Introducing "Christmas Carousel", a work of paper art! This project is the response of artist and paper set designer Anaïs Herd-Smith, to a brief on the theme of ‘Christmas Spirit’ set by the Paper Artist Collective, of which she is a member. Discover the story behind her creation!
Introducing "Christmas Carousel", a work of paper art! This project is the response of artist and paper set designer Anaïs Herd-Smith, to a brief on the theme of ‘Christmas Spirit’ set by the Paper Artist Collective, of which she is a member. Discover the story behind her creation!
Paper Art Collective
The Brief
The Paper Artist Collective helps to raise the profile of paper art and artists while also providing its members with a platform where the community can come together to discuss, collaborate, exhibit and inspire. For the ‘Christmas Spirit’ brief, members of the collective had free rein to create their responses, using the selection of papers they were provided with.
The paper: Keaykolour and Curious
I’m a paper artist by profession, so naturally I love paper. It’s always nice to do a project with the Paper Artist Collective because there are several paper artists working on the same theme and it’s amazing to see how we all produce something very different.
Anaïs Herd-Smith, Artist and paper set designer
To create her Christmas Carousel, Anaïs used papers of 120gsm in weight, selected from Antalis’ range of carbon balanced creative papers. The papers included in Anaïs’ Christmas Carousel were Alchemy Gold, from Curious Collection, and three products from the Keaykolour range: Guardsman Red, Atoll, and Particles Moonlight.
The Process
Anais explains her approach:
I always start my sculptures with lots of drawings, then I create my shapes on the computer and make a first test with white scrap paper. When I'm convinced of the final shape, I start with the beautiful paper. I cut out the different layers of paper, put them on top of each other and assemble them. For my Christmas Carousel, I used the mechanisms of an old wooden windmill as the foundation. I then built up detail after detail to create the finished piece.
Anaïs Herd-Smith, Artist and paper set designer
The Results
The project showcases Anaïs’ skills and talent as a paper artist. She comments: “I found the Keaykolour and Curious papers easy to work – they could be cut and folded without becoming fragile.”
“Taking on the theme of ‘Christmas Spirit’, it was important for me that my sculpture told a story: the Christmas Carousel tells the tale of the little ‘Champignus Monstrus’ (mushroom people) who bring gifts to each of the carousel’s Christmas trees."
Product Information
Keaykolour’s uncoated virgin pulp papers and high-rigidity boards offer a palette of various colours to complement their refined, natural texture.
This collection of papers pushes the boundaries in every direction – colour, touch and visual effects – to open daring new creative avenues in print and packaging design.
Keaykolour and Curious Metallics continue as part of the Antalis Creative Papers range, all of which is carbon balanced as standard by Antalis, in partnership with World Land Trust.
