Creative papercraft artists

After scouring the internet for the most inspirational, creative papercraft artists, I have come across several different up-and-coming artists.

1. Bert Simons – Incredibly Lifelike Portrait Sculptures

   
   

   (images via: BertSimons.com)

   Eerie, faceted 3-D paper heads float on a wall like grotesque hunting trophies. They’re photo-realistic replicas of Rotterdam papercraft artistBurt Simons and his friends, created when Simons had a ‘mid-life crisis’ in 2006 and realized there wasn’t much of him that would be left behind. So, Simons decided to ‘clone himself’, sculpting his head in 3D and using photographs to texture it. He uses a computer program to flatten out the head into printable pieces of paper and then assembles them with glue. Simons says having his clones around helped him “get used to his bald spot”.

   Haruki Nakamura – Moving Parts Paper Sculptures

   

   (images via: Paper Engineering Kamikara)

   Haruki Nakamura’s papercraft does more than just sit there and look pretty. The pieces fit together like gears, and actually turn for a kinetic effect that goes far beyond most papercraft creations. Skip to the 49 second mark on the video to see his papercraft heart in action.

   Eric Joisel – Detailed Classic Monster Figures

   
   

   (images via: EricJoisel.com)

   There’s a simple difference between mere papercraft and origami: the traditional concept of origami uses only once piece of paper with no cuts or glue. Eric Joisel is one modern origami artist that creates incredibly complex paper sculptures using blueprints that take him literally years to complete. Joisel says the creation process is like a scientific method, with creatures from myths and legends – like dwarves, fairies, hobbits and mermaids – popping up from his ‘crease patterns’.

   Brian Chan – Elegantly Crafted Insect Sculptures

   

   (images via: Origami by Brian Chan)

   Brian Chan has been creating origami since elementary school, so it’s not too surprising that his work has evolved to the point of winning Best Original Design in the MIT origami competition. The MIT student finds the geometry aspect of origami folding to be especially rewarding. His portfolio of creations includes lots of insects, like the centipede, stag beetle, katydid and pictured above, as well as comic book and anime characters.

   Brian Dettmer – Amazingly Complex Paper Cuts

   
   

   (images via: Centripetal Notion)

   When it comes to reusing old books, Brian Dettmer has perhaps one of the most creative ideas ever: he turns them into fascinating carved sculptures called ‘Book Autopsies’ that transform them from dust collectors to fine art. Dettmer’s work goes beyond the simple concept of carving the pages of a book into a shape. The paper is cut to reveal certain words and images, for a shadow box-like effect.

   Ingrid Siliakus – Detailed Architectural Masterpieces

   
   

   (images via: Ingrid-Siliakus.Exto.org)

   Dutch paper artist Ingrid Siliakus deems her work ‘paper architecture’, and it’s a fitting description. Siliakus builds paper recreations of buildings made by master architects as well as her own abstract sculptures.  She draws inspiration from sources like artist M.C. Escher and architect and paper sculptor Masahiro Chatani, whose work inspired her to try her hand at 3-D paper sculpture.

   Sher Christopher – Emotive Paper Figurines

   
   

   (images via: SherChristopher.com)

   Sculptor Sher Christopher’s creations look like characters in a play, replete with theatrical masks, hats and intricate costumes. Christopher gathers papers of various colors and textures from around the world, using the weight and feel of a sheet of paper to suggest the fluid flow of a gown or a wisp of hair. Christopher’s sculptures are characterized by unexpected attention to detail, such as an embossed belt barely visible under the folds of a coat.

   Peter Callesen – Playful Seasonal Paper Sculptures

   
   

   (images via: PeterCalleson.com)

   The bulk of Peter Calleson’s work is made from plain white sheets of A4 paper, chosen for the symbolism as well as the color and size. “By taking away all the information and starting from scratch using the blank white A4 paper sheet for my creations, I feel I have found a material that we are all able to relate to, and at the same time the A4 paper sheet is neutral and open to fill with different meaning. The thin white paper gives the paper sculptures a frailty that underlines the tragic and romantic theme of my works.”

   Elsa Mora – Variegated Detailed Paper Trinkets

   
   

   (images via: Elsita.typepad.com)

   The whimsical paper art of Elsa Mora has a folkloric quality rooted in the artist’s childhood in Cuba. Carefully crafted flowers, branches and swirling graphical elements give Mora’s work a fun and free-spirited feel. Using scissors and an Xacto knife, Mora creates both paper silhouettes and 3-D sculptures of subjects like woodland creatures, little girls and monkeys riding bicycles.

   Su Blackwell – Storybook Paper Works of Art

   
   

   (images via: SuBlackwell.co.uk)

   British paper sculptor Su Blackwell uses the delicacy of paper to make a statement in her work, saying “It is the delicacy, the slight feeling of claustrophobia, as if these characters, the landscape have been trapped inside the book all this time and are now suddenly released. A number of the compositions have an urgency about them, the choices made for the cut-out people from the illustrations seem to lean towards people on their way somewhere, about to discover something, or perhaps escaping from something. And the landscapes speak of a bleak mystery, a rising, an awareness of the air.”

   Annie Vought – Abstract and Concrete Paper Art

   
   

   (images via: AnnieVought.com)

   Annie Vought uses paper cutting to make statements that pop right off the wall – literally. Her 2006 paper art series utilized words cut from paper with extreme care, attached to a wall with delicate pins. It ranges from the childish scrawl of a student being punished with writing lines to a Christmas letter in elegant script. Vought also creates paper cut imagery such as oddly beautiful depictions of human veins.

   Shin Tanaka – Adult Skills with Childlike Joy

   
   

   (images via: Ping Mag + Shin.co.nr)

   Japanese artist Shin Tanaka creates paper toys with a look that is clearly influenced by urban street art and culture. Tanaka’s designs can be downloaded as a PDF so you can print, cut and build your own versions of these playful creations. Tanaka was inspired to create these little guys when making plastic toys proved to be too costly, and he realized that creating and publishing paper toys was practically free. Shin began making paper models of sneakers he admired by couldn’t afford, which led to a display in a showcase of the NIKE design library as well as design collaborations with major shoe brands like Adidas.

   Mark Sky – Magically Transformed Paper Money

   

   (images via: The Dollar Artist)

   Mark Sky is known as the ‘Dollar Artist’ for a good reason: all of his origami creations are made from dollar bills. Sky folds money into paper sculptures – called ‘moneygami’ – with subjects ranging from farm animals to fire-breathing dragons. Sky uses the patterns on the dollar bills to signify facial features, like scrolls or the letter ‘O’ as eyes.

   Richard Sweeney – Artfully Twisted Paper Sculptures

   
   

   (images via: RichardSweeney.co.uk)

   Richard Sweeney began using paper as a medium for sculpture when he realized that it was a great way to create form through hands-on material exploration. Of his work, Sweeney says “Discovering the properties of the medium in this direct way helped me better understand the potential of paper in its own right, leading to the creation of sculptural forms.”

   Chris Natrop – Draped and Shadowed Paper Art

   
   

   (images via: ChrisNatrop.com)

   Chris Natrop’s papercraft art is perhaps best displayed as site-specific installation. Excited but a bit daunted by the challenges of the cavernous gallery space at MOCA Jacksonville, where his series entitled ‘And Further the Dewdrop Falls’ was to be exhibited, Natrop found inspiration in an unexpected place: the plane ride home after seeing the gallery in person for the first time. The view from the airplane window during a bout of turbulence compelled Natrop to want to “capture” atmosphere and infuse it into his work. As a result, his MOCA installation is inspired by the look and feel of mist and dewdrops.

Eco book evaluation

During this project it was vital that I successfully created an Eco printed book that informed the reader a little about bit about ECO. To achieve this I had to make the content of my book factual, however it could be creative. The book had to be aimed towards a definitive target audience and the design and processes used had to reflect this. I was required to use my hand made paper for at least part of the book and the page count must be at least twelve. I researched my primary content, Global Warming, using a different variety of factual content to more creative, informal content aimed towards children at a similar age as my target audience. I researched videos and text via the Internet. By doing this it became more understandable and approachable how to cater my creative writing towards children and also keep it factual at the same time. In this project I used the programmes Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign and Adobe Illustrator to create my final piece and edit my illustrations. In my final piece I included my handmade paper which was digitally scanned into a computer and enhanced using Adobe Photoshop and to also create and old, aged paper effect on one of my pages of my children’s book. The book contains several different illustrations and tells the story of Olivia, our narrator, educating children about Global Warming, the effects and causes and what they can do as individuals to help prevent it. I believe this was a good idea because it makes the book more personal and makes the reader feel more involved and interested. In my book I successfully referenced all sources etc. to make my book more reliable. Overall I am very impressed with the outcome of the project and I found it highly interesting and educating as a whole. I very much enjoyed the more physical tasks such as hand making paper and screen printing as it helped improve my project. If I were to do this project again I would perhaps manage my time differently and allocate more time to the design of the book to make it more visually pleasing. Throughout this project I have learnt a lot about Global Warming and ECO as a whole and learning about referencing and sourcing from previous projects has helped contribute to this.

Screen printing

Screen printing is a process that requires a stencil that is placed under the a screen and then ink being forced through the stencil onto the material below. Screen printing with stencils is best for blocks of colour.

Instructions:

1. Mesh is stapled to a wooden or metal frame
2. Masking tape stuck around underside of the screen
3. Stencil design cut
4. Stencil placed under frame but above paper
5. Line of ink placed at one end of screen
6. Use squeegee to draw ink across screen, pressing firmly
7. Carefully lift screen
8. Evaluate and repeat

I personally done severally different attempts at screen printing with one image and even experimented with the coloured ink to create a little bit of diversity, as seen below. I really enjoyed this task as it was a trial and error type of experiment and allowed for all types of mistakes and still produced a good piece of art. If I were to carry out this task again, I would try a bigger range of colours rather than blue. Overall, I am very happy with the outcome and would like to try this again in the future.

Screen Print Artist and Lino cutting research

Heretic Studios

Heretic is an illustration and screen printing studio founded in 2005 by Luke Frost, Jon Rundall and Therese Vandling. Their work usually involves blending elements of collage and drawing, exposing exotically hyperreal visuals. Heretic has recently collaborated with Sonic Book in the project, Animorphia, an experimental piece in print, light and sound which was displayed at the Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia.

They take pride in advertising that they are a water based print studio, meaning that they do not encourage using harmful chemicals, and that with the right paper and ink system you will be able to achieve amazing results. They advertise to all types of people, saying that they have previously printed for other artists, providing advice and input so they can get the best results possible when printing their work, especially useful if they are not totally familiar with the print process.

Their existing clients include the Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia, Ultramerine, Rotters Golf Club, Sonic Cathedral, Ogenesis Recordings, House of Fairytales, Save the Children, London International Documentary Festival, Anti Design Festival, Need Want Recorders, The Quietus, Factory Flood, Pull&Bear and The Dhillon Group. They have also had solo and group exhibitions in places such as Ludlow, Liverpool, Oslo, London, Los Angeles, Bristol, Berlin and New York.

Ann Lewis

Lino Printing or Cutting is a block printing technique. Lino printing can be quite a simple process and as a result it is widely used in schools and educational institutions. It is considered a productive way to introduce children to the art of printmaking. Lino Printing is a popular print making technique used by many professional artists, including Ann Lewis. The art was originally held in low esteem by the art world until Picasso made a series of Lino prints in the 1950s, therefore promoting the technique.

Ann Lewis is best known for her work in printmaking and linocutting. She creates art that proves that although considered by some as one of the simplest forms of printmaking, linocutting should not be underestimated as a challenging, creative and exciting form of art. Ann produces original linocuts in her studio overlooking the Ogwen Valley in North Wales. She claims that she draws her inspiration from the Northern Wales landscape. Ann's work can currently be seen at the Tegfryn Gallery, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, Galeri in Betws-y-Coed, The Royal Cambrian Academy in Conwy, Tonnau/Oriel y Mor in Pwllheli, White Lion Street Gallery, Tenby and Lion Street Gallery, Hay on Wye.

ECO Friendly

Eco

 

·         Recycling

·         Famine

·         Food bins

·         Sustainability

·         Environment

·         Population

·         Fair trade

·         Wind turbine

·         Eutrophication

·         CFC Gases

·         Environmental Companies

·         Global Warming

·         Animals

·         Nuclear Energy

·         Travel

·         Ozone

·         Pollution

·         Icebergs/water levels

 

Fashion, beauty sport, film, music, politics, agriculture

ECO proposal

ECO project proposal

 

In this ECO project, I have been given the task to create an ECO printed book that informs the reader about ECO by creating a book or booklet filled with factual content and have at least 12 and no more than 24 page. The book must aim at a definitive target audience and the design and processes used must reflect this. I am also required to use my hand made paper for at least part of the book I create.

I will produce a creative children’s book filled of fun and simplified facts to efficiently inform the reader about the Economy.

            In this book I shall highlight the growing concern of Global Warming, what is causing it, how we can reduce the impact we have on the planet and what is being done to stop this (campaigns etc.), through the use of interesting characters and plot. In order to do this it is vital that I thoroughly research the topic about Global Warming via the Internet search engine and also books.

            To create the illustrative features of this book I shall use programmes such as Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop to creatively sit alongside the text of the book, which I shall also be writing on a programme such as Microsoft Word. I am quite comfortable in using all of these programmes and I am familiar with the tools and features of them.

            I plan on researching about different print companies and look at quotes to find a general price range for how much it would cost to bulk produce these books. I will also look into different materials and colours I could use to alter this book and appeal to the target audience, who are aged between 8-10 year olds.

            For this project for extra curricular research I could visit London’s Natural History Museum as they have an educational zone for Climate Change, which could contribute to my learning process. I have calculated that my train fair would cost £25 on average and the museum is free to enter.

            I believe this task will be very enjoyable as I have successfully completed a previous project very similar to this which will also help from my experience as I can evaluate any problems or errors I had the first time when producing a children’s book. Although my first children’s book was aimed towards an audience of four or five year olds, I believe that my own skills will contribute to catering my writing towards an older group age.

            For the presentation of the book I am planning to make it approximately fifteen to twenty pages long, including the front and blurb etc. and I will also design and illustrate the book with coloured images, which will be digitally enhanced. I will consider the prospect of hand designing the images with different materials and then digitally editing them for a more realistic effect, which I hope, will add diversity and interest to the book.

            Overall, I am very hopeful this project will be a success and that my previous experience and skills will help contribute into achieving my goals. I am looking forward to this project as it personally interesting to me and I hope to gain much more experience from doing this project.

ECO Book Research

ECO Research

 

·         Ecology; the branch of biology that deals with the relations of organisms to one another and to their physical surroundings.

·         Economy; the state of a country or region in terms of the production and consumption of goods and services and the supply of money.

·        ISBN Numbers; An ISBN is an International Standard Book Number. If you wish to sell your publication through major bookselling chains, or Internet booksellers, they will require you to have an ISBN to assist their internal processing and ordering systems. The ISBN also provides access to Bibliographic Databases such as BookFind Online, which are organised using ISBNs as references. These databases are used by booksellers and libraries to provide information for customers. The ISBN therefore provides access to additional marketing tools, which could help sales of your product. ISBNs can be order from the UK ISBN Agency, which is the national agency for the UK and Republic of Ireland.

·        Points To Consider While Writing Your Book



House Style Guidelines- 
A generic version is available for reference on this site, but please consult your Commissioning Editor for guidelines specific to the list or imprint for which you are writing.  We recommend that our house style is implemented from the outset, since the task of re-editing your manuscript to comply at the last stage can be very laborious.  



Delivery Date and Length
- The agreed delivery date of your manuscript is stated in the contract. We need to know of any delays you encounter as soon as possible so that we can agree a new date. We schedule books for publication up to fifteen months in advance and it is imperative that we work from correct schedules to organize the production and promotion of your book. The contract also states a maximum length for your manuscript. If, while writing your book it becomes clear that the agreed length is unworkable, please let us know as soon as possible. We can generally accommodate minor changes in length (i.e. within 10%) but more significant changes will require serious consideration as they are likely to have an impact on the selling price and, in turn, on the sales potential of the book.



Permissions- 
Permission from the copyright owner must be obtained for any third-party materials cited that fall outside the remit of ‘fair dealing’ or (in the US) ‘fair use’ conventions. For information on the interpretation of fair dealing in UK law, please consult the Society of Authors website.

You should note that there is no fair dealing exemption for epigraphs, which always require permission, as do quotations of any length from poems, letters, lyrics and recipes. Artwork and images, including photographs, maps and line drawings also require written permission. Photocopies or scans of permissions granted must be submitted with your manuscript on delivery.



Artwork and Images
- The use of images and the number permitted will have been agreed with your Commissioning Editor and stated in the contract. Any changes to these specifications must be approved by your Commissioning Editor in advance of submission of the final manuscript.



Cover Design and Book Titles- 
The sales cycle for your book may begin before you have completed the manuscript. Our designers will start working on the cover design approximately 15 months before the scheduled publication date. If you have ideas, or specific images in mind please discuss these with your commissioning editor well in advance. You should note that a high proportion of images found on internet searches are unlicensed.  We require high-resolution images, licensed for commercial use (as opposed to editorial use), with model releases where appropriate. We would thus prefer that images suggested to us are sourced through reputable agencies such as Corbis, Getty Images or Shutterstock.  

If you are considering a title change for your book, please discuss this with your commissioning editor as early as possible. Once your book has been advertised in a catalogue it will also have entered all the major bibliographic services internationally, with advance sales being generated. At this point it is unadvisable to consider changing the title.  


Delivering Your Manuscript
- Please ensure that the final manuscript has been proof-read and is as free from error or omission as you can make it. Corrections made at proofs stage are very expensive and costs will be passed on to the author. If English is not your native language, you should consider having the book read by a colleague or professional editor who is a native speaker before submission.  If you are the editor of a contributed volume, it is your responsibility to check through the entire manuscript, paying particular attention to any chapters by non-native speakers. We ask you to ensure that the chapters are consistent in style throughout the book, especially in terms of their notes and references. 

A checklist for submission is available on our website or through your Commissioning Editor. Please ensure that you include every element to be incorporated in the book, including (but not limited to):



• Title page


• Table of contents


• List of contributors


• List of illustrations


• Glossary


• Foreword or preface


• Notes


• Bibliography



The manuscript should be delivered electronically as an email attachment or on a memory stick or CD. Please ensure that each chapter is saved as a separate document. Artwork should be supplied electronically as high resolution scans (minimum 300 dpi). Scans or photocopies of all permissions documents must be supplied at this stage. On receipt of the manuscript, the Commissioning Editor will check the word count and the number of illustrations to ensure that the book is in line with its contracted length and you will be informed of the next stages. Many books are sent for external peer review at this stage and this process takes approximately 6 -10 weeks. Books appearing in series will be sent to the series editor/s for review. Readers’ reports, series editors’ reports and any queries or suggestions from the Commissioning Editor will be sent to you for a response.  Any revisions should be negotiated with your Commissioning Editor and a final submission date agreed. 

Please inform your Commissioning Editor if you will be unavailable at any point during the production process. Any absence we have not been alerted to will have an impact as we work to very tight schedules. We also need to know if you do not plan to supply your own index for the book at proof stage, so that we can commission a freelance indexer. 

Following receipt and approval of the final manuscript, your Commissioning Editor will arrange handover to the Production Editor.




The Production Process- 

You will receive a letter of introduction from the Production Editor at Bloomsbury Academic, confirming receipt of the manuscript and outlining the route your book will take to make it ready for print and digital distribution. 

The next stages are:



• Copy-editing


• Typesetting


• Proof-reading


• Revision


• Indexing


• Digital Bundle creation (including, among others, a press-ready file and an ePub file)

Most of our books are taken through this process by specialist, out-of-house Project Managers. Your Project Manager will be in regular contact, sending you information on the production process, what is required of you, and a detailed schedule.

As a rough guide a standard schedule from handover to our production department to publication, for a non-complex, project-managed book is as follows:



• Copy-editing (4 weeks, with author queries arising in the 3rd week)


• Typesetting (2 weeks)


• Proof-reading and collation (3 weeks)


• Revision (1 week)


• Revises check and indexing (1 week)


• Final correction (1 week)


• Digital bundle creation (1 week)


• Printing (5 weeks)


• Delivery of bound copies to warehouse and distribution (4 weeks)




Copy-Editing- 
An experienced, professional copy-editor will be assigned to your book. The level of editing we request varies according to the needs of the project. It is usual for the copy editor to:


•    Correct grammar, spelling and syntax


• Check references and bibliographies for omissions and inconsistencies of style


• Bring any suspected errors, omissions or duplications to your attention. It is not usual for the copy editor to make stylistic interventions other than to implement our house style, or undertake any rewriting. 

Queries will be sent to you by the copy editor and it is your responsibility to supply answers by the requested deadline. All changes are then incorporated into the electronic text. Please note that you will not see the copy-edited manuscript.



Proof-reading
- The edited files are tagged to create the XML from which the digital versions of your book will be produced, and the print version of your book is set in Indesign. You will be sent page proofs, in electronic PDF format. Please check these carefully since this is the last chance to make any amendments before the book goes to press.  Only essential corrections (e.g. typographic errors) will be made at this stage.  Once corrections have been made your Project Manager will supply revised proofs in electronic format for you to check, and to allow you to finalise the index if you are preparing it yourself.



Indexing- 
If you are preparing your own index, your Project Manager will supply you with detailed guidelines. A list of headwords and subheadings may be drawn up at first proof stage but we recommend that page numbers are not added until revised proof stage, when the pagination of the book is secure. If you have opted for the services of a professional indexer, they will be asked to compile the index at first proof stage, and you will be sent the index to check at revised proof stage. 



Printing- 
Once revised proofs have been approved, the Project Manager supplies digital and print-ready files to us, no later than six weeks before bound copy date. Final artwork for the cover is submitted from the Design Manager. The Production Editor checks all files and sends them to the printer. 



Publication- 
Advance copies of the book are checked by the Production Editor. On approval, stock is delivered into our warehouse, the gratis copied agreed in the contract are sent to the author and arrangements are made to ship the book to our distributors around the world. As a guide, the UK publication date is approximately four weeks after receipt of bound copies by the publisher, and the US and Australian publication dates are eight weeks later – though this may vary according to where the book has been printed and what the key market requirements are.  



Marketing your book
- We will promote your book to the book trade and the academic market, including it in relevant catalogues, listing it on our website and exhibiting it at relevant academic conferences. In advance of submitting the manuscript you will be asked to complete a marketing questionnaire, which forms the basis of the marketing plan for the book and assists us with drawing up a review list. Please do alert us if you plan to attend a conference or other event at which you may be able to promote your book, as we may be able to supply flyers or other promotional materials. We would also be grateful for information on prizes for which your book may be eligible.



Rights
- Bloomsbury has an active rights department, who will try to negotiate rights deals for your book wherever possible. We attend all the major book fairs, including Frankfurt and London, which are the major marketplaces for rights sales.