Research – Paper craft

When I researched artists who use paper to create illustrations or objects, I realised how varied this medium can be.

Layering

Some artists layer shapes made of paper to create illustrations with depth.

Owen Gildersleeve (www.owengildersleeve.com): Owen Gildersleeve plays with layers of paper that are sometimes intertwined so that the bottom layer comes on top. He also plays with colours, at times using darker colours for the bottom layers, adding depth to his creations.

Helen Musselwhite (https://helenmusselwhite.com/projects/): Helen Musselwhite uses many techniques to layer and fold paper in order to create colourful fantasy worlds that evoke the abundance of nature. The shapes are cut out with a lot of details, folded and superimposed. She uses coloured paper, and sometimes paper with patterns. This results in rich illustrations with a lot of depth.

Jen Stark (https://www.jenstark.com/): Jen Starks’s style is very different. He plays with colour and geometry to juxtapose layers of paper and create colourful abstract patterns, playing on the depth of many layers on top of each other.

Cut and lift

Another interesting method with paper is to cut out shapes and lift some of the paper to reveal a layer below to create textures and patterns.

Lisa Rodden (https://www.lisarodden.com/): Lisa Rodden creates illustrations where some of the paper of the top layer is lifted to reveal the colours below. The top layer is usually white and combined with the colours below, the result is very subtle and delicate.

Paper sculptures

Zim and Zou (https://zimandzou.fr/): These two French artists create all types of objects or animals made out of paper. Their creations are very colourful. Some of them are entire 3D objects, others are a playful combination of 2D and 3D.

Bruce Angrave (http://vintageposterblog.com/2011/01/19/paperlicious/#.Y8P9lezP3X0): Bruce Angrave bent and folded paper to create paper sculptures. His sculptures were all made with white or grey paper; this perhaps emphasises the shadows created by the folds in the paper and the 3D aspects of his sculptures.

Helen Friel (https://www.helenfriel.com/): Helen Friel creates 3D objects with paper as well as pop up books. It is interesting to see how she created 3D objects that were then photographed for some of her clients. Hence, the paper became a 3D object to be then photographed on paper to become a 2D illustration.

Miniature 3D objects made out of paper

Laura K. Sayers (https://www.lauraksayers.com/): Laura K. Sayers creates tiny characters made out of paper as well as buildings that contain many colourful and rich details. On her website, there is a little video showing how she works and create texture with paper that is very interesting to watch.

Paper lace

Sarah Trumbauer (https://sarahtrumbauer.tumblr.com/): Sarah Trumbauer creates intricate design by cutting meticulously small shapes from a sheet of paper. The outcome looks a bit like lace and is very delicate.

Paper craft with books

Su Blackwell (https://www.sublackwell.co.uk/): Su Blackwell sculpts paper shapes that seem to come out of books. She alternates white paper with printed paper to create patterns and contrasts.

Guy Laramee (https://guylaramee.com/): Guy Laramee carves landscapes into books as someone would use a piece of wood. Each page creates a layer in the lanscape.

All these artists use paper and colours in different ways but in all cases, their work requests a lot of precision and attention and the amount of detail is astonishing.

I really enjoyed looking at their work and how they all strive to find new ways of using paper to create art.

Other sources:

http://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/july-2014/paper-cut-the-exhibition/

http://www.sessions.edu/notes-on-design/a-cut-above-10-incredible-papercut-artists/