Elysium: Paper Quilled Mosaic

Helloo! Today, I'd like to show you how I created a picture with small rolls of paper. This Paper Quilled Mosaic took me months of tedious work but the end piece was totally worth it. Allow me to guide you through this project so you can avoid the mistakes I made.

This picture is in size A3 but you can definitely go bigger. The result with bigger pictures will be even more impressive but it will take many more hours. If you decide to go smaller though, it might be harder to achieve a blended and detailed look with coils made from 5cm paper strips. Therefore, you might need to use shorter strips.

The secret is to use an abstract painting as your guide! You can look for a painting of your choice that has solid blocks of color with some details.

Click here to find more abstract paintings from this artist.

I'd be happy to answer any of your questions! :D

1. An abstract painting
2. 80gsm, A4 paper of 12 or more different colors
3. A paper shredder or noodle maker
4. White craft glue
5. Toothpick
6. Pins
7. Binder clips or tape
8. Foam board or thick cardboard
9. Transparent plastic bag, sheet or wax paper
10. Shadowbox frame
11. Length of paper strips = 5 cm
12. Width of paper strips = 2 mm or 3mm

Print out a painting to your desired size. Place it on a foam board or thick cardboard. Then, place a wax paper or clear plastic sheet on top of the painting. Secure them with binder clips or tape. Ensure that the painting does not move or it will be difficult to create the design.

Cut out a strip of paper that is 5cm wide. I use a ruler that is 5cm in width to cut out strips. This saves me from having to measure 5cm every time. You could find something similar to make your work easier!

Make sure to position the strip correctly in the shredder. If you do not have a paper shredder or noodle maker, you can measure 5cm x 3mm strips and cut them with a scissor or you could purchase pre-cut quilling strips.

Tip: Only cut out the colors you will need for a certain area. This keeps the workspace mess free.

Think about which shades and shapes you'd like to use for each element in the picture.

I have used tight oval coils for the tree trunk and leaves. The water is covered with loose oval coils. The bushes have round circle coils made from 5cm strips. To add details to the bushes, I've used 2.5cm tight round coils. The leaves peaking between the bridge has square leaves. The bridge itself is made from long, thick strips of black paper.

Tip: When sticking the leaves, stick them in different directions rather than uni-directional to achieve a realistic look. Placing too many colors in a small area is quite distracting to the eye and in fact, looks messy. So, try to cover an area with solid blocks of color with sprinkles of other colors here and there.

Run your nail along the 5cm strip to soften and curl the paper. Pinch one end tightly and roll into a circle coil. Flatten the circle to create an oval. Stick the ends and allow to dry.

Tip: A tight center gives a beautiful coil. Practice with a few strips before you begin sticking.

Roll a relatively big circle from one end of the strip and flatten. Keep the size of the first circle consistent to achieve similar looking coils. If your loose coil is too flimsy, it means your center circle is too big.

The center of these coils are tighter than that of the oval coils. Use 2.5cm strips to create smaller round coils for details.

Make an oval coil. Then, pinch both of the points of the oval together to create a shape that has 4 corners. Open, shape into a square and stick the ends.

Choose where you would like to start, preferably one corner of the picture or one solid element such as the big, pink tree. Pin one coil onto the board. Use a toothpick to apply glue onto the side of a coil. Stick each coil side to side. As you complete an area, secure the picture with pins.

Tip: Use white glue sparingly to avoid glue streaks showing up after it dries.

Once you have completed the picture, you will be able to remove the quilled sheet from the plastic sheet beneath. Stick on a foam board and place it in a shadow box frame. Done!

Thank you for reading. I'd be happy to answer any of your questions. Happy quilling! :D