The art of papercraft

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The art ofpapercraft

Techniquesand

inspirations

Monica Giunchi

“With just a few foldsor drops of glue,the basic sheet morphsfrom flat plane into an actualbodythat represents and defines its occupiedspace”

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ContentIntroduction

Mixed Techniques Do it yourself Paper Blossoms Pillow Box Rosy Stationery

Papercutting Do it yourself Snowflake Garland Papercut Cards Silhouttes Artists' Work Made by Juliene Rob Ryan

Origami Do it yourself Symbols Basic Folds Origami Fox Papercrane Origami Bear Artists' Work Roman Diaz Robert J. Lang Paul Jackson

Stop-motion Sean Pecknold, "Mykonos" Nadiah Almahdaly, "Kami"

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01Intro

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In the landscape of the contemporary life, where we seem to increasingly spend

our time in front of a computer, I think it is important to regather the manuality

and tactility of handmade crafts.

The aim of my book is therefore to give a starting point to all those who wants

to rediscover creativity through a simple medium like paper.

Why this book

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I have recently been exploring different ways you can handmake items, in

particular with paper, and found it was extremely refreshing from the long days

I have passed designing in front of my computer, the things you can actually do

are infinite: from origami to boxes, beautiful paper lamps or decorations for your

house, even little handmade books.

My book is therefore an exploration of these different techniques and also

aims to give an insight in to what some artists and designers have done with this

medium, in order to push forward the input to creativity.

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The earliest example of ‘paper-folding’ was an ancient

Egyption map, drawn on a paper like substance and folded

into a rectangle, like modern road maps.

Back then, it wasn’t possible to create intricate paper

folding, because the right paper had not been invented.

When the Chinese invented wood based paper, it became

possible to fold the paper more crisply and with more

precision (2nd century B.C.). It is not known exactally when

it started, but the first Japanease oragami dates from the

6th century A.D.

A brief history

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Different cultures have originated different kinds of papercrafts, the most

famous one remains origami, but within the Japanese culture there are other

kinds of papercraft, like Kirigami and Chigiri, China is famous for the ancient

tradition of paper cut and the Chinese paper lanterns. All different tradition

in which we can find new uses for paper in modern society, like decoupage,

gift wrapping, and so on.

A lot of designers and artists have recently made use of paper as a medium

to create powerful works of design, art and videos. As Robert Klanten noticed

“in an age where almost any information, be it newspaper, article or video

clip, photograph or music file, is only a few

free clicks away, the unique immediacy of an

object, performance or installation, its multi-

sensory properties, the moment itself gains

renewed importance”.

Paper is very versatile, its uses are infinite.

The only way to get it known is to explore it

deeply and try out.

“With just a few foldsor drops of glue,the basic sheet morphsfrom flat plane into an actual bodythat represents and defines its occupied space”

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02Mixed Techniques

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To familiarize with papercraft I thought it was a good

idea to start off with easy to make artworks, gradually

progressing to harder pieces of works.

In this chapter you will therefore find a variety of

examples of papercrafts, from house decorations to

stationery items, with the relative instructions on how

to remake them, and also some works of different

practitioners which have used paper in the most

diverse ways.

To start off

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02.01Mixed Techniques

Do ityourself

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Cut tissue paper into squares

of 2 inches and overlap them

in a star.

Pinch them in the middle

to form a light crease, then

pinch in the other direction.

Twist the pinched parts to form

a “stem”.

Paper Blossoms

Wrap the tape around an

offshoot of the branch to

secure the blossom.

Attach a small piece of scotch

tape to the edge of the stem.

Repeat until you create a

beautiful blossomed branch.

These paper blossoms could be a really nice decoration for a bedroom or living

room, and are very quick and cheap to realize.

Material: Tree Bunches,Tissue Paper, Scissors, Scotch Tape, Fishing Line

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Print or draw the template of

the pillow box in the back side

of the paper.

With a mechanical pencil, or

the back of a cutter, or a paper

folder, score along the "score

lines"

Cut out the box.

Fold the box along the center

score line, open, then fold over

Apply glue to that narrow

folded over edge. Then fold the

other half of the box back over,

onto the glue. Press firmly, and

let dry.

the narrow flap on one side of

the box.

Squeeze it from either side so it

bulges outward, then ease the

flaps at both ends of the box.

Gift boxes come in all shapes and sizes, and all varieties of complexity. The pillow

box is pretty simple to make, it stores flat and it looks all exotic and impressive.

And it doesn’t need to be fastened shut, making it easily reusable.

Material: Pretty Coloured Paper, Scalpel, Ruler, Glue, Template, Decorations

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Pillow Box

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Fill with good things, then tie some ribbon around the box.

You can get fancy and make all kinds of wraps, ribbons and other

decorations for the box.

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Pillow BoxTemplate

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Cut off stem end with a

sharp knife.

Stand the stem on a paper

towel, cut-side down, for 5

minutes to dry.

Press cut side onto a large

stamp pad the onto cards,

stationery, and more,

blotting on paper towel

between presses.

Leafy vegetables make great-tasting salads, and sumptuous floral-shaped stamps,

too. Here, the end of a head of Treviso radicchio yields a roselike print. You can vary

stamp shapes with other vegetables, such as romaine lettuce stems or even brussels

sprouts cut in half.

Material: Stamp pad, Treviso radicchio, knife, Card.

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Rosy Stationery

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03Papercutting

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Papercutting is an ancient form of folk art and its history lies in China, where the

art is known as jian zhi. Long traditions in papercutting exist in other countries too,

including kirie in Japan, sanjihi in India, and the famous papel picados in Mexico.

Creative working in this medium use a number of different techniques. Some cut

straight into chosen paper, essentially drawing with their cutting tool. Others first

sketch or print out their design and then cut around its marked-out lines. Tools may

include may include scissors, scalpels, X-Acto knives, or other forms of blade.

The art of papercutting and paper crafting as a whole has seen a considerable rise in popularity in recent years, but in existence since as far back as the sixth century.

Introduction

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Most papercutters tend to start each new piece by cutting out the most difficult

parts first, before moving on to the rest of the artwork.

Curved areas are best cut with a swift, confident movement; angular areas with

shorter stabbing motions.

Another good tip is to cut toward yourself and rotate the artwork on a table to

make that possible. That is not practical when working on large pieces but works

well for small pieces.

Technique Tips

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Paper

It is best to use a light-to-medium weight paper when cutting more

intricate, detailed designs, but for simpler designs a heavier stock can

be used. As a general rule, try not to use a highly textured stock as the

fibers in the paper will drag when you cut it.

Scalpel

Also known as a lancet, a scalpel is a sharp, steel-bladed instrument

used for cutting. Scalpels are either disposable or have replaceable

blades.

Craft Mat

Otherwise known as a self-healing mat, this is important as it protects

both the work surface and your blade and provide a solid base on which

to work.

Paper cutting tools

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03.01Papercutting

Do ityourself

03.01Paper Cutting

Do ityourself

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Place a square of paper pretty

side down. Fold the bottom point

up to the top to form a triangle.

Bring the left corner over to the

right corner and mark the midpoint

by pressing a small crease into the

paper. Open the triangle.

Bring the right corner up to the

top and mark the midpoint by

Bring the top corner down to the

crease you just made and mark

the midpoint by pressing a small

crease into the paper. Open the

triangle again.

pressing a small crease into the

paper. Open the triangle again.

Snowflake

The paper should now have three

points marked with creases.

The garland in the previous page is made with origami paper, dental floss, and tape.

The second and third flakes in that garland are based on a 5-pointed star. You can find

the directions for a it here, they’re easier to cut since there are fewer paper layers.

The first, fourth, and fifth flakes in the garland are based on 8 points.

Material: Origami Paper, Dental Floss, Tape

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Snowflake

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Fold the right corner upward so

the bottom edge of the triangle

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meets the upper crease.

Fold the left corner upward so

the bottom edge of the triangle

Fold the resulting shape in half

so the right edge aligns with the

opposite side.

aligns with the opposite side.

Cut your design and open.

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Draw by pencil, or on graphic

software like Illustrator for your

initial design.

Cut off the parts with a scalpel, Stick the papercut on your card.

it is advisable to cut on the

opposite side that you want as

final piece.

With simply a pencil and a scalpel you can create beautiful papercut designs. You

can also draw your design on graphic software and print it if you find that easier.

Get creative and try to be precise with your scalpel.

Material: Coloured Card, Scalpel. Cutting Mat, Glue

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Papercut Cards

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This is just an example that you can copy to start off, but the

possibilities are infinite, just get yourself creative in designing

and papercutting and the results will be impressive.

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Here is another idea for a papercut card or just for a beautiful piece to hang on

your walls.

Material: Coloured Card, Scalpel. Cutting Mat, Glue

Draw by pencil, or on graphic

software like Illustrator your

design.

Cut off the parts with a scalpel,

it is advisable to cut on the

Stick the papercut on your card

or get creative and invent your

final output!

opposite side that you want as

final piece.

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Silhouettes

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03.02Paper Cutting

Artist'swork

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Made by Juliene is

papercutting artist Julene

Harrison’s company. She

makes handmade papercuts

to order, from invitations to

cards to letterheads, in her

distinctive illustrative and

typographic style.

Harrison starts her designs in

rough in Adobe Photoshop,

working out a layout and

sketching details of more

specific elements. She then

prints out her rough design

ready for the cutting process,

for which she uses a scalpel.

“Originally a constructed textile designer, I have now started papercutting. It’s a medium I have quickly grown to love. I get a lot of pleasure turning a single sheet of paper into something people seem to enjoy”.

Made by Juliene

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Rob Ryan is a visual artist from Cyprus who

specialises in papercutting , screen-printing

and drawing and painting. He is now most

famous for his detailed paper cut outs.

He has illustrated book and album covers,

including John Connolly’s novel The Book

of Lost Things, Erasure’s album Nightbird,

Chambers Lost Crafts by Una McGovern and

Dara Horn’s novel The World to Come.

Ryan’s first book, This Is for You, was

published on October 4, 2007 by Hodder

& Stoughton; it consists of a fairy tale told

through his paper cut-out art and explores

themes of love and loneliness.Ryan also

creates the Global Gift greeting cards for

the charity Trocaire.

Rob Ryan

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04Origami

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� OriginsThere is much speculation about the origin of Origami.

While Japan seems to have had the most extensive

tradition, there is evidence of an independent tradition

of paperfolding in China, as well as in Germany, Italy

and Spain among other places. However, because of the

problems associated with preserving origami, there is

very little direct evidence of its age or origins, aside from

references in published material.

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In China, traditional funerals include burning

folded paper, most often representations of

gold nuggets (yuanbao). It is not known when

this practice started, but it seems to have

become popular during the Sung Dynasty

(905–1125 CE). The paper folding has typically

been of objects like dishes, hats or boats rather

than animals or flowers.

The earliest evidence of paperfolding in

Europe is a picture of a small paper boat in

Tractatus de sphaera mundi from 1490. There

is also evidence of a cut and folded paper

box from 1440. It is probable paperfolding

in the west originated with the Moors much

earlier, it is not known if it was independently

discovered or knowledge of origami came

along the silk route.

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In Japan, the earliest unambiguous reference to a paper

model is in a short poem by Ihara Saikaku in 1680 which

describes paper butterflies in a dream. Origami butterflies

were used during the celebration of Shinto weddings to

represent the bride and groom, so paperfolding had already

become a significant aspect of Japanese ceremony by the

Heian period (794–1185) of Japanese history, enough that

the reference in this poem would be recognized. Samurai

warriors would exchange gifts adorned with noshi, a sort of

good luck token made of folded strips of paper.

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In the early 1900s, Akira Yoshizawa, Kosho Uchiyama,

and others began creating and recording original origami

works. Akira Yoshizawa in particular was responsible for

a number of innovations, such as wet-folding and the

Yoshizawa-Randlett diagramming system, and his work

inspired a renaissance of the art form. During the 1980s

a number of folders started systematically studying the

mathematical properties of folded forms, which led to

a steady increase in the complexity of origami models,

which continued well into the 1990s, after which some

designers started returning to simpler forms.

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The Yoshizawa-Randlett system is a diagramming system used to describe the folds

of origami models. Many origami books begin with a description of basic origami

techniques which are used to construct the models. There are also a number of

standard bases which are commonly used as a first step in construction.

The concept of diagramming originated in the 1797 book “Senbazuru Orikata”,

the first origami book ever published. The diagrams in this book were very

unclear, and often only showed the end result of the folding process, leaving the

folder unsure how the model was created.

Later books began to devise a system of showing precisely how a model was

folded. These ranged from an unwieldy set of symbols to a photograph or sketch

of each step attempting to show the motion of a fold. None of these systems

were sufficient to diagram all models, and so none were widely adopted.

Yoshizawa-Randlettsystem

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In the 1950’s and 60’s, Akira Yoshizawa proposed a system of diagramming.

He introduced for the first time its diagramming notation in his first published

monograph, Atarashi Origami Geijutsu (New Origami Art) in 1954. He employed

dotted and dashed lines to represent mountain and valley folds, and a few other

symbols such as the “inflate” and “round” symbols. This system caught the

attention of Samuel Randlett and Robert Harbin, who added a few symbols such

as “rotate” and “zoom in”, and then adopted it as the standard. The Yoshizawa-

Randlett system was first described in Samuel Randlett’s Art of Origami in

1961. It was then accepted as the default throughout the international origami

community, and is still in general use today.

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04.01Origami

Do ityourself

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Symbols

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Valley Fold, fold in front

Mountain Fold, fold behind

Crease Line

Fold in this direction

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Fold behind

Unfold

Fold and unfold

Turn over

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Basic Folds

These folds often recurr in origami folding diagrams so it is good to understand them

from the beginning so that when you will be looking at more complex diagrams you

will be able to follow all the passages easily.

Material: Origami Paper

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Valley Fold

Mountain Fold

Pleat Fold

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Inside Crimp Fold

Outside Crimp Fold

Inside Reverse Fold

Outside Reverse Fold

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Fold in half to create creases,

and then unfold.

Fold in half on the opposite side.

Fold to meet the centre line.

Fold in half.

Open on the right as indicated,

and flatten.

Origami Fox

Turn around

Fold as indicated by the dashed

line.

An easy origami to start with, the next origami will be more challenging.

Material: Origami Paper,

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Starting with a standard origami

paper, fold the square in half

diagonally.

Fold in half from right to left

diagonally.

Spread the pocket out from the

inside and fold to make a small

square.

Your paper should now look like

this. Turn it over to start step five.

the same time folding the paper

crease inward so that point C is

touching point D.

Fold point B onto Point A, while at

Paper Crane

Fold left and right corners toward

the center line along the right

valley line and then fold the top

corner along the upper vally line.

Your paper should now look like

this. The folds from step 6 are

only to create a crease.

The paper crane is one of the most famous and popular origami figures, it is quite

complex therefore I tried to illustrate it in a easy to understand way.


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A

D

B

paper crease C

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Now, open the pocket by

pulling the bottom corner

up and fold inward along the

crease. Some creases will

become inverted.

The figure should look like this.

Be careful to score the edges and

corners cleanly. Turn over and do

the same (Steps 6, 7, 8).

Fold in the lower flaps made in

step 9. Now you have the base of

your papercrane.

Make sure you have the right side

up, valley fold on the dotted lines

using the top layer only..

The figure should look like this.

Turn over.

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Do the same as step 11.

Reverse fold at dotted lines to

form the head.

Slightly open the side and bring

the head part up like shown in

the diagram.

Bring up at this point and press

down. Do the same to form a tail

on the other side.

Reverse fold at dotted lines to

form the beak. You can select the

length of the beak.

Bend the wings down and out

into the proper position. You can

bow in from the bottom.

And your crane is finished!

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Fold and unfold. Turn over,

Fold and unfold. Turn over.

Fold and unfold at the bottom.

Fold on the left.

Fold and unfold as illustrated.

Fold on the right.

Fold as indicated by the

dashed line.

Fold and unfold on the left.

Origami Bear

Unfold.

Fold at the bottom and the two

corners at the top. Turn over.

This is a more complex origami model, if you are confident with your skills you could

find it as engaging as I did.


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Rotate.

Repeat behind.

Crimp-fold the tail. Repeat

behind at the front leg.

Fold as indicated by the normal

arrows and unfold behind as

indicated by the "unfold arrows"

Fold as illustrated. Turn over.

Fold as illustrated.

Petal folds.

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Crimp-fold at the neck.

Reverse-fold at the head, tuck

inside at the front legs.

Repeat behind.

Crimp-fold the face, pleat the

ears, reverse-fold front legs, and

crimp-fold back legs. Repeat

behind.

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04.02Origami

Artists'work

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Roman Diaz is an origami artist from

Uruguay, who I discovered on the book

“Masters of Origami”. Most of his works

are focused on figures of animals, whose

fractals and instructions can be found on

his blog.

Roman Diaz

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Robert J. Lang is recognized as one of the

world’s leading masters of the art, with over

500 designs catalogued and diagrammed.

He is noted for designs of great detail and

realism, and includes in his repertoire some

of the most complex origami designs ever

created. His work combines aspects of the

Western school of mathematical origami

design with the Eastern emphasis upon line

and form to yield models that are at once

distinctive, elegant, and challenging to fold.

Dr. Lang is one of the pioneers of the

cross-disciplinary marriage of origami

with mathematics. He has consulted on

applications of origami to engineering

problems ranging from air-bag design to

expandable space telescopes.

Robert J. Lang

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The practice of Paul Jackson divides

between the free application of traditional

paper folding techniques in the media,

design and education, and the creative

exposition of these techniques in the

context of a Fine Art practice.

He has worked for many leading advertising

agencies and design groups creating

origami models to their specifications that

have been photographed for different

outputs like newspaper or magazine

advertisements, and occasionally also used

for motion pictures and trade exhibitions.

His origami are often "faked" from many

pieces of paper that are folded, cut and

glued together to make a model over which

he can have absolute control in terms of

construction, proportions and scale.

Paul Jackson

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05Stop-motion

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In this final chapter I will show two pieces of animations, in order to give an

insight into another huge possibility that a simple medium as paper can offer.

The first one is the video for Fleet Foxes' song "Mykonos" realized by Jesse

Brown and Sean Pecknold, which is entirely realized with paper.

The second one is the animation "KAMI" by Nadiah Almahdaly, an animator

from Malasia currently working in Bristol, who used paper as a medium for her

animation, using different techniques of papercraft to represent the different

characters of her story. I have decided to include her personal description of this

work, which I think expresses it the best.

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In 2009 Sean Peacknold, in collaboration

with the illustrator Jesse Brown created

the beautiful video for the song "Mykonos"

by Fleet Foxes. The animation is entirely

realized with pieces of paper using the

technique of stop-motion. The video was

completed in four weeks using the glass

plane animation technique, with only two

days for post-production. The video consists

of simple shapes made with paper that

come to life in a thrilling piece of motion.

You can watch the full video at:

http://vimeo.com/3089176

and also the making-of at:


which surely would be explicative and

inspirational for your own practice.

Sean Peacknold, "Mykonos"

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"The two-triangled hero and his shape-shifting antagonist strike a nice visual balance between abstract imagery and recognizable characters".Michelle Higa, Motionographer

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"Inspired by my 2 youngest brothers,

my animation talks about 2 brothers

squabbling over who gets imaginative

control of their playtime.The use of 2 types

of paper craft represents each brothers’

different styles of imagination and

personality. Origami for the sporty, Action

Hero-type brother and Quilling represents

the more adventurous, Fantasy Hero-type

brother. The film jumps from one style to

the other as each brother fights for control.

I started animating about 2 years ago

when I was doing my second degree. I

was particularly interested in Stop Motion

animation and initially decided to use papers

as a medium because it was cheap. After

much research into the kinds of paper craft

however, I got more and more attracted by

the simplicity and flexibility of the medium."

Nadiah Almahdaly, "KAMI"

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Full video:


Nadiah Almahdaly's Blog:

http://preoccupiedbymoonlight.blogspot.co.uk/

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This is just the start, now it is up to you to improve your

skills and expand your knowledge of papercraft. There

are hundreds of origami diagrams and handcraft tutorials

that are easily accessed via the internet, I have included

some of them in the next pages.

The gaining of manual ability and practical skills is

both important and useful to have in life no matter what

profession you hold.

You have seen what can be made with something

as simple as a piece of paper, take what you can find,

explore new techniques and get creative.

Monica Giunchi

Good luck!

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Useful ResourcesBooks "Papercraft, Design and Art with Paper", Gestalten "I Heart Stationery: Fresh Inspirations for Handcrafted Cards, Note Cards, Journals, & Other Paper Goods", Charlotte Rivers

Websites

http://papercraftinspirations.themakingspot.com/

http://www.origami-resource-center.com/

http://elsita.typepad.com/allaboutpapercutting/ http://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/05/100-extraordina-ry-examples-of-paper-art/

http://www.juriannematter.nl/

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“The art of Papercraft, techniques and inspiration” is a book for those who are interested in handcrafts and in particular papercraft.Paper is a simple medium, easy and cheap to find, which you can manipulate to create sensational outcomes. The book gives a basic background on the origins of some of the different forms of papercraft whilst summing up the basic techniques within this art form, from general stationery work, to papercutting, to origami, concluding with a brief overview on stop-motion created with this medium.You will find both tutorials and inspiration from artists, designers and animators, as a starting point to this precise and delicate art form.

The art of papercraft

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