Paperdoll Review

The Best Paper Doll Ever?

"Alexander Catches the Wave" by Bruce Patrick Jones
for Paperdoll Review Issue 94 (2025)

When Bruce Patrick Jones sent me the preliminary sketch of his surfing paper doll, it was a jaw-dropping moment. It was last May, and I was in the car with my girlfriends following our Morgantown, PA, Paper Doll Luncheon. I passed my phone around to show off Bruce's art, and everyone had the same jaw-dropping response. 

We've all come to expect excellent artistry from Bruce, but this particular paper doll is exceptionally good. First off, we recognized the subject as Bruce's partner, Alexander Best. We were all charmed by Alexander during his first paper doll convention last year, so it was especially fun to see him transformed as a paper doll. No, Alexander is not a surfer, but in the paper doll world there are no limits. Surfing is an unexpected subject for paper dolls. In fact, we found very few to go with an article on the topic for Paperdoll Review Issue 94.

The general theme for this issue is Summer Fun and we planned articles on boating and golfing. Considering my co-editor, Lorna Thomopoulos, is a former surfer who married a champion surfer, she simply had to write about surfing. Any article in our magazine needs to relate to paper dolls, so the hunt was on. I asked Bruce if he had any surfing paper dolls. He did not, but he could certainly draw one! 

Though I was expecting a surfing-themed paper doll from Bruce, I never imagined it would be this dynamic. The handful of paper dolls we did find depict figures standing up, some holding a surfboard, some with a separate surfboard to cut out, along with a few outfits suitable for the beach, swimwear and maybe a wetsuit. So it was especially exciting to see Bruce's paper doll showing a surfer actually surfing! Putting a paper doll in an unusual pose is a challenge in getting proportions right while at the same time being visually pleasing and functional as a paper doll. Bruce hits all of those marks. 

The artistry itself is something to behold. The details are realistic yet not overworked. Notice how Bruce achieved the look of partly wet fabric in the white shirt. The overall design is exceptionally good. The eye goes right into that wave, and we feel the anxiety on Alexander's face. 

Here's the behind-the-scenes scoop: Bruce had Alexander pose in the living room, mimicking the movements of a surfer, and also referred to photographs of Alexander on a vacation, his hair slicked back from the sea. Alexander actually wore those swim trunks in his living room pose. The other clothes are Bruce's own designs based on his research of what "surfer guys" wear. The pattern on the purple shorts comes from one of Bruce's mother's old dresses! Why did Bruce choose Alexander as his model? Simply because he was available and willing... and a cheap model, added Bruce. The art is all done in watercolor, and the pink bar at the bottom is gouache.  

Though I consider this paper doll to be the star of the issue, Bruce himself has a starring role. He happens to be our featured artist with a 6-page article about his work as a commercial artist and his long connection to the paper doll community. If you'd like to dive in to this issue, click here to order. Better yet, subscribe to our specialty magazine—all about paper dolls!