Outstanding Quilled Floral Arrangements by Anastasiya Bertova

If you haven't had the pleasure of coming across the remarkable quilling of Anastasiya Bertova, you're in for a treat. Floral arrangements are her specialty and each one is lush, colorful, and perfectly quilled using a variety of self-taught, novel techniques. 

 

 

Anastasiya has a sure deftness for replicating many types of delicate flowers in paper which at first I found fascinating because she lives in Dubai. Can flowers grow there considering the intense heat? 

 

 

 

I learned they do indeed survive, even our typical North American spring flowers, but during Dubai's mild winter season instead. And of course the area has its own array of heat-tolerant blossoming plants that thrive in the summer months, thus she is provided with year-round inspiration. 

Anastasiya has been quilling since 2012. She fell in love with the art and began writing tutorials to teach others how to create individual floral elements of her own invention. Later she opened an Etsy shop, AnastasiyaBertova, where she sells framed floral arrangements, quite a few of which have been selected as Etsy's Picks. 

What do you enjoy most about quilling?

I like to experiment most of all - combine colors, invent elements and details, as well as search for new ones. One of the most important criteria for me is uniqueness. I don't like imitation, copying and outright theft. 

 

 woven paper basket

 

 

Maybe that's why I don't create the same designs... I try to do something new and not repeat myself each time. The designs of my works can be in the same style, they can be companions, but not identical. Quilling for me is a creative process, not a production process. 

 

 

What are your favorite quilling papers and tools?
 

I use professional strips made in Korea and Japan. As for the instrument: the most important thing is the hands. You can twist with an awl, tweezers, various tools, and just with your fingers. I have a lot of additional accessories: boards, combs, spherical molds, a corrugating tool ... a lot of everything. I pay attention to various novelties that appear in the world of quilling and I like to test them.

 

 

Some of your quilled elements - sculpted petals, for example - are quite solid. Do you use 1mm strips to make them?

 

No, but sometimes I make individual elements from 1.5mm strips. Most often I work with 2 and 3mm strips. I prefer to use ready-made strips of high-quality Korean paper of various shades. Suppliers currently offer a minimum width of 2mm. 

 

 quilling and paper sculpture

 

 

Because quilling is so time-consuming, how do you cope with sitting for such long periods? And are your hands bothered by the tool?

Quilling for me is comparable to meditation. I can safely twist new parts for 1.5-2 hours a day or assemble a composition if I have free time. The tool does not cause discomfort to my hands. Maybe I got used to it during more than ten years of practice. 

 

I try to distribute all the work into small individual tasks and create several projects at once in order to switch and not turn it into a routine. 

 

 

I'm curious about the containers you sometimes place your arrangements in... do you paint them by hand or use printed paper?

 

As for the vases for bouquets - they are different. Most often I use decorative paper. In rare cases, I color them manually if there is no suitable one. 

 

 

 

Visit Anastasiya's Etsy shop. You'll find her on Instagram and Facebook.