I came across this amazing art on the Cornell magazine, Living Birds, last week in a story featuring Toronto paper sculptor Calvin Nicholls. By laying down paper layer-by-layer, feather-by-feather, Nicholls sculpts birds that emerge from the page in a burst of light and shadow.

Nicholls also sculpts other animals including a dozing grizzly, a prickly hedgehog, and a tiger emerging from the grass …and the frame.

Read more here and scroll down to the video to see how Nicholls creates these incredible pieces.

Birds of Light and Shadow: Intricate Illusions in Paper

 

Header image from Nicholls’ portfolio.  See more and purchase originals and prints on Calvin Nicholls’ website