Paper Projects and My Latest Creations

Paper. . . it's a pretty great material. You can dye it. . .

cut it. . .

easily manipulate it. . .

curl it. . .

stick it. . .

string it. . .

and the list goes on! Oh, and paper is super cheap so that's always nice! :)

Just recently I was asked to create a few small props for a video shoot. The shoot was for International Paper. This company, as you might suspect, sells all sorts of paper products. The purpose of the video is to inform employees about specific company policies. So, there was no need for a huge production or a ton of props. I just needed something interesting and relevant. Well considering IP is a paper company, I thought is was kind of imperative that the set involved some sort of paper creation! :) And even though IP is essentially cutting down trees to create their product, they do a lot of things to help replenish any resources they deplete. For this reason, the company was keen on the idea of having nature or trees somehow represented in the set. So, here's what I came up with to prop the set!

Now normally, I wouldn't be so literal with my creations (the tree shape). But since this is a corporate video that will be shown to a mostly male audience, I decided it would be best to keep things from getting too "artsy." :) Keeping the shape of the tree very literal but getting creative with the material was a nice compromise.

I think the paper will provide great texture and interest to the set and keep it from feeling flat and boring. To create the look I simply:

1. Dyed 8.5 X 11 in. sheets of paper and let them dry.

2. Rolled the paper into tubes and used tape to secure it

3. Cut the tubes up (I slanted the edges and cut different lengths to give the piece depth and texture)

4. And hot glued the tubes/rolls onto the wood background.

So, that was my latest project once again showcasing the power of paper. Do you have a favorite paper piece of art?