Illustrator Mlle Hipolyte is no stranger to Brown Paper Bag. For the past few years, I’ve featured her intricate cut paper art and noticed this great progression in her work. She started by making colorful animal masks and transitioned to mural-sized creations that incorporated her creatures among vibrant settings. Her latest piece leans further into the landscape. Called Coralium, it features a handmade coral reef—approximately 6.5 feet long by 3 feet tall—that represents an array of colors and textures that are all made using paper. Techniques including scoring, layering, and twisting create the appearance of different coral.
Coralium is a cut paper sculpture that is best viewed in detail shots. Some of its parts, like the small buds, don’t look like paper at all—and that’s the beauty of it.