24 Jun Paper Art – The Paper Zoo

 

Calvin Nicholls has worked for 25 years to perfect his medium of choice: paper.

But he doesn’t just draw on it. He shapes it to create intricate works of staggering detail and beauty.

This particular series is appropriately titled, Paper Zoo.

To make the art, he starts by observing real-life animals and their movements.

He the cuts up thousands of tiny pieces of paper and pastes them together for each animal.

The texture he is able to achieve with this technique is astounding.

Given that he’s only working with white paper, the details must be exactly right in order to create the appropriate depth of shadowing.

 

It’s incredibly delicate work.

Each small work can take weeks to complete while bigger ones can take months, or even years.

His work has been featured in National Geographic, as well as numerous galleries and art shows all over the world.

He uses X-ACTO knives, scalpels, and scissors to construct these critters.

Because fur, and feathers, are especially difficult textures to create, animals provide Nicholls a distinct challenge.

Just look at the texture on the hummingbird’s belly. They almost look like they could be alive!

The commitment these amazing pieces of art require is just mind-blowing. Can you imagine how frustrating it would be if you messed up a little detail on those pieces? Talent like this just doesn’t come around that often.

Calvin’s Facebook page and website feature a whole lot more amazing works and they’re really worth your time.