Original Papercraft Commissions
commissions are currently: closed until January 2026
2025 Starting Rates
The rates listed below are starting rates for the kind of work you can see in the above photos of past papercraft projects I've completed. If the project you have in mind involves unusually complex components, a higher rate may apply. This will be assessed and discussed ahead of time and before any work begins.
Sprite Character Cutouts: $100
Paper Diorama Boxes: $200
Tunnel Books: $300
About the Project Types
SPRITE CHARACTER CUTOUTS: These original characters are crafted to embody traits, virtues, emotions, activities, or elements of nature. In the example photos above, you can see my Sprites of Caroling, a Snowflake Sprite, and a Sprite of Winter Cheer. A custom order allows you to propose a sprite of your own which I will then design and create for you, sending you an original watercolor character you can install in your home or gift to a friend. What will it be? The Sprite of the Tomato Harvest? The Sprite of Puddle-Jumping? The Sprite of Long-Delayed Justice? There's a lot of scope for the imagination here.
Painted with watercolor on thick 100% cotton paper, these one-of-a-kind paper figures are painstakingly cut out by hand and their cut edges are then finished with black paint. Optional careful application of cold wax medium is available for a modest additional fee to protect your character against moisture and smudging. Sprites are typically not more than 8 inches in height.
PAPER DIORAMA BOXES: For these miniature papercut scenes, I'm currently working in sturdy little chipboard boxes with an internal size of about 2.5 x 3.4 inches. I paint the boxes with two coats of Holbein acrylic gouache and then fill them with little worlds composed of handpainted and handcut elements watercolored on thick cotton paper with spacers in various thicknesses glued in between the layers.
If you have a vision for a diorama box you'd like me to make, I'm eager to hear about it! It typically takes me several days and a great deal of creative energy to complete one of these diorama boxes, and so I am a bit choosy about what projects I agree to tackle. I'm especially drawn to build scenes that tell a story or highlight a connection between characters. I love papercrafting outdoor scenes, mountains, the ocean, and the moon. I highly doubt I'll ever turn down a request to illustrate something from Tolkien's legendarium. I'd be delighted to dioramatize from any of the following: The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery), the lives or works of the Brontë sisters, Les Miserables (Victor Hugo), Charles Dickens, William Shakespeare, or Peter Pan. This is by no means an exhaustive list.
TUNNEL BOOKS: I never get over the magic of an intricate tunnel book scene pulled out of a bespoke painted carrying case created to hold it. Tunnel books are the most time-consuming papercraft project I currently make, requiring a high degree of precision and repeated measurements at every stage of the work. They are also complicated to plot and draft, and require creative staging to incorporate a structurally-necessary framing layer. Not every scene is right for a tunnel book, but I'm always happy to hear from you if you have an idea you think I might be able to bring to life with this art form.
The Commission Process
To request a custom piece, simply reach out to me via the Contact Form with information about what you have in mind. Please be sure to let me know all pertinent specifications such as your deadline and any creative details that are important to you.
If I'm able to accept your commission request, I'll be sending you a simple contract with terms and conditions and a custom listing for 50% of our agreed price. I require a 50% upfront payment to begin a project. The remaining 50% is payable upon completion of the project and prior to shipping.
My schedule is variable, but you can usually expect a commissioned papercraft piece to take between two and four weeks to ship. If you need something faster than this, let me know in your initial request and I'll see what I can do. Rush charges may apply.
Please be aware that my rates for commissions do not include checkpoints or revisions. This means once we've communicated expectations for the project and I have your go-ahead to proceed, I won't be sending you photos of each stage and asking if you want me to make changes, but will proceed with the work until it is finished, exercising creative freedom and working in my usual style. This means it's important to communicate any essential details at the beginning of the commission process (i.e. if it's crucial that a character have blond hair, dark skin, or a menacing expression, this information should be shared before work on the project begins).
Art-making is a highly personal process for me, and because my time for custom work is limited, I can't accept all commission requests. If I'm not able to accept your request, please understand there is nothing personal about that decision and that I'm always grateful to you for thinking of me and trusting me with your ideas.
Ready to get started? Click here to reach out!