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Jessica Palmer

Illustrator and Artist.  Drawings, book illustration, paper cuts, paper sculpture and collage.

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Jessica Palmer

Illustrator and Artist.  Drawings, book illustration, paper cuts, paper sculpture and collage.

See More ↴

Jessica Palmer

Illustrator and Artist.  Drawings, book illustration, paper cuts, paper sculpture and collage.

See More ↴

Jessica Palmer

Illustrator and Artist.  Drawings, book illustration, paper cuts, paper sculpture and collage.

See More ↴

About

About

Jessica Palmer - Paper Artist & Illustrator

After leaving a career as a BBC producer I trained as an illustrator and was awarded an MA in illustration by Kingston University in 2008. Since then I have been evolving techniques in paper art – paper cutting, collage and 3D paper sculpture – alongside developing my skills in illustration.

My work is commissioned for public installations, design and decoration, books, websites and magazines, and for unique bespoke gifts. I currently have three published books – The Art of Papercutting, Tangle Wood and Tangle Bay – and a fourth will be available later in 2016. All are published by Search Press.

I am a visiting artist at major galleries and museums including the V&A, the National Portrait Gallery, the Wallace Collection, the Dulwich Picture Gallery, Sir John Soane’s Museum, the Holburne Museum in Bath, the Djanogly Gallery in Nottingham, the Arnolfini and the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol, and Southampton City Art Gallery. I am also a Bristol Drawing School Tutor.

If you would like to talk about commissioning me to create a piece of art or to exhibit at an event please email me at palmerk@outlook.com.

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Portfolio

For-Paper-in-3D
Paper in 3D

I make paper objects by cutting with a scalpel knife but also by folding, crumpling, crushing, layering or by using papier-mache techniques. Paper comes in infinite textures, weights and colours and I choose carefully depending on the nature of the project and the techniques I’m going to apply.

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Illustrations

I make story-telling images with strong figurative and character elements, humour and lots of movement. I am inspired by the natural world – shells, seed heads, wild flowers, fossils – fabric design, stained glass windows, tapestries, fairy tales and folklore and historic artifacts.

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Paper Cuts

I draw with a knife and paint with paper. I combine the traditions of silhouetted images with extra line, pattern and emphasis. I also work with cut paper to create collages. 

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Books

The Art of Papercutting

The Art of Papercutting illustrates the multitude of ways in which a knife can be used for creating cut-paper art in portraits, fashion, landscapes, illustration and covers - even life drawing. The book also provides guidance for would-be paper cutters and includes twelve templates.

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Tangle Wood

- A Captivating Colouring Book with Hidden Jewels

As an alternative way for people to find their inner artist, Search Press have also published my first colouring book for grown-ups, Tangle Wood. Tangle Wood is a place to let your imagination wander. Draw and doodle in the airy spaces, and colour to your heart’s content. Packed with 75 pages of my illustrations, Tangle Wood is full of forest creatures, plants and woodland flowers and each page contains a hidden jewel.

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Tangle Bay

– An Enchanting Colouring Book with Hidden Treasure

The images in Tangle Bay all have a magical maritime theme, and each one includes hidden treasure worked into the design for readers to discover and colour in. Like Tangle Wood, this book includes designs that fit on a single page as well as those that extend across a double-page spread. Some have space left for the reader to extend the design themselves. High quality paper means that there is no show-through.

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Commissions

Would you like to commission a remarkable piece of art for yourself, or as a unique gift for someone you know?

Here’s my 4-step process for obtaining a unique artwork, whether it be a paper-cut or sculpture, a collage, or a drawing. It’s simple. It’s not time-consuming. And as I work collaboratively you get as much input as you want along the way.

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Step 1

Get in contact with me (palmerk@outlook.com/01225-284598) and let me know what you have in mind. I’ll suggest options and possible costs.

Step 2

I’ll make some rough sketches for you. If you’re happy with the suggested design I’ll give you a firm quote and agree timescales and payment arrangements with you.

Step 3

I’ll let you have a detailed drawing. There’s still time to make alterations to the design if you change your mind about something in the picture.

Step 4

I’ll complete the art piece and deliver it to you. A very happy beneficiary!

“Working with Jessica is a true collaboration. She understood my requirements and was full of helpful suggestions. We talked ideas through on the phone and within a day Jess had come up with five initial sketches. We quickly narrowed it down to one and, within a week, she had produced a cover that perfectly captures the essence of my book. I cannot recommend her highly enough.”

By Mandy Curry, Author

“I commissioned Jessica to create a paper cut for a wedding. She did a magnificent job of working with me, and the piece has the magical quality that characterizes her work.”

By Sara G, Bath

“I absolutely adore my birthday present. I am blown away by it. I would buy this piece even if I wasn’t in it! This wonderful, amazing, beautiful window-portrait will bring much delight and debate to our gatherings with friends and family, and will take pride of place in our home.”

By Mark C, London

News & Events

Connect the Dots

And should you be on the other side of the Atlantic…

You can see my work at two amazing exhibitions in the USA this summer. My “See Evil, Hear Evil, Speak Evil” is on display as part of the “Wolves, Magic Mirrors and Spinning Wheels: The Anatomy of Fairy Tales” exhibition at the Everhart Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania. And until August 20th you can visit the […]
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magic

Tangle Magic now available!

Yes, the genie’s out of the bottle! My latest colouring book is now on sale worldwide from all good booksellers.  It contains 75 pages of enchanting hand-drawn pictures for you to colour and lose yourself in. The images all have a magical theme, and each one includes a hidden charm intricately worked into the design. You […]
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