Another Western hobby is paper sculptures.
(photo from etsy.com/shop/PaperwolfsShop)
They are used as home decor. Basically, hang on the walls:
Put on shelves and on the floor:
But their meaning, probably, is not to somehow decorate your home. And in doing such a thing with your own hands. This is a kind of needlework 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 creates.
Sells on Etsy (through his shop etsy.com/shop/PaperwolfsShop, where 6150 sales are recorded) and, possibly, not only there. Everyone liked his sculptures so much and sales increased so much that he could no longer cope with orders (despite sufficient high price paper set to create one figurine - an average of 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 invent new models.
What is good about such a product for sale is that it consists of several sheets of paper and can be sent by letter (even abroad). I looked at the international rates of Russian mail for sending such letters - not so expensive. Delivery of a letter weighing from 101 to 250 grams by air costs 180 rubles ($3).
But it is even better to send your creativity abroad not by paper letter, but by electronic file. Then you do not need to spend time on sending, and the file will reach the client in a matter of seconds after payment.
Another computer scientist familiar with 3D modeling software, Frenchman Stefan Chesneau, has achieved similar results by selling similar models of similar paper figures:
(this and subsequent photos are from etsy.com/shop/OXYGAMI)
And let him sell them cheaper than paper counterparts (from 11 to 16 dollars per figure), but he sells more (and he does not need to bother with manufacturing, packaging and delivery at all). In less than a year, he has sold more than 3,000 electronic copies (through his Etsy store - etsy.com/shop/OXYGAMI).
And, of course, such a number of sales ensured the originality of his models and the quality of the images:
And this despite the fact that in his store there are only 15 models:
But he sold each one dozens (or even hundreds) of times.
It is interesting how the young man came up with the idea of creating 3d models of paper figures. In the 7th grade of the school, in a geometry lesson, they went through how to lay out a three-dimensional three-dimensional figure on paper, in the form of a flat pattern (we did not go through this). The boy was so fired up with this idea that he began to create similar paper patterns of future volumetric figures. Not everything worked out perfectly for him - because he did the calculations manually (then no one had computers).
Then he dropped the idea. But he remembered already in adulthood, when insomnia began to overcome him. He remembered his children's hobby and began to create patterns of 3d figures already using a computer. They turned out without errors!
At night, he drew his patterns using a computer, and then he assembled the figures himself.
And then I decided to sell my designs on Etsy. Judging by the first review of one of his customers, he started selling since November 2016, that is, he sold 3014 pieces in about 8 months, which is about 376 pieces per month, or about $ 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 gestures, receive $ 3,000 monthly on your account.
I want to emphasize in this regard that if you sell digital information (electronic files) on Etsy, then buyers do not care what country you live in. The main thing is that according to your files you can easily create the figure that is presented on your selling page.
And another useful thought is that your destiny has affected your life since childhood. Remember what inspired you then. What were you passionate about? Might be worth doing it again, for more high level? Then the business will not need to be looked for, you have already found it.
Not many masters are engaged in this type of creativity today. And only a few have achieved success in this field.
Calvin Nicholas
Paper sculpture made by this unique artist amazing and extremely realistic. In 1981, Calvin opened his own design studio in Toronto. And three years later he made his first experience, trying to combine his love for wildlife and craving for creativity. Thus, 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 paper rigid frame of the future object. Then the sculptor attaches small details to it: feathers, hairs, scales. Each detail is given a special texture with the help of wooden and metal fixtures and tools. Nicholas achieves almost one hundred percent realism, depicting representatives of the animal world.
Paper sculpture by Piret Callesen
The whole world today knows the name of this artist. He creates handmade paper sculptures using a combination of cutting and folding. Real masterpieces are obtained literally from a single sheet of A4 format.
These are incredible plot scenes and individual vivid images. His paintings contain deep meaning, the fragility of the material carries romanticism, emphasizes the tragic nature 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. Paper is deoxidized in a special way and turns into a homogeneous mass. Preparing in advance Silicone molds, into which the material is folded, compacted and then dried.
And here the masters begin the most difficult stage of work. Using a medical scalpel, the artists work through every smallest detail, every fold and hair, giving the sculpture amazing liveliness and truthfulness.
It takes more than a year for the masters 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 for casting the workpiece. And this is only preparatory stage to work.
Of course, the most difficult thing is to remove everything superfluous with precise movements. Even the smallest mistake in work can negate all previous work, no matter how long and painstaking it may be.
Paper sculptures at home
Looking at the works of the great masters, it seems that this is beyond the power ordinary person. However, you can try to do something similar. Let it turn out not so highly artistic, not so masterfully, but from the heart.
So how do you make your own paper sculpture?
- First you need to mold the figure that 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 in all the small recesses and crevices, after drying, the second layer already directly creates the thickness of the future form. Then you need to let the form dry well.
- After all this, the workpiece is carefully cut, and the plasticine is removed.
- Now the paper mass is being prepared, with which the form is filled.
- After drying, the workpiece is removed and worked out with a sharp scalpel.
- If necessary, paint or varnish is applied to the sculpture.
There are many recipes for creating paper pulp. The simplest 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, as masters do when working with clay and other materials.
In Japan, paper art such as origami, kirigami and similar sculptures have long become traditional. How beautiful paper crafts lined up in three-dimensional compositions surprise and delight.
Sometimes it is very difficult, or even impossible, for a non-professional to repeat them even according to the schemes and master classes. But if you really want to do something like that, you start looking for compromises. In the current search, I met the author of paper sculpture Benja Harney. Benja himself successfully applies his favourite hobby in the commercial sphere, advertising, mass media, so this is not a hobby for him, but a job. Idea this creativity I really liked it, making a figure in this way, in my opinion, is much easier than folding it using the origami technique.
The method is really not that hard to master. At the Faculty graphic design we made layouts in this way, while almost no attention was paid to the technique itself. You draw the model, then you draw its layout with all sides, leaving bends for fastening and coupling the sides. Remember that we all glued the same cube or parallelepiped out of paper in geometry lessons at school.
In design, more complex shapes, such as building models and other three-dimensional compositions, are glued together in this way. Of course, three-dimensional vision is very useful in such work, but you can start with simple forms by gluing them together.
By applying layer after layer of colored paper, the composition becomes multi-level, volume is created, the figures become three-dimensional.
Benja was carried away by this process during his studies, the same faculty of graphic design, and now very beautiful paper models come out from under his hands. They are so interesting and neatly executed that you can’t call them anything other than paper sculpture.
Creativity Benja Harney is somewhere on the verge between design and art.
His works are original and attract attention. Big brands and famous people are showing interest in them.
For example, for the Sydney showcase of the luxury brand Hermes Benja, he made paper wings.
For Kylie Minogue's Australian tour, he created a pop-up book for her album.
"Paper Sculpture
or paper plastic
Possibilities of paper plastic
1. Registration of any children's holiday, especially New Year's - Christmas decorations and interior design elements, children's costumes and various masks.
Possibilities of paper plastic
2.Perform original Greeting Cards to any event and teach this to their pupils.
Possibilities of paper plastic
3. Supplement your costume with decor elements using the paper plastic technique, which will allow you to look individually unique against the backdrop of universal standardity and sameness.
A bit of history
Chinese chronicles report that paper was invented in 105. n. e. Tsai Lun;
Rice. 1. Map of China in the II century. BC.
Cai Lun's paper recipe was:
- crush mulberry fibers, wood ash, rags and hemp;
- mix with water and put the resulting mass on a mold (wooden frame and bamboo sieve);
- after drying in the sun, smooth this mass with stones.
The result was strong sheets of paper.
Rice. 3. The old way of manual
paper production.
Types of paper plastics
1. Origami ( translated from Japanese "folded paper") - ancient art folding paper models, which originated in Japan. It is very similar to crumpling paper, but in this case, the folds and bends are not random, but subject to the will of the artist, he decides where and when to make them.
Types of paper plastics
2. quilling – paper rolling or paper filigree. This is the art of creating three-dimensional or planar compositions from strips of paper (Translated from English "bird feather" It originated in Europe at the end of the 15th and 16th centuries. AT medieval Europe the monks created graceful medallions by twisting paper with gilded edges around the tip of a bird's quill.
Types of paper plastics
3. paper sculpture , which is often called paper plastic ("plastic" from Greek word "sculpt" because in terms of creativity, it is more similar to sculpture than others and allows you to create semi-volumetric and volumetric compositions. In paper plastic, all products are hollow or empty inside, only their shells are created.
Materials and tools necessary for work:
- 1.Whatman ½
- 2. PVA glue.
- 3. Scissors.
- 4. Stationery knife.
- 5. Cardboard.
- 6.Compass or any round objects.
- 7. Paper clips.
Safety Techniques
- Carefully use the knife, do not put your fingers under the blade,
- Pass the knife or scissors only in closed form (scissors - rings first);
- Be careful when working directly with paper, or rather with the edge of a sheet of drawing paper (you can cut yourself!!!).
1 Way. A crumpled sheet of paper looks like mountains.
The capercaillie model
- Cut along the contour
- Making cuts
- We carry out the elements with a punch
- Deflections in notches
- Assembly
Model "Alyonushka"
Shape analysis:
- a large cone from half a circle,
- on the bottom of which is a geometric pattern.
Model "Alyonushka"
- The cylinder is the base of the head.
Model "Alyonushka"
The face has the shape of a segment (half of an oval).
Model "Alyonushka"
The little cones are the sleeves.
Model "Alyonushka"
- The hair is cut into strips, twisted with scissors and glued on the inside of the head.
- The palms are cut in the form of mittens, then you can cut through the fingers.
Model "Alyonushka"
The scarf is a curved triangle.
Model "Alyonushka"
- Buckets - cylinders.
- You can cut out the rocker, which will give completeness to your model.
Wizard's advice
- Whatman is an ideal paper for creating paper sculptures.
- Our industry produces whatman paper white color according to GOST. It is dense and this allows you to perform such operations as bending, twisting, slitting and incisions.
Wizard's advice
- colored paper that we have is too thin.
- paper sculpture can make from colored paper, but here you need to follow some recommendations:
- 1. Colored paper should be dense .
- 2. Shouldn't be colored ready product watercolor or gouache.
- 3. You can paint the product with paint from cans.
- 4. It is undesirable to resort to the use of large
- quantity colors in order to avoid fragmentation and variegation.
Wizard's advice
- Don't limit your creativity . Having mastered the techniques of working with paper, you can create your own designs based on them, perhaps more interesting and original.
- Try to model yourself so that the finished patterns do not deprive you of creativity !!!
Conclusion
1. You were interesting ?
2. You learned something new and interesting for myself?
3. Will use acquired knowledge in your pedagogical practice?
"Paper Sculpture
or paper plastic
Creation of sculptures from the most different materials mankind has been engaged since the deepest antiquity. 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, therefore, it has only recently begun to be used to create works of art.
Previously, paper was only the basis for graphics and paintings, volumetric images of which were rare. In Japan, paper figures were created using the origami technique - by special folding the sheet, three-dimensional images of various animals and animals were obtained. fantasy creatures, flowers and fish. In Europe, paper sculpture was limited to papier-mache - laying out a three-dimensional object from pieces of soaked loose paper.
Paper sculpture "Beavers" by Calvin Nicholls 
Paper sculpture "Bear", Calvin Nicholls 
Owl Paper Sculpture by Calvin Nicholls
But true paper sculptures appeared only in the second half of the 20th century. Nowadays, there are already quite a lot of such masters, and paper sculptures have become a full part of contemporary art. One of famous masters creating their unique works of plain paper - Canadian sculptor Calvin Nicholls. He performs extremely realistic images plants, birds and animals, using paper, glue and a strong frame to give their works rigidity and volume. In his sculptural paintings, animals and flowers seem alive and real.
Paper sculpture "Indians", Patty and Allen Ekman
Married couple Patty and Allen Ekman create incredibly accurate and detailed images of Cherokee Indian life using several paper techniques. Their multi-figure compositions amaze with their expression and realism.
A sculptor from Beijing, Li Hongbo, works in a very special technique. He creates sculptures that can be stretched and deformed like a spring. Such an unusual effect is created by very complex selection and fitting of hundreds, even thousands of layers of paper, in a special way interconnected. These unique works of art seem to be made of a dense matte material such as marble, but as soon as you touch them, the whole structure starts to move.
Jeff Nishinaka creates real epic voluminous canvases from paper. Particularly impressive is one picture of a traditional Asian story - the battle of the Phoenix and the Dragon. The serpentine Chinese dragon wriggles in bizarre rings, and a huge magical bird with wonderful long feathers in its wings and tail winds around it. The image consists of many small parts, masterfully conveying the drawing of feathers and scales of the characters.
Absolutely original style The production of paper sculptures is owned by the Danish artist Peter Kallesen. In all his works obligatory element a large sheet of paper protrudes, on which three-dimensional paper figures are located. The slits on the paper correspond exactly to the sculptures and depict the shadows or the true appearance of an object, such as a building.
I would like to believe that paper works have a great future, because modern sculptors have learned how to turn it into unique works of art, looking at which it is hard to believe that all these perfect creations were created from such a simple and fragile material.
