Paper Sculpture: A Step-by-Step Guide [Paperback]

Kathleen Ziegler (Author), Nick Greco (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1994

"Paper Sculpture: A Step-By-Step Guide" will teach you the technical skills necessary to create visually appealing paper sculptures. Through easy to follow Photographs and text, you will learn a variety of white, coloured, painted and specialty paper techniques. The pristine beauty of paper sculpture is illustrated by nine artists who describe the curling, scoring and folding techniques used to create a wide variety of provocative paper sculptures. Full colour portfolio pieces by each artist demonstrate the myriad applications of paper as an illustrative medium. This must-have guide, for the novice or seasoned professional, will awaken your creative energy and assist you in producing your own artistic paper sculptures.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

An accomplished lecturer, Kathleen Ziegler has participated in numerous seminars on 3-Dimensional illustration including the Association of Medical Illustrators, The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Grapfix'90 in New York and the Royal College of Art in London, England. She has been featured in Step-By-Step Graphics and her work has appeared on the covers of the industry's leading magazines.

Nick Greco is Vice President and principal partner of Dimensional Illustrators, Inc. He concentrates on the marketing aspects of the 3-Dimensional design industry. Nick negotiates contracts, evaluates projects and establishes sale and buyout rights. He has lectured in the United States and abroad on copyright laws, resale rights and contracts for 3-Dimensional illustrators.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Techniques: Paper is a natural illustrative medium. Wood pulp, vegetable or cotton fibers are beaten down, mixed with water and pressed into paper. This organic composition provides the tensile strength yet the flexibility needed for delicate manipulation. A flat piece of paper can be very deceiving. Those who recognize its versatility and limitations are gifted with a boundless palette from which to create. Paper can be curled, rolled, folded or scored without tearing. A knowledge of flexibility, weight and texture, through hands-on application, will result in your ability to create paper sculpture images. With few cuts and gentle curves, paper is transformed from a flat surface into a 3-Dimensional network of light and shadow. Crush a piece of paper in your hand and gently flatten it out. Notice how the folds and creases enhance the overall dimension of the paper.

Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Rockport Publishers, Inc. (1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564963292
• ISBN-13: 978-1564963291
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 9.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #456,597 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars good but not necessarily for the beginner, August 17, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Paper Sculpture: A Step-by-Step Guide (Paperback)

This is a good book for inspiration of ideas, however, it's not a step by step guide. Like just about every book that I've seen so far on paper sculpture, they skip crucial steps which will lose the layperson. Even I had to reread the book serveral times only to go about it on my own. The authors would do better to give a more thoruogh explanation of a work than fill the book with artist showcases. I am sick of picking up coffee table books. I want a book that gives time on paper quality and tools, and techniques first and foremost.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, but not for beginners, March 22, 2003

By 

Maren P "More books please" (Southwest Colorado) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paper Sculpture: A Step-by-Step Guide (Paperback)

A remarkable book showing what can be accomplished in paper sculpture, but definetly not for beginners. It shows some step-by-step projects, but not really the technique used. Good for inspiration, but it assumes that you already know what you are doing. Good reference when you are up and running.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful galleries, Some great projects, March 17, 2001

By 

Angel Lee "Liocorno Amethyst Moonstone" (Cleveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Paper Sculpture: A Step-by-Step Guide (Paperback)

This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in paper sculpture. Each project is followed by a wonderful gallery of similar work by the demonstrating artist. These make the book worthwhile for anyone who appreciates the medium even if they don't do the work themselves.

The book starts out with a brief introduction to paper sculpture and overview of paper sculpture techniques. Nine projects, each directed by a different artist, follow. Though the instructions are arranged step-by-step with photos, there are some advanced techniques involved and some experience and talent would be needed to create some of the more elaborate projects. There are also no templates, so making a project that looks exactly like the one in the book it almost impossible.

I didn't try all the projects, but did enjoy making the sun. It is fairly simple and looks so great using marbled papers. I would have liked to try the goldfish and the swan shown on the cover, but I felt they were a bit to time-consuming and complex for me. Other projects, like the Liberty Bell and too cute chicken wreath, just didn't perk my interest.

All in all, I'm glad I bought the book. The artwork examples are great and have inspired me to try some things on my own such as butterflies, fish and landscapes. I like that they list all the artists with contact information, awards they've earned and clients they've served. A list of schools that offer professional instruction is also a nice bonus.