Paper craft is a collection of crafts using paper or card as the primary artistic medium for the creation of two or three-dimensional objects. Paper and card stock lend themselves to a wide range of techniques and can be folded, curved, bent, cut, glued, molded, stitched, or layered.

Papermaking Papermaking is the manufacture of paper and cardboard, which are used widely for printing, writing, and packaging, among many other purposes. Today almost all paper is made using industrial machinery, while handmade paper survives as a speciali ...

by hand is also a paper craft. Paper crafts are known in most societies that use paper, with certain kinds of crafts being particularly associated with specific countries or cultures. In Caribbean countries paper craft is unique to Caribbean culture which reflect the importance of native animals in life of people. In addition to the aesthetic value of paper crafts, various forms of paper crafts are used in the

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

of children. Paper is a relatively inexpensive medium, readily available, and easier to work with than the more complicated media typically used in the creation of three-dimensional artwork, such as ceramics, wood, and metals.Carol Tubbs, Margaret Drake, ''Crafts and Creative Media in Therapy'', "Paper crafts", (2006), p. 221-34. It is also neater to work with than paints, dyes, and other coloring materials. Paper crafts may also be used in

therapeutic A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...

settings, providing children with a safe and uncomplicated creative outlet to express feelings.

Folded paper

The word "paper" derives from

papyrus Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, '' Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'') can also refer to a ...

, the name of the ancient material manufactured from beaten reeds in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

as far back as the third millennium B.C.H. Idris Bell and T.C. Skeat, 1935. "Papyrus and its uses"
(

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

pamphlet). Indeed, the earliest known example of "paper folding" is an ancient Egyptian map, drawn on papyrus and folded into rectangular forms like a modern

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

map A map is a symbolic depiction emphasizing relationships between elements of some space, such as objects, regions, or themes. Many maps are static, fixed to paper or some other durable medium, while others are dynamic or interactive. Although ...

. However, it does not appear that intricate paper folding as an art form became possible until the introduction of wood-pulp based papers. The first Japanese origami is dated from the 6th century A.D.Lang, Robert James.

988 Year 988 ( CMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Fall – Emperor Basil II, supported by a contingent of 6,000 Varangians ...

(1988). The Complete Book of Origami: Step-by Step Instructions in Over 1000 Diagrams/48 Original Models. Courier Dover Publications. In much of the

West West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...

, the term

origami ) is the Japanese paper art, art of paper folding. In modern usage, the word "origami" is often used as an inclusive term for all folding practices, regardless of their culture of origin. The goal is to transform a flat square sheet of pape ...

is used synonymously with paper folding, though the term properly only refers to the art of paper folding in

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

.Nick Robinson, ''The Origami Bible'' (2004). Other forms of paper folding include Chinese ''

zhezhi Chinese paper folding, or ''zhezhi'' (), is the art of paper folding that originated in medieval China. The work of 20th-century Japanese paper artist Akira Yoshizawa widely popularized the Japanese word ''origami''; however, in China and other ...

'' (摺紙), Korean ''jong'i jeopgi'' (종이접기), and Western paper folding, such as the traditional paper boats and

paper plane A paper plane (also known as a paper airplane in American English or paper aeroplane in British English) is a toy aircraft, usually a glider made out of single folded sheet of paper or paperboard. A simple nose-heavy paper plane, thrown like ...

s. Along with paper planes other creative designs like artistic items, creatures, bouquets are also being made by paper folding art.

Cut paper

Papel picado Papel picado ("perforated paper," "pecked paper") is a traditional Mexican decorative craft made by cutting elaborate designs into sheets of tissue paper. Papel picado is considered a Mexican folk art. The designs are commonly cut from as many ...

, as practiced in Mexico and other places in Latin America is done using chisels to cut 50 to a hundred sheets at a time, while

Chinese paper cutting The art of paper cutting ( zh, t=剪纸, p=jiǎnzhǐ) in China may date back to the 2nd century CE, when paper was invented by Cai Lun, a court official of the Eastern Han Dynasty. As paper became more affordable, paper-cutting became one ...

uses knives or scissors for up to 8 sheets.

Wycinanki ''Wycinanki'' () in Poland or ''Vytynanky'' (Витина́нки) in Ukraine or ''Vycinanki'' (Выцінанкі) in Belarus, is a Slavic version of the art form of papercutting, popular in Belarus, Poland, and Ukraine. Belarus Vycinank ...

and other European forms usually are done on one single sheet. In either of these traditions, paper sheets are folded prior to cutting to achieve symmetrical designs.

Paper model

A technique in which you can recreate a 3d model. The polygons of a 3d mesh are unfolded to a printable pattern. With the help of glue tabs, cutting lines, mountain fold lines and valley fold lines the pattern comes together.

Paper pulp painting

Images built using colored paper pulp are a form of paper art that started in the 20th century.

Chuck Close Charles Thomas Close (July 5, 1940 – August 19, 2021) was an American painter, visual artist, and photographer who made massive-scale photorealist and abstract portraits of himself and others. Close also created photo portraits using a very l ...

Lynn Sures Lynn may refer to: People and fictional characters * Lynn (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Lynn (surname) * The Lynns, a 1990s American country music duo consisting of twin sisters Peggy and Patsy Lynn * Lynn ( ...

are among contemporary artist developing this medium. Paper pulp craft is widely used in rural India for making kitchen utility baskets.

Types

Scrapbooking Scrapbooking is a method of preserving, presenting and arranging personal and family history in the form of a book, box or card. Typical memorabilia include photographs, printed media, and artwork. Scrapbook albums are often decorated and frequ ...

Cardmaking Card making is the craft of hand-making greeting cards. Many people with interests in allied crafts such as scrapbooking and stamping have begun to use their skills to start making handmade cards. This has contributed to cardmaking becoming a pop ...

* Paper Flowers *

Decoupage ''Decoupage'' or ''découpage'' (; ) is the art of decorating an object by gluing colored paper cutouts onto it in combination with special paint effects, gold leaf, and other decorative elements. Commonly, an object like a small box or an ...

Papier-mâché upright=1.3, Mardi Gras papier-mâché masks, Haiti upright=1.3, Papier-mâché Catrinas, traditional figures for day of the dead celebrations in Mexico Papier-mâché (, ; , literally "chewed paper") is a composite material consisting of p ...

Origami ) is the Japanese paper art, art of paper folding. In modern usage, the word "origami" is often used as an inclusive term for all folding practices, regardless of their culture of origin. The goal is to transform a flat square sheet of pape ...

** 3D Origami * Origata * Paper Cutting *

Quilling Quilling is an art form that involves the use of strips of paper that are rolled, shaped, and glued together to create decorative designs. The paper is rolled, looped, curled, twisted, and otherwise manipulated to create shapes that make up de ...

* Paper Making * Book Binding * Paper Layering *

Paper Model Paper models, also called card models or papercraft, are models constructed mainly from sheets of heavy paper, paperboard, card stock, or foam. Details This may be considered a broad category that contains origami and card modeling. Origam ...

Chinese paper folding Chinese paper folding, or ''zhezhi'' (), is the art of paper folding that originated in medieval China. The work of 20th-century Japanese paper artist Akira Yoshizawa widely popularized the Japanese word ''origami''; however, in China and other ...

References