For this project, we were tasked with creating a paper doll from an original character of our own conception. Accompanying this character was three outfits and a formatted background. 

From the outset, I knew I wanted to do something bordering on the absurd. I do not know exactly when or how the thought popped into my head, but when I started sketching, I sketched a stump. I think I wanted to take something inanimate and unconventional and make it into a character. This was pretty much the first thing that came to me, and my original sketch amused me so much that I just carried that idea through to the end. I decided to make him into a superhero because I thought it would be ironic to make something so inconspicuous into what is usually regarded as an iconic figure in the media, a superhero. 

I started by sketching the figure on my computer. After this, I opened the file in Illustrator and used the pen and curvature tool to create an outline. I chose to give my figure depth by creating shadows to imply three-dimensionality. After this, I locked the layers containing the figure and just used the pen tool to draw clothing on top of him. Finally, I added tabs and lines to cut. As far as formatting went, I wanted to make my style almost kitschy. I used multiple visually commanding typefaces to sort of fight for the attention of the viewer. I wanted all of the words to be loud, like in a loud superhero tale. After printing, I used an X-acto knife to cut out all of the pieces. After that, it was as simple as folding the tabs and putting the outfits together.

I spent multiple hours on this with such focus that I did not save my file once. While I was not burned this particular time, I have a tendency to neglect saving my progress (mostly in Illustrator for some reason). What I learned is that I need to practice greater discipline when working with files to save them so I do not lose them.