I Created A Paper Cut Artwork Depicting Some Of The Wildlife Found Around The Waterways Of Britain

I am a paper cutting artist based in the UK. My work often depicts birds and nature, and this piece is the first in a series depicting the natural wildlife which surrounds our canals and rivers. Having spent much of my childhood on a canal boat, it is wildlife that I am familiar with and very fond of.

I am often asked about my process. First, I will draw out a basic layout and will generally start with the main focal point. I will draw in and add detail as I progress through the image. I use an xacto knife to hand cut every single detail. This piece took me around 50 hours to complete.

More info: Instagram | pippadyrlaga.com

All finished. I have called this piece “Riverside”

Wing detail

Bottom detail

I start my works with drawing out a basic layout. I generally start with the main focal point

Wing detail. The other sections are still completely blank and I work in small areas so the pencil lines keep nice and sharp

This small area had taken me around 16 hours to finish. I use a xacto knife and hand cut every single detail

Wing detail, thousands of tiny cuts less than a millimeter wide go into the wings

Progress detail. This was around 32 hours into the artwork

Around 48 hours in. Most of the tiny details were finished by this point, so it was only the larger bits left

Almost finished. All the details have now been cut and all I have to do is cut the piece out of the paper