Paper Cutting a la Dudecraft

If you've never visited Paul Overton's Dudecraft, you're in for a treat. He's a jack of all trades, and from what I can tell, has mastered quite a few of them. The site's tagline, Fresh hand-made content, perfectly describes the wide variety of art/craft items Paul reels in from all over the web. I suspect though, they might not have quite the same impact without his knack for descriptive commentary.
Every now and then we get a glimpse of a Paul-made project. Recently he mentioned working on a series of cut paper portraits. Paul tells me he's not brand new to this medium, but it's the first time he's tried portraiture. Could've fooled me. Joe Strummer of The Clash was his test subject; I'm liking the reminiscent vibe of Shepard Fairey's stencil poster of Obama.And here's Elvis Costello, another of Paul's favorite musicians. Pretty amazing likenesses, based on photos, result in what he describes as "just several layers of paper cut and glued together." Paul promises more cut-paper portraits on Dudecraft as the series progresses.

The Spinto Band - Oh Mandy Video

Here's a look at another ingenious music video that utilizes paper art. While I won't attempt to explain the intricacies of Oh Mandy's lyrics, I think you'll find the creative visuals pretty fascinating. Kudos to Waverly Films (production) and Jon Watts (director).



The song (from the band's Nice and Nicely Done CD, 2005) has to be one of the catchiest tunes ever written. Perhaps I'm a bit biased though, because my oldest son and Nick Krill, the lead singer on this song, have been friends since first grade. Actually, all of the guys in the band are talented artists as well as performers, and have been touring the U.S., Europe, and Japan the past several years promoting their music.

Wishing The Spinto Band much success with its newest EP, Slim and Slender, released just last month.

YouTube Oh Mandy link

Between the Folds Update

I received a nice comment this morning from Sally Rosenthal, executive producer of Between the Folds, a documentary featuring some of the world's best paper folders. (original post) Sally wanted to alert us that the PBS Independent Lens broadcast will air earlier than was previously mentioned. It will be shown on different dates in December in different markets - check local listings. Dec 8 in many places.

Also, the DVD is available worldwide from BetweenTheFolds.com

Heart of Shapes

To my eyes, this recycled paperboard installation is an ethereal beauty. Tokyo and Seattle-based design team, KEIKO+MANABU, (Keiko Uchiyama and Manabu Sawase) created gracefully rolled cylinders that formed hearts, diamonds, and flowers large enough to stroll through or hide among. Displayed in the Diesel Denim Gallery, located in the Aoyama neighborhood of Tokyo, Japan, the colossal tubes were re-recycled when the exhibit closed earlier this year. I start to question the details... how was it constructed so smoothly, so perfectly... what supported the tubes... how were they held in place? But I realize some things are best when simply accepted and enjoyed.Spending part of one's lunch hour in the midst of these elegant silver and gold-lined columns would be as calming as a walk in the countryside.
images by Takumi Ota

Q & A with Licia Politis

If you're curious about the construction of If the Shoe Fits, Wear It, then this is the post for you. As promised, Licia has provided lots of information so we'll be able to picture how she went about making each component.The torso, handbag, and shoe work so well together. Wherever did you find them?
The torso was a paper maché figure I purchased from Spotlight, an Australian haberdashery store. I inserted a small dowel through the base of the torso, up into the neck, and then fixed the dowel into the wooden base. I painted the base black and glued the checkerboard tessellation onto its surface.

I was looking everywhere for a stiletto shoe as the ones here in the shops were old fashioned types with curved heels and tongues coming up the instep...not the look I wanted for this modern girl! I couldn't believe my stroke of good luck when I found this little ring holder on eBay and it arrived in just two days from the Northern Territory. It was the right size too, as the others in the shops were a bit bigger and too chunky to go with the torso and bag.

I painted the shoe's outer surface black before covering it with quilling. Rings can be placed between the hot pink satin ridges. The shoe measures 7 inches in length and 3 1/2 inches in height.

I had never seen a little box like the handbag before, but it was as if it was made for this project! It opens part way and held a ring one of my girls received. By coincidence, the box was black cardboard on the outside and the inside was lined in hot pink paper. I added the pink material over the padded area which was where the ring was situated. It measures 3 inches across the top and is 3 1/2 inches in height.

Working out the quilled design was tricky, as the pattern had to tessellate into the shape of the pre-made box. Just a piece of trivia... on the top area at the handle, there are 96 small pink cylinders... I think I had a bit of eye strain the day of gluing them on, something I'd not experienced before.

I love how you did the black and white roping around the edges... did you wrap several stacked black strips with ivory?
Yes, that's just what I did. This technique is called bandaging and was used in lots of antique quilling to define areas, especially in tea caddies. I only glued at the start and finish of the wrapping, as that allowed me to be able to manipulate the strip more easily when bending it around curved areas. In some areas, like the handbag edges, I used 1.5 mm or 1/16th inch width paper (for both the wrapping and the bundle) and fewer black strips in the bundles, whereas the handle of the bag is 3mm or 1/4 inch black, wrapped with 3mm or 1/4 inch ivory.

I repeated the bandaging throughout the piece, with the idea that the technique/patterning would bring it together as a whole. Each component, except the jewellery, features bandaging.Thanks so much for your explanation, Licia.

Quilling Triumph - Licia Politis

Remember Licia Politis's incredible quilled chess set? She's done it again... this time designing a fantastical fashion statement. Licia's retro theme grabs attention because of its unexpected appeal, plus her excellent workmanship makes it hard to believe the piece is composed of rolled paper!click pics for close up views
What inspired you to create If the Shoe Fits, Wear It?
I envisioned a contemporary art piece of repetitive patterns and colours in which the patterns were tessellated... for example, the flowers in the bodice of the torso, the checkerboard patterning of the handbag, as well as the base of the piece. I was inspired by Japanese artist, Yayoi Kusama, who works with a myriad of patterns, circles, and dots. I also wanted a practical piece, showing the aesthetic appeal of paper.
What was the most difficult part?
I found the colour scheme and patterns were the hardest to coordinate. I wanted all of the pieces... the torso, necklace, brooch, ring, earrings, stiletto shoe, and handbag to each be different, yet tied together, by the black, pink, and ivory colours.Tell us about the competitions into which you've entered If the Shoe Fits, Wear It.
I submitted the piece to the 2009 Sydney [Australia] Royal Easter Show. It was awarded 1st place in the "Any Other Quilled Item" category and was selected to go into the Showcase of Excellence during the two week run of the show.

I also sent it to the English Quilling Guild's annual competition which was held in Kent on 19th September 2009. The piece was awarded a 1st prize in the Master's Category.How much time did you spend on construction?
The whole piece took two months of all my spare time to complete. The base has a total of 1,120 one inch tight roll cylinders in the black checkerboard pattern... this part took eight hours just to roll. The torso is about 10 inches in height and the base that supports it is 10 inches x 14 inches. The tiny shoe is actually a ring holder, and the handbag, which opens, is the brooch holder. Funny story... I made an 11th hour decision while on the way to Sydney to deliver the piece. Believe it or not, I stopped at a McDonald's to add the soft pink dots outlined in gold to the centres of each of the ivory crimped beads on the ring, earrings, and brooch. I think it was an improvement, as all the rest of the piece had pink on it somewhere. Occasionally last minute changes really do wind up for the best!torso in progress
I'm already looking forward to your next project... any ideas as to where your talent will take you next?
I have so many things I would love to quill. It's just a matter of finding the time... an installation, more paper beads, as well as continuing to develop the vortex coil.Be on the lookout for a post in the near future in which Licia answers my questions about the actual construction of the piece, including the nifty ivory and black edging technique.

Pop-Up Paper Art - Half a Cup of Tea

Glory of Hong Kong has long been fascinated with pop-up construction. She set about learning how to do it by studying instruction books and paper engineering tricks. Obviously, hard work pays off... just look at the detail she cut and folded into this little scene. Altitude series: Mansion on Cliff

I love the story of how Glory decided to make miniatures her specialty... after practicing for hours on end and using loads of scrap paper, she noticed her cuts were becoming smaller and smaller in order to save paper. She wisely realized this gave a unique quality to her designs and has kept it as her signature style.The idea for adding the LED lighting that casts such a wondrous glow came about by accident. One evening after practicing, she set the paper cut she'd been working on upon her scanner. In the darkened room, the blue scanner light beautifully brought the illuminated cut-out to life.Altitude series: Mountain Village

Mountain Village is her most difficult cutting to date, but also her favorite. It's a detailed fairyland of many tiny houses with windows; some have doors and even doorknobs. There are also mountains, a rising moon, a church, birds, and 99 steps! Except for the moon, the entire sculpture is constructed from a single piece of paper.To give you an idea of just how tiny these scenes are, Ahoy Matey measures all of 3 inches x 3 inches with a 1.6 inch depth. Table for Two series: Ahoy Matey

Visit Half a Cup of Tea to see more of Glory's miniatures.

Benagami and Makigami - Benjamin Coleman

Several years ago Ben Coleman of Rhode Island was gifted with an origami book that changed his life. He had found success in the business world, then turned to teaching math as a creative outlet, but felt something was missing. Benagami silk technique pink columbine in Makigami pendant

The book brought back memories of a favorite childhood pastime, making origami Christmas decorations with his father. Once again Ben found himself enjoying the process of folding paper, all the while marveling at the dual aspects of complexity and simplicity.Benagami Shadowcaster origami windswept bonsai tree

Ever since accidentally creating an original, perfect flower from an origami eagle pattern in 2006, Ben has been devoted to making bonsai botanical sculptures from recycled paper... he calls them Benagami. Shadowcaster close up

Ben sells his creations via Etsy and he's put his teaching skills to use by writing Origami Bonsai, a how-to manual, so anyone can learn to make beautiful origami floral arrangements. (Tuttle, April 2010 release)

Ben's invention of Makigami is especially intriguing... it means roll-paper in Japanese and is the technique he enlists to make bonsai branches. Newspaper is soaked in a water-based mixture and then rolled into stems. When dry, the stems are assembled as branches, painted, and adorned with flowers and leaves. Benagami/Makigami teardrop ornament

Makigami works just as well for other items too, such as his curved pendants, ornaments, and these stylish napkin rings... and bracelets, which can even double as drapery tie-backs! But Ben has another use in mind for Makigami that's especially fascinating. If you're like me and think sadly about the number of plastic objects we repeatedly throw away, Ben demonstrates via a video that manufacturing disposable items, such as pens, razor handles, and toothbrushes of Makigami, would save a tremendous amount of natural resources.A Makigami pen decomposes within three months of being discarded, whereas a traditional plastic pen takes 450 years! And it requires just 1/10 the energy and 1/1000 the petrochemicals to make, in comparison to the plastic model. Considering over 100 billion plastic pens are manufactured annually, Makigami pens certainly sound like a win-win solution.
Visit Ben's site for more information.

Fog and Thistle Giveaway

Rachel Weber of Fog and Thistle, who makes the wonderful, hand-cut night lights I posted about a few weeks ago, is celebrating her Etsy shop's second anniversary with a night light giveaway.For a chance to win, visit Rachel's shop and then leave a comment on her blog by Saturday night at midnight, naming your favorite light design. This Koala Love design happens to be my fave... in the daytime Momma Bear is alone, but at night she's magically joined by her cub. Cute!

Quilled Bird Pendant

Thanks to inspiration from my Twitter friend, Sharon Bennett, I created a bird pendant to wear this fall.But more about the bird in a moment... first I'd like to introduce you to Sharon, an illustrator who creates template books for David and Charles, and designs projects for UK craft magazines. Not only does she draw and paint beautifully, Sharon has a most generous spirit: all of the original designs on her blog, Steady On!, may be grabbed and printed for personal use in card making or any other paper crafting pursuit.
If you like to quill, I think you'll find that many of Sharon's designs are perfect for rolled paper interpretation.Perhaps you've noticed the popularity of bird graphics lately. They're fluttering about in so many places... on stationery, invitations, print ads, you name it. Well then... Sharon's blog entry on September 4 caught my eye. Dear, swirly little birds! I had a feeling she wouldn't mind if I tried my hand at quilling one, but I emailed to ask. Happily, Sharon was excited about the project and loved how the bird turned out. If you would like to make a necklace of your own, here are a few tips to get you started:
In order for the paper to be sturdy enough to retain the outline, begin by gluing several strips of gilded-edge quilling paper together, one on top of the next. When the paper stack is completely dry, (otherwise it will buckle) use your fingers and the handle of a quilling tool to shape the outline. Then just add rolled teardrop coils for the wing, headdress feathers, and tail feathers. There! Something new to wear tomorrow.Bronze colored satin cording makes a quick and easy necklace. Finish it off with an adjustable sliding knot.

(Brand new to quilling? This tutorial covers the basics. And here are more pendant ideas.)