Whimsical Paper Cut Illustrations

A friend sent me the link to Dawbis's [edit: she now goes by Dawn Cardona] engaging paper collages on Flickr and I was smitten.... and then reading her blog, Lovely Paper [edit: her new site is Dearly Dawn Studio] caused me to appreciate what she does even more.

Dawn is a self-taught hobby artist who recycles paper scraps to create tiny works of art. Sometimes she even incorporates a bit of quilling into the designs.

From time to time, she arranges 'paper for art' trades with those who send her paper... especially things like old ticket stubs, library catalog cards, game pieces - it's all fair game once Dawn finds time to sit down and create a collage.

She says she enjoys not knowing ahead of time what direction a design will take. She doesn't even keep a sketchbook, the way so many creative types suggest. What Dawn does is lay out the paper and tools ahead of time, thinks of a central object to make, and the rest magically falls into place... well, something tells me a good bit of talent is involved as well!

There's so much to see in each precisely cut, expressive scene. They make me feel as if I've stepped into a little fantasy world where something interesting and intense is happening at that very moment... and I want to be involved.

But perhaps it's best to just stand quietly on the sidelines and observe, so as to not disturb the action.