Five Great Papercrafters 16 July 2014  |  Nicola

In the second instalment of our series celebrating talented craftspeople, we’re concentrating on the folk who work with paper; from those who can turn a sheet of A4 into a spectacular sculpture in just a few folds, to the people who make the most intricate and beautiful papercuts, we’ve gathered together our top five favourite paper crafters.

Elsa Mora

Cuban born Elsa is an incredibly talented multimedia artist who works with a huge range of materials, but it was her exquisite papercuts that really made us sigh with delight. Working in a variety of sizes and scales, Elsa creates the most intricate and beautiful work based around numerous different themes; using just her scalpel and several sheets of paper, she manufactures people, places and creatures that could have climbed out from between the pages of a fairy tale.

Helen Friel

Paper engineer and illustrator Helen has worked with some of the biggest names in fashion and media; from Ted Baker and Harrods, to Vogue, the Telegraph and Stylist Magazine, it’s quite likely that you’ve already seen some of her incredible paper sculptures. With eye-popping colours and a clean graphic style, we particularly loved her Grazia set design with exotic birds and paper fruit, and the land and seascapes for Vanity Fair.

Sarah Manton

Working in a variety of disciplines, Sarah has previous experience in textiles, photography and digital design, but when browsing through her portfolio, we really loved her papercuts; from exquisitely detailed mermaids and fictional characters to music icons such as Kurt Cobain, John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix, we think they’d make ideal works of art for any wall.

Yulia Brodskaya

Originally working as a graphic designer, Yulia changed the direction of her career when she began drawing with the paper rather than on it; she ditched the computer, and now works only with paper and glue, using folding and rolling methods to create breathtaking works of art. With a client list as long as your arm, which includes everyone from Starbucks and Anthropologie to the New York Observer and Lonely Planet, Yulia’s work is some of the most incredible we’ve ever seen.

Zim and Zou

French duo Lucie Thomas and Thibault Zimmerman teamed up to form Zim and Zou after a three-year stint at art school, and now spend their days using paper and other materials to create some pretty mind-blowing 3D pieces. From the bright, eye-popping colours, to the intricate details and the sheer ingenuity of the designs, it’s no wonder they can count huge names such as Hermes, Microsoft and IBM as their clients.

All images are the property of the artists, and may not be copied or reproduced without prior permission from the owners.