Incredibly realistic 3D paper birds

Dutch artist Joan Scherft creates real masterpieces out of paper. At the age of 14, he first made realistic models of birds from ordinary paper, coloring them with the most ordinary pencils. As a result, his work was noticed by the board of directors of the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague, where he entered without any problems. Today he works as a freelance artist, creating oil paintings of animals and landscapes, as well as paper models of frogs, fish and boats. But one of his most memorable works is birds.

(Total 7 photos)

1. “Although I use computer programs for the basic design, I do most of the work by hand. Before the model gets right, I go through periods of trial and error. Each type of bird has its own characteristic shape, so one template cannot be used.

2. “Of course, it’s impossible to capture every curve of a bird’s body on paper, you have to make compromises.”

3. “Most of the realism comes from coloring. This is the part I spend the most time on. With very thin and delicate strokes, I try to achieve the most realistic effect in color and detail.

4. “I use watercolor or gouache. The most exciting moment is when you assemble the bird model after coloring and see what happens.”

5. “I always finish the model after the “assembly”. Sometimes you need to touch up here and there, for example, eyes.

6. “I hope to capture the beauty and character of each bird. Maybe thanks to my work someone will be interested in birds. Now people can enjoy this beauty at home without killing or stuffing them.”

7. “My set of four American bird species will be released in September. I'm so happy that my paper birds will fly all over the world!"