Paper carving is a technique I developed from an effort to conserve paper. My favorite surface to illustrate on is 300 pound Arches cold press watercolor paper, and I have many odd shaped scraps leftover from old projects. I decided to create a stop motion puppet out of the pieces, but was dissatisfied with the rough edges that resulted. I continued trimming, shaping, and shaving away until I realized that I had relief carved the whole surface. I have continued to explore and develop this process ever since. All painted pieces were created with Noodler’s Ink.

I invented the technique of paper carving on this project, a diorama based on the ballet, Swan Lake. A total of forty three #11 Xacto blades were blunted to create this piece, which was assembled in a 16" x 20" shadow box. All pieces were scanned before assembly, which I then used to create an animation.

Commissioned by a client who loves flamingos, this 16" x 20" paper carving creates the illusion of the sculpted leg disappearing into the watery background.

A relief carved version of Run the Jewel’s logo started as an experiment with scale and ended with cannibalizing the chain from an old necklace. Mounted in an antique brass frame with a hand-cut matte, each hand is less than an inch long.

This 4” x 4” scorpion is carved out of a single piece of Arches 300 lb. coldpress watercolor paper and painted in the Noodler’s Ink brand UV-sensitive ink, The Blue Ghost. Mounted on a hand-painted background in an antique brass frame with bowed glass.

A gift for a doctor who helped me when I needed it most, this Caduceus is 4.5” x 2.75” and carved from a single piece of paper, painted with Noodler’s Ink, then finished with gouache.

All the pieces in the above gallery are naked paper with no pigment or adhesive. The shapes you see are all created with relief sculpture out of single pieces of paper.

The pieces in the gallery below are all are double-sided, and includes examples before and after painting.