All about paper plastic

Paper decor is going through very good times now: eco-friendly, simple, affordable, self-sufficient - it is back in fashion. Garlands are cut out of craft paper, huge snowflakes, stars and dahlias are made from sandwich bags. And the list goes on and on. And it is better not to theorize, but to try all this beauty in action - to make paper decor with your own hands. Multifaceted paper plastic will help with this.

Another name for the direction is paper plastic, which means the art of creating art objects from paper. This is how volumetric paintings, postcards, portraits, panels, decorations are obtained. There are techniques that are not presented in their pure form - there is a mixture, for example, appliqués and vytynanka. There are completely author's stories, when it is difficult to give a name to the technique, it is not obvious. And this is great - you can work with paper yourself, the possibilities of which, if not limitless, are great.

Paper and plastic originated in Asia, if we consider this direction as a pure form of creativity. Japan, South Korea, China - these are the regions of the origin of the direction. But it has already embraced the Western world, which even affected the appearance of modern interiors.

Sometimes paper plastic is compared to sculpture, which is understandable: both there and there the material forms some kind of elegant image. The process develops gradually, the parts are made separately from each other, and then they are fastened into one whole.

We will find out further where products created in paper plastic are used today.

• Home decor. It is worth making several origami cranes, hanging them on strings, and fixing them on a beautiful thick branch, as an exclusive suspension will appear in the room. Now this eco-decor is very relevant.
• Art object. Things that should be in a museum are made of paper: they reflect the skill of a person, the uniqueness of the idea and implementation.
• Scenery... For performances (albeit often amateur ones), the puppet theater can be a godsend.

Plus it's a great creative experience. Working with paper, you can develop your artistic skills, practice small manipulations, in actions with delicate material. Often, paper is used, which must go to waste paper (leftovers, packaging), and the relevance of such reuse is obvious.

It is necessary to dwell on some types of paper plastic in more detail, because they are most in demand and available.

It seems that everyone is familiar with her since the Sadovka times and knows the features and specifics of this work. But today the application is much more complicated and interesting than the crafts that everyone did in childhood. For example, a very popular volumetric applique, where the image appears in several layers. There is a background and a foreground - and a few more in between. The easiest way to make an image like this - use double-sided tape.

There is an application created by the collage method, when a single image is compiled from completely different fragments of a paper information carrier (from a magazine to packaging from tea).

Scrapbooking has made the applique something even more elegant, subtle, and especially valuable. This does not mean that this technique is within the power of craftsmen and those who are ready for filigree work. Checkered sheets, a ruler and a beautiful concept can also turn out to be touching work that creates the necessary emotions. Applique is not just the art of folding an image from correctly selected pieces of paper, it is an idea that is presented in this way.

This is also a very interesting type of paper craft. Images and objects are created using bulky paper elements. Contour facing, for example, is distinguished by framing the outline of the pattern with paper twists. And when facing along the facing plane (the so-called elements of technology) are placed vertically, tightly stacked to each other. With volumetric facing, it comes out even more interesting: trims are twisted with different levels of density, attached to the surface at different angles of inclination, and very beautiful plot compositions are obtained.

The trimming itself is a volumetric element compressed in the form of a cone or funnel. Trimming can be compared to a brush stroke: from many strokes, a picturesque picture is obtained, from many trimming - work in this unique technique. Of course, this activity will suit the patient and very determined.

Papier-mâché is also not new as a technique, it was popular in the Soviet Union, and today the creators are very interesting to rethink it. By the way, this French word is translated as "chewed paper". And paper pulp really becomes the main "ingredient" of the future craft, though not the only one. The paper that creates a three-dimensional figure must be wet: this is how it becomes plastic, pliable. And only the dried product is ready for painting, transformation.

How - in a nutshell - to work in this technique: first, newspapers, thin writing paper or napkins (you can even take notebook sheets) are torn into small pieces. There should be a lot of pieces. Then you need a form with which to make an impression. During school years, for sure, many took an ordinary glass jar, which then turned into a vase.Now, as a form, they use special parts created specifically for papier-mâché, and improvised objects, and even balloons. And then with the help of PVA, pieces of paper in several layers stick around the shape.

The most interesting thing begins when these layers dry well, the structure acquires hardness, and it can be cut to remove the shape. And then cover with another layer, let dry and paint. This is how decorative masks, toys, all kinds of animals, souvenirs, vases and plates are made.

The Japanese art of folding paper figures is loved almost all over the world: graceful, laconic, very interesting creativity can captivate people of different ages. At first, origami was used exclusively in religious ceremonies, now it decorates homes, salons, creative spaces and more. Creativity is based on a square of plain paper, and with it sleight of hand and no fraud.

With the help of this technique, you can make a small cat (five steps) or a complex deer or bear (it is not enough to spend an hour over this). There are many techniques to master as you delve deeper into Asian art. And it, even in its simplest variations, looks very organic in the interior: for example, several paper boats on the windowsill please the eye, create a spring mood, and give some kind of difficult to explain lightness.

Kirigami is a whole architecture, and such a translation of the word as "cut paper" does not come close to conveying all the complexity and grace of the direction. It is comparatively young: it is about 40 years old. First, the wizard selects a template, then cuts out the details, and in order for the fragment to become voluminous, the sheet will need to be expanded.

Kirigami is often found in the layouts of children's books. And when a child leafs through such an edition, the heroes of the work literally stand in front of him, which creates a special dynamics of the narrative. Kirigami must be handled delicately: both folded and unfolded. And it's worth it - there is a special magic in it, when a volumetric plot image is obtained from flat paper. It is not for nothing that people involved in this art are called not only paper architects, but also paper magicians.

This art appeared more than five centuries ago, but Russian-speaking people have known it for a couple of decades. For a long time only Europeans were fond of it. The term is translated as "bird feather". Actually, sometimes it is quilling that is called paper plastic, although the latter term is more meaningful and is not limited to the art of folding figures from stripes.

With the help of equal stripes, you can really create simple shapes: cubes, circles, rhombuses. You can also make flowers out of them, various elements that make up complex plot pictures. For example, using the quilling technique, you can make a Christmas tree toy - and not just an ordinary snowflake, but the Snow Queen. You can make panels on the theme of a fairy forest, the underwater world, space, etc. It is not necessary to stick figures from stripes to the surface - this is just one of the variations in the use of the technique.

Originally - the paper itself. Start with office sheets, plain colored paper, watercolor sheets. Then, using the creative search method, they try various options: wrapping paper, designer paper, coated paper, velvet, recycled raw materials, etc. They use pages of old books, school notebooks, napkins and much more.

What else can be useful in your work:

• scissors - or better, several types of scissors: large - for cutting, small - for working in difficult places;
• ruler - is needed not only for drawing straight lines, but also for optimizing bends;
• pencil and eraser - for marking;
• glue - PVA is the most popular, but glue stick is used and hot glue;
• drawing tools - sometimes the work needs to be done finished, for example, to paint on the eyes of a paper bird.

For those who like to work with paper, it makes sense to learn how to sort it: by folders, boxes, and maybe by files or organizers. Sometimes even the smallest piece of a beautiful textured label can come in handy.

In order not to frighten those beginners who cannot even imagine how to "tame" fragile paper, you can offer them a simple master class. Crafts on it always turn out.

Or rather, they are obtained because they are flowers.

1. Preparation of materials... You will need any unnecessary magazines, tape or its analogue, sharp scissors, barbecue skewers, PVA or hot melt glue.
2. Magazines are parsed into pages, it is necessary to choose only the brightest and most colorful. Each page is folded in four along its length, and then cut into a fringe along the edge of the fold. To the edge, you need to undercut literally a centimeter.
3. It's time to make the buds themselves: the resulting fringed tape is wrapped around the top of the skewer, fixed with glue or adhesive tape. So you can get chrysanthemums or asters.
4. With a fringed ribbon, make several turns around the skewer: so the bud will be more luxuriant. When there are many turns, the free edge of the fringe can be glued.
5. The skewer must be wrapped with green ribbon, and from the same magazines, you can arbitrarily cut out the petals of plants.

Japanese paper doll made of paper - a master class is presented below.

• This craft is interesting to do for both children and adults. The guys from the elementary school will quite master it. You need to prepare: a mock-up rug (preferably), any beautiful paper or napkins, black and white paper, scissors, felt-tip pens for drawing facial features.

• Cutting out the details is best seen on the mock-up mat... Two white round blanks (head) are connected to a strip (neck), the strip is initially folded in half. You can also use an ice cream stick instead of a neck, but it works well with paper.

• Both kimono blanks are stacked on top of each other, the short side is folded over to create a collar. You can grip the head with glue. Next, the workpiece needs to be “swaddled”: first, turn to the left, then to the right. Then fold the third kimono on the left and do the same with the right side. The corner at the bottom can be folded elegantly.

• Sleeves are made from a strip of napkin folded in three... Then the workpiece needs to be bent, glued on the back.

• For hair, black corrugated paper is usually used, but regular colored paper is also suitable. One circle forms the hair pulled back, the second semicircle forms a bang. It needs to be cut with a fringe.

Other Japanese beauties are made according to the same scheme. The kimono becomes an accent part of the paper craft. The brighter it is, the better: it can depict beautiful birds, colorful butterflies, stylized fish, ornaments - whatever.

An example of paper plastic in the video.