A Monochrome World from a Single Piece of Paper, the Art of Kirie by Kiriken Masayo

Tako
2023/05/08

Kirie (切り絵) is the delicate art of papercutting. The more detailed the drawing, the higher the difficulty in cutting it out perfectly. Here, we introduce the “Octopus”, a representative artwork of Kirie. 

Header Image : Twitter Link

Representative Masterpiece “Octopus”

Kiriken Masayo (@kiriken16) is the artist behind the “Octopus”, a representative artwork of Kirie, and her masterpiece. As we mentioned above, the more detailed the design, the harder it is to perfectly cut it out, and the “Octopus” is a very detailed drawing. Here’s a close up of the octopus’s head. 

Source : https://kiriken.thebecos.com/en/masterpiece/

The drawing and careful shading of the Octopus to make it look realistic is difficult enough, but carefully cutting the minute pieces requires further precision and control. With only one cutter and one paper, there is no room for mistakes. 

Source : https://kiriken.thebecos.com/en/masterpiece/

(Translation)

I was whining that I could not surpass this work, but am grateful to my colleagues who told me, “It’s wonderful that there is a representative work that comes to mind when thinking of Kirie.”
For me, this is it (my representative work)! that I will bring out as many times as I want! 

A Variety of Sea Creatures and Animals

Fukuda Masayo (福田 理代), under the creator name Kiriken Masayo, has always loved drawing. She fell in love with Kirie after making a papercut heart for a friend’s birthday card. After that, she continued to make paper cutouts in various motifs to decorate letters to family and friends. She pursued an education and later career in art, constantly honing her pencil drawing and paper cutting skills.

Below, we introduce some of her Kirie works that wowed us. 

Prawn, Deep Sea Fish & King of Herrings

Seahorse, Humpback Whale & Nautilus

Peacock

“Circulating Forest” featuring various woodland creatures

Safari Scenery with Elephant, Giraffes & Lion Pride

Twitter Link

The Process of Kirie

The process of making Kirie starts with pencil drawing the draft. 

When the draft is completed, shading and all, then the cutting process begins. 

To Close

Impressed by Kiriken Masayo’s amazing paper cutouts? We know we are. 

Follow her social media for more of her works. Her Twitter account is updated regularly and even includes snippets of her daily life including adorable cats and kittens!

Photos provided courtesy of Kiriken Masayo (Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Official Website). 

Writer

Tako
Originally from Malaysia, came to Japan to study in 2019 and stayed on for work. I love travelling and dream of one day visiting all 47 prefectures in Japan. What I love about Japan is the nature, culture, and food!

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