Digital Quilling
Well, well, well... I'd been wondering if it's possible to quill digitally. A friend recently sent me a link that proves indeed it is provided you possess the same mad skillz as the talented team at The Observatory, Creative Communications [no longer available]. An interactive agency in the Channel Islands, it handles marketing, design, and technical aspects of business growth for clients.
The Observatory designers originally intended artwork created for the Artists Directory of the Jersey Arts Trust to be true paper quilling, but a speedier approach had to be put into play to meet a deadline.
Honestly, as an avid paper quiller I don't have a problem with a computer-generated method. There's plenty of room for both types in this world. We're seeing quilled designs quite regularly in magazines, ads, and even as artwork on gift cards. (Target stores, I'm thinking of you.)
Don't get me wrong... most of the professionally published quilled designs to date have been photographs of actual rolled paper, but some are suspect. That's right... it can be difficult to tell the difference. Either way, I think it's a huge plus that more and more people are being exposed to quilling, and in turn are questioning, "Hey, what is that?!"
How do you feel about digital quilling - are you cool with the idea or aghast?
To best describe their impressive process, I'll loosely borrow The Observatory's technical lingo: The visuals were drawn up as a series of bezier curves which were then stylized into the typography. Once the Illustrator files were complete, 3D magic was worked in Cinema 4d.