Masters of paper art and paper sculptures. Paper sculptures

Another Western hobby is paper sculptures.

(photo from etsy.com/shop/PaperwolfsShop)

They are used as home decor. Mostly hung on walls:

Placed on shelves and on the floor:

But their point is probably not to somehow decorate your home. The point is to do such a thing with your own hands. This is a kind of handicraft kit, working with which a person calms down, is distracted by something good, and then admires the results of his work.

The paper sculptures shown above are made by computer animator Wolfram Kampfmeier from Germany. He sits at home (because in his main profession he works remotely), invents and does.

He sells on Etsy (through his store etsy.com/shop/PaperwolfsShop, where 6,150 sales were recorded) and, perhaps, not only there. Everyone liked his sculptures so much and sales increased so much that he could no longer cope with orders (despite the fairly high price of a paper kit to create one figurine - on average 55-65 dollars). Then he founded the company and now full-time employees are engaged in the production and dispatch of orders. And the business ideologist was left with a lot of free time and the opportunity to create and come up with new models.

What is good about selling such a product is that it consists of several sheets of paper and can be sent by letter (even abroad). I looked at the international tariffs of Russian mail for sending such letters - they are not that expensive. Delivery of a letter weighing from 101 to 250 g by air costs 180 rubles (3 dollars).

But it’s even better to send your creativity abroad not by paper letter, but by electronic file. Then there is no need to waste time on forwarding, and the file will reach the client in a matter of seconds after payment.

Another computer scientist familiar with 3D model creation programs, Frenchman Stéphane Chesneau, has achieved similar results in selling similar models of similar paper figures:

(this and subsequent photos are from the page etsy.com/shop/OXYGAMI)

And although he sells them cheaper than their paper counterparts (from 11 to 16 dollars per figurine), he sells more (and he doesn’t have to bother with production, packaging and delivery at all). In less than a year, he has already sold more than 3,000 electronic copies (through his Etsy store - etsy.com/shop/OXYGAMI).

And, of course, such a number of sales were ensured by the originality of his models and the quality of the images:

And this despite the fact that there are only 15 models in his store:

But he sold each one several dozen (or even hundreds) times.

It’s interesting how the young man came up with the idea of ​​creating 3D models of paper figures. In the 7th grade of school, during a geometry lesson, they learned how to lay out a three-dimensional three-dimensional figure on paper, in the form of a flat pattern (we did not study this). The boy was so excited about this idea that he began to create similar paper patterns for future three-dimensional figures. Not everything worked out perfectly for him - because he did the calculations manually (no one had computers then).

Then he abandoned this idea. But he remembered already in adulthood, when insomnia began to overcome him. He remembered his childhood hobby and began creating patterns of 3D figures using a computer. He did them without errors!

At night, he drew his patterns using a computer, and then assembled the figures himself.

And then I decided to sell my designs on Etsy. Judging by the first review from one of his customers, he started selling in November 2016, that is, he sold 3,014 units in about 8 months, which is approximately 376 units per month, or approximately $3,000 in income per month.

It is not surprising that the young man decided to make his childhood hobby his main job. After all, there is nothing better than doing your favorite thing at home, at the computer, and, without making any special movements, receiving $3,000 into your account every month.

I want to emphasize in this regard that if you sell digital information (electronic files) on Etsy, then it does not matter to buyers what country you live in. The main thing is that using your files you can easily create the figurine that is presented on your sales page.

Another helpful thought is that your purpose touched your life as a child. Remember what fascinated you then. What were you passionate about? Maybe we should do this again, at a higher level? Then you won’t need to look for a business, you’ve already found it.

Humanity has been creating sculptures from a variety of materials since ancient times. There are known products made of stone and horn, made back in the days when people lived in caves and worshiped the forces of nature. Paper is a relatively new material; it became available to the general population quite recently, so it has only recently begun to be used to create works of art.

Previously, paper was only the basis for graphic and painting works; three-dimensional images from it were rare. In Japan, paper figures were created using the origami technique - by specially folding the sheet, three-dimensional images of various animals and fantastic creatures, flowers and fish were obtained. In Europe, paper sculpture was limited to papier-mâché - laying out a three-dimensional object from pieces of soaked, loose paper.

Paper sculpture "Beavers" by Calvin Nicholls Paper sculpture "Bear" by Calvin Nicholls Paper sculpture "Owl", Calvin Nicholls

But true paper sculptures appeared only in the second half of the 20th century. Nowadays, there are already quite a few such masters, and paper sculptures have become a full-fledged part of modern art. One of the famous masters who creates their unique works from ordinary paper is Canadian sculptor Calvin Nicholls. He produces extremely realistic images of plants, birds and animals, using paper, glue and a strong frame to give his works rigidity and volume. In his sculptural paintings, animals and flowers seem alive and real.

Paper sculpture "Indians", Patty and Allen Eckman

I would like to believe that works made from paper have a great future, because modern sculptors have learned to turn it into unique works of art, looking at which one cannot believe that all these perfect creations were created from such a simple and fragile material.

Not many craftsmen are engaged in this type of creativity today. And very few have achieved success in this field.

Calvin Nicholas

The paper sculpture made by this unique artist is amazing and extremely realistic. In 1981, Calvin opened his own design studio in Toronto. And three years later he made his first experiment, trying to combine his love for wildlife and his craving for creativity. This is how paper sculpture was born.

Calvin Nicholas invented his own method of creating three-dimensional paintings, the subject of which were portraits of animals. First, he creates a rigid paper skeleton of the future object. Then the sculptor attaches small details to it: feathers, hairs, scales. Each piece is given a special texture using wooden and metal fixtures and tools. Nicholas achieves almost one hundred percent realism when depicting representatives of the animal world.

Paper sculpture by Piret Callesen

The whole world today knows the name of this artist. He creates his own paper sculptures using a combination of cutting and folding. Real masterpieces are obtained literally from a single A4 sheet.

These include incredible plot scenes and individual vivid images. His paintings contain a deep meaning, the fragility of the material carries romanticism, emphasizes the tragedy of the sculptures, shows how short-lived happiness is, how fragile human life is.

Wet paper sculptures

Spouses Allen and Patty Ekman have developed their own unique technique for creating real masterpieces from ordinary waste paper. The paper is deoxidized in a special way and turns into a homogeneous mass. A silicone mold is prepared in advance, into which the material is folded, compacted and then dried.

And here the craftsmen begin the most difficult stage of the work. Using a medical scalpel, the artists work out every smallest detail, every fold and hair, giving the sculpture amazing vitality and truthfulness.

It takes craftsmen more than a year to create one masterpiece. After all, first you need to fashion a sculpture from plasticine or clay. Then a silicone mold is made from it to cast the workpiece. And this is only the preparatory stage for work.

Of course, the most difficult thing is to remove everything unnecessary with precise movements. Even the smallest mistake in work can nullify all previous work, no matter how long and painstaking it may be.

Paper sculptures at home

Looking at the works of great masters, it seems that this is beyond the power of an ordinary person. However, it is possible to try to do something similar. Let it turn out not so highly artistically, not so masterfully, but from the heart.

So how to make a paper sculpture yourself?

• First you need to sculpt the figure you want to create from plasticine.
• The template is then covered with layers of silicone sealant. The total thickness of the mold must be at least 3 cm. The procedure is performed in two stages: the first layer must carefully fill all small recesses and crevices, after drying, the second layer directly creates the thickness of the future mold. Then you need to let the form dry thoroughly.
• After all this, the workpiece is carefully cut and the plasticine is removed.
• Now the paper pulp is prepared, with which the form is filled.
• After drying, the workpiece is removed and processed with a sharp scalpel.
• If necessary, paint or varnish is applied to the sculpture.

There are many recipes for creating paper pulp. The simplest one is that the paper is thoroughly soaked and crushed, squeezed out, a little sifted wood ash or gypsum is added to it and kneaded like dough.

From such a mass one can not only cast sculptures, but also sculpt them, as craftsmen do when working with clay and other materials.

Original art by Patty and Allen Eckman.

Artists first mix acid-free cellulose using raw cotton, all of which is placed in a mold, compressed by vacuum or by hand. In this case, excess moisture is gradually removed, but the drying process is very long. When the cast is removed from the mold, then the finishing process begins, the most delicate one. Some details are removed, some are added, which ensures very fine detailing.
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This is a very lengthy process, sometimes taking months of work. In some ways it is similar to the bronze casting process. The finished product is white, very light and with many fine details.

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Calvin Nicholls is a unique artist and sculptor. His sculptures (which can be called three-dimensional paintings) are created from ordinary paper. Paper cut and glued in a special way creates amazing detail in the works. Calvin mostly creates paper portraits of wild animals - bears, lynxes, monkeys, birds and others.
Each voluminous creation takes a lot of time and painstaking work. The first step is to create a rigid skeleton, which is the outline of the future figure. The frame gives the work strength. All other small parts are already attached to the frame. Each piece is cut and textured using an assortment of metal and wood tools. During the work process, the sculptor constantly monitors the light and shadow on the sculpture. Having completed the main part of the work, the author creates an even more detailed and complex image using studio lighting. At this stage of work, all the nuances of the sculpture are completed.
And finally – photography.

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Danish-born artist Peter Callesen creates incredible works of art from a single A4 sheet of paper. Through a surprising combination of cutting and folding, Callesen creates incredible scenes from the simplest of materials.
In his own words, by eliminating all information and starting from scratch on a blank white A4 sheet, he feels that he has found material that everyone can relate to. At the same time, the A4 sheet is neutral and open to accept any meaning. The thinness gives the paper sculptures a fragility that highlights the tragic and romantic theme of his sculptures.

Jeff says that he always became an artist, the most ordinary artist, but over time he realized that he did not have the necessary abilities and talent. He started working with paper by accident. During his studies, he was given assignments in two subjects: graphic design and drawing. The task was to create something new from some material. He chose paper. And this choice, the art of creating paper sculptures, gave him a sense of what his calling was, in what area he needed to work. He was attracted by the clear boundaries in working with paper and tangible results. And he always enjoyed creating something with his own hands.

Korean artist Ho-Yoon Shin creates original paper sculptures that change appearance from different angles.

But I still haven’t found a description of the process of how this happens! Manually or some kind of automation. Who will help?

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But I also showed you flexible sculptures:

[Li Hongbo, sculptor]:

“It started with me learning about the flexible nature of paper through Chinese paper toys and paper lanterns. Then I used it to make a pistol. An ordinary gun is a solid, killing weapon, but I turned it into a tool for play and decoration. Thus, it lost both the form and meaning of a pistol. He turned into a toy."

38-year-old Beijing sculptor Li Hongbo creates his sculptures from paper, or rather, thousands of layers of paper, tightly placed one on top of the other. It is based on the technique of making a Chinese lantern.

To begin with, take a sheet, coat it with glue like this, and then apply it to a similar one. Thus, blocks of 500 sheets are formed. They are also stacked on top of each other to form the desired height, usually 10 pieces each.

Then, to work with such a paper “cube,” the usual sculptor’s tools are used. Lee says he treats the material like soft stone.

What happens will shock many.

[Li Hongbo, sculptor]:

"Weird" and "disturbing" are just adjectives that some people use. In fact, man simply has too fixed an understanding of what a person is.”

Paper was invented in ancient China. Born into an ordinary peasant family, Lee always loved this material. He makes only exact copies and only classic busts.

His living sculptures have already conquered several world capitals.