Research Task: Paper Craft
- Abbie Vidler
- Jun 14
- 5 min read
For this research task, I have to look into several artists that use paper in their work and reflect on how they work.
Kanako Abe
Looking at Kanako Abe's work on her website, her work is incredibly intricate and carefully crafted, developing dye experimentation and 3D paper sculptures; her work is crafted with the use of shape language and negative space. 1
Her illustrations are field with story and does so with a precision knife, she'll plan and think out her ideas before she commits to her design by carving the negative space; there is a lot of concentration on how each life/shape flows to the next 2. Kanako has moved from white paper to colour to create her narrative, using colours likes blues, golds and any other natural/organic dyes to create her work. This enhances the sentiments of her work with the balance of nature with "human touch". 3
I really like her 3D paper sculptures because it really adds depth to her nature illustration/sculptures, there is a lot of fluidity and detail; and the paper naturally has nice textures which is also another beautiful touch.
Sara Fanelli
Sara Fanelli is well-known for her expressive and fun illustrations and picture books; using multi-media artworks that captivate the mind and draws her energy from stories, creating imagery for classic stories. Her work has a heavy theme on play which is ideal for picture books as it helps build up a child's imagination and interest.
She incorporates Typography with her collaging techniques that blend with her collaging, the typical identifiers she has it her bright colourful paper with pleasing textures to accompany her use of fonts. 4
My own thoughts about her work is that she is able to see something out of a random piece of paper, or a line, or gesture. Seeing how her energy comes from telling stories allows me to see the sparks of imagination that come through a piece of text or and drawing within a collage. Everything flows compositionally but by text, shapes and textures, rarely lines.
Hari and Deepti
Hari and Deepti are very well-known for their beautiful papercut sculptures; the designs are cut intricately, painted and lit up by a light-box-- they've also created murals, sculptures and dabble in painting.
They've done plenty of projects like creating a children's book, they were hired to create some Magic the Gathering cards, as well as creating Christmas Stamps for the Royal Mail and much more. 5
Taking a look at their work, I am blown away at the blend of light and delicate paper cutting, it's both things I find fascinating in art, and I wished I had a light-box illustration; their work uses a multilayered design to convey a story full of depth.
Kveta Pacovska
Pacovska once said "A picture book is the first art gallery a child visits", that thought process are reflected in her visually fun picture books. She has created in many formats such as sculptures, paintings and graphics work.
Pacovska developed her graphic work (illustrations) with a whole arsenal of ways, drawing, painting, collaging and paper work to name a few; which allowed to explore ideas and experiment with how colours, shapes, "rhythms" and sizes can create clarity and composition. 6
Looking at her work, there is a lot of bizarre uses of shapes, colours and textures that surprisingly work in an unconventional(?) way, There is a lot of fun that is prominent in her work, thoughtfully thought-out as she designed her bold and visually stimulating pieces.
Johanna Wilhelm
I wasn't able to find much on Johanna Wilhelm, however, I saw an incredible projected silhouette video (below). What I noticed was that she would take her paper silhouettes and place them on a projector that projected onto a wall where a performer would also stand, and the use of negative space would tell the story. She'll play with the movement of the paper or adding elements like coloured paper or other paper silhouettes to help push the narrative forward.
It's really interesting to see the format being utilized in this way, it adds layers to the videos without shifting focus-- just using different types of papers to create the depth.
Clare Youngs
Originally a graphic designers, she eventually moved to picture books and illustrations after picking up a book on crafting and eventually she was inspired to create her own craft books.
She works in a number of ways that allows her to work dynamically, creating using fabrics, papers and more. What inspires her is her doodles which enhances her thought process when she looks for the important textures, lines and detailed that cover a single shape. 8
My thoughts about her work is that the work is very textualized with every piece of paper has a pattern, etchings or design, because of it the work is very playful especially when the textures vary in colour; I particularly like her more 3D paper work that were briefly seen in craft books.
Reflection
This research task has opened my eyes to the possibilities of paper art, playing with textures, colours, 3D, light and silhouettes. I really liked Hari and Deepti work, a lot, I've seen a few products like this and when I saw this I immediately fell in love, it's so delicate and visually pleasing with the use of the light box.
It was really inspiring to see how differently each artist took their work, whether it was using it in a moving image or for sculptures to children's book; some with colours and textures and some with neither but just as beautiful.
It gets me excited to see what ideas I could come up with in the upcoming assignment.
Researching these artists made me think of an artist that is local to me who creates incredible artworks, where she would intricately cut out pieces of paper create this high-detailed wild-life images. The artist is Sarah Lake, and I highly recommend anyone to check out her work.
1 U/A, Kanako Abe 'Portfolio', U/A. https://www.kanakoabe.art/pages/portfolio Accessed June 12, 2025.
2 U/A, DESIGN & PAPER 'Kanako Abe Tells Stories Through Paper-Cut Visual Poetry', 02/05/2023. https://www.designandpaper.com/kanako-abe-tells-stories-through-paper-cut-visual-poetry/ Accessed Jun 12, 2025.
3 G Ebert, COLOSSAL ' From Naturally Dyed Paper, Kanako Abe Cuts Exquisite Works Connecting Nature and the Human Touch', Apr 13, 2023.https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2023/04/kanako-abe-dyed-paper-cuts/ Accessed June 12, 2025.
4 A. P. Woods, Words & Pictures 'INSPIRATIONS FROM THE BOOKSHELF Sara Fanelli', U/A. https://www.wordsandpics.org/2021/02/inspirations-from-bookshelf-sara-fanelli.html Accessed June 13, 2025.
5 D. Caltrider, Hipsters of the Coast 'Behind the Brush: Hari and Deepti', Oct 19, 2023. https://www.hipstersofthecoast.com/2023/10/behind-the-brush-hari-deepti/ Accessed June 13, 2025.
6 U/A, IBBY 'Květa Pacovská — intertwining poetic atmosphere and imagination in children's books', 09.02.2023. https://www.ibby.org/es/ibby-blog/post?tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=detail&tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Bnews%5D=20&cHash=869953db7e13184875b25ab1e49c848e Accessed June 12, 2025.
7 SIMAchannel, YouTube '"CRUZADA" SIMA (Isol/Zypce) Dir: Johanna Wilhelm/Federico Lamas', Aug 15, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGaISCNE6yA Accessed June 13, 2025.
8 HandmadeHome, YouTube 'Clare Youngs Meet the maker interview', Feb 11, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8767hxeNkL8 Accessed June 13, 2025.
9 Sarah Lake, Sarah Lake 'Avaliable Artwork', U/A. https://www.sarahlakepaperart.co.uk/?page_id=512 Accessed June 14, 2025.
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