!
The new clip art gallery at this site provides beautiful images of dolls,
Victoriana, vintage advertisements, children, animals, holidays and more.
These categories of clip can be used for web sites, print-out projects, decorating, and
dollmaking projects, and much more! Here are some ideas to get your creativity
flowing.
The Basics: About the Gallery and About Clip Art
What is clip art? Basically, clip art is artwork used in publications, desktop publishing and on the web by artists and non-artists alike. Clip-art on this site also has use for dollmakers and collectors in projects and displays. You can purchase clip art as software or on the Internet, but you can sometimes also obtain free clip art, such as on About.com.
The Clip Art in the Free Dolls Clip Art Gallery is provided FREE for use by members of this community! The Clip Art is from my personal collection of mostly pre-1925 doll-related ephemera. My only request is that you read the Rules and Conditions of Use before using any of the clip art, and that you abide by the rules so that I can continue to offer the Clip Art for free. If you have never used Clip Art before, make SURE that you read How to Save Clip Art.
Web Sites
You can use the clip art to design and decorate your web site. Use the art to make components for your web site--banners, buttons, bullets, page separators, background images and more. Above is an example of a banner that I made using the clip art for my own personal web page. If you write articles for your site, use the clip art to illustrate the articles. Or, just use the images to set a mood and decorate the page.
My favorite program for manipulating images and making web components is Ulead's Photoimpact 5, which I have used to prepare all the images in the clip art gallery and also for this article. The program has wizards to help you make web components as well as image editing tools so that you can manipulate the images (change colors, add effects) and combine images. The program was created for web design images.
Print-Out Projects: Dollhouses, Decoupage
The clip art images have endless uses for print-out projects. Use the images
in greeting card creating programs including PhotoShop, PictureIt! and others to make your
own birthday and holiday cards. Print the images to decorate your doll displays.
The clip art is fantastic for decoupage projects--for instance, decoupage numerous small or cut-out images on a doll-sized hat box or on doll luggage for an old-fashioned look. You can use ModPodge in glossy for the decoupage if you print the items out on non-glossy paper.
There are hundreds of projects for miniatures and dollhouses as well! You can print the images out in miniature (see above!) for uses in your miniature roomboxes, dollhouses, and for accessories for your little dolls. Add words and phrases in programs such as Photoimpact and you can make mini magazine-covers. Use some of the vintage advertising to create small signs for a store scene. Print out the vintage photographs in small size and frame them in tiny frames (jewelry findings are great for these), either for your dollhouse or as an accessory for your old doll.
I recommend printing the images out on cardstock--either white or ecru depending on your use for the item.
Dollmaking: Costuming Research; Shadow Boxes; Display Boxes for Small Dolls
If you are a dollmaker, use the images to
inspire a theme for a doll you are making. Or, research the correct costuming for a
time period by visiting the vintage photos section (MANY more photos will be added!).
You can make a shadowbox to display a small doll--use the clip art, plus old
buttons, fabrics, laces and trims to create an old-fashioned look. Finally,
you can use the images to decorate display boxes for small dolls, similar to the
antique display boxes that small all-bisque dolls were sold in in the late 1800s and early
1900s. You can get many delightful small accessories to embellish these display
boxes from Jean Nordquist. I highly
recommend Jean's book "Dolls In Boxes: A Dollmaker's Workbook" and the box maker
that she offers to get started in these types of projects.
Doll Clubs
If you are in a UFDC or other doll club, use the images to decorate your club newsletter, or club brochures and flyers to advertise shows, luncheons, and other events.
Decorating and Display
Besides the above-suggested ideas, print out some of the images for visual, old-fashioned interest in your doll displays! The vintage advertising is especially wonderful for doll displays.
Doll Research
I have already added a few vintage advertisements for dolls; many more will
follow. Use them for research for doll articles and books.
Collect Them!
Perhaps I have been surrounded by my son's Pokemon's card collection for too long, but look for special LIMITED EDITION Clip Art that I will only offer for certain periods of time for download. Like all other clip art on this site, its free. Limited Edition Clip Art, and all other clip art images added to the Free Clip Art Gallery will be announced in the Newsletter (see below to subscribe!) and Dolls This Week.
Hope this article helps to get you started using the Dolls Clip Art Gallery! Look for more articles on Clip Art How-To Projects in the future. Now, go download some clip art!
CLIP ART LINKS:
Share YOUR ideas for use of the Clip Art in the Dolls Forum!
Newsletter will include all Clip Art Gallery updates.
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