Look at a range of illustrators and artists who use paper as a medium rather than just a surface within their work. How have they used paper and what processes have they put it through?
Reflect on their working processes.
I approached this genre of illustration with genuine intrigue as it was completely new to me. Aside from the more obvious technique of collage, I had never really considered paper as a medium that could be used to create artworks. When I began looking at some of the practitioners that work with paper I was totally astounded by their creations.
I narrowed down my research to a selection of artists whose work visually appealed to me and which covered variety of different techniques using paper as the medium.
Isabelle Ouzman takes old books and uses a scalpel to carve into the inner pages, producing a three dimensional, tactile experience. Ouzman uses this technique to create a layered, sculptural effect, which is combined with ink illustrations that are either left as monochrome or to which colour is added (using watercolour or pencils). The work invites the viewer into a fantasy, fairytale like scene.
I was so impressed by the intricate quality of these artworks. The detailed ink illustration really captivated me. I felt there is a strong link between being ‘lost’ in reading a book and the visual concept on display here in which the reader/viewer is literally being invited into the book. I also liked how Ouzman takes a discarded item and brings it back to life in a way that reflects its original purpose, i.e. taking the reader/viewer to another, imaginary place.
In a similar vein to Ousman, Guy Laramée carves into books to create sculptural landscapes. I presumed that he must mould the pages together somehow and and then paint over these. I found it difficult to comprehend that these started out as books as they look like stone carvings. They also reminded me of papier mâché.
Source: Guy Laramée.
I was thoroughly impressed by John Ed De Vera’s range of work produced using paper. The example below was of particular interest as I liked how the paper has been layered and cut to hide and reveal what is underneath, along with the use of the silhouette to frames the scene. It is quite simple in its design, but it has a strong visual impact. I liked the contrast between the red outer layer, which, in the context of advertising a pharmacy, could suggest stress or anger and the mostly blue palette within the silhouette, implying inner calm and peace.
People Too (Alexey Lyapunov and Lena Erlich)
I truly loved the style of People Too’s paper artworks and that these include character illustrations is an extra bonus.
In the example below, Ostrokovy House (n.d.), the characters and scenery are drawn and coloured digitally, before being printed. I believe the silhouettes of these are also printed on card to add stability. These are all cut out and the coloured paper versions glued to the card before being assembled in the scene as required. I liked the addition of the spotlight which must have been added digitally.
One of the factors that appealed to me about using paper as a medium is the possibilities of layering to create depth in a scene, as demonstrated below.
Charles Young uses paper to create miniature cityscapes to scale, producing scenes which he also then animates. I was so impressed by the detail and care that must go into making these works. Young must also have a very steady hand to cut on such a tiny scale and then assemble the pieces (presumably using some form of glue).
I liked how he has chosen, in the screenshot of Music Hall (n.d.), below, to use just white paper. I also noted that Young has opted for textured paper for the roofs, to resemble tiling. Once seen in its animated form, the impressiveness level for this work is elevated even higher.
Source: Charles Young.
Devilspurse Design (Hannah Viano)
I was particularly drawn to the ‘simplicity’ of the method used by Devilspurse Design. I believe she cuts out shapes/areas in black card/paper and this is then used as the outline/shading of whatever is placed underneath, which could either be coloured or white paper (or she may colour these digitally). I liked how Viano reduces the subjects to their simplest form, whilst still paying attention to small details, such as the two birds in the example below.
I found undertaking this research point to be quite the revelation and I learnt so much new information about how paper can be used as a medium in a range of creative and effective formats.
Bibliography
Behance (n.d.) People Too on Behance. Available at: https://www.behance.net/peopletoo (Accessed 15 November 2023).
Design & Paper (2017) 10 Incredible Paper Artists Europe. Available at: https://www.designandpaper.com/10-incredible-paper-artists-europe/ (Accessed 15 November 2023).
Design & Paper (2023) Artist Charles Young Uses Sanzo Wada’s Color Studies to Built Miniature Paper Cities. Available at: https://www.designandpaper.com/artist-charles-young-uses-sanzo-wadas-color-studies-to-built-miniature-paper-cities/ (Accessed 15 November 2023).
Ed De Vera, J. (n.d.) john ed. Available at: https://johned.co (Accessed 15 November 2023).
IAPMA (n.d.) International Association of Hand Papermakers and Paper Artists. Available at: https://www.iapma.info (Accessed 15 November 2023).
Laramée, G. (n.d.) Guy Laramée. Available at: https://guylaramee.com (Accessed 15 November 2023).
mililitros (n.d.) Papercraft and Photography. Available at: http://www.mililitros.com/intro/ (Accessed 15 November 2023).
Musselwhite, H. (2023) Helen Musselwhite – Making things from paper. Available at: https://helenmusselwhite.com (Accessed 15 November 2023).
Ouzman, I. (n.d.) Isobelle Ouzman. Available at: https://isobelleouzman.com (Accessed 15 November 2023).
Paper Artist Collective (n.d.) Paper Artist Collective: A Community of Paper Artists. Available at: https://www.paperartistcollective.com/members-by-discipline (Accessed 15 November 2023).
Tait, N. (2020) Creative Paper Artist Turn Common Paper Into Incredible Art. Available at: https://www.huntlancer.com/creative-paper-artists/ (Accessed 15 November 2023).
Tate (2014) Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs. Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/henri-matisse-cut-outs (Accessed 15 November 2023).
Viano, H. (n.d.) Devilspurse Design. Available at: https://www.hannahviano.com (Accessed).
Young, C. (n.d.) Paper, Animation, Miscellanies. Available at: https://www.paperholm.com (Accessed).