Delightfully Tiny Paper Cuttings by Laura K. Sayers

Paper artist and illustrator Laura K. Sayers creates miniature hand cut paper figures that have been delighting the masses - masses of Instagrammers, that is. I ask you... is there a cuter collection of teeny-tiny people anywhere on Earth? I don't think so! Instagram is where I first laid eyes on Laura's paper cuttings and knew they needed to be shared here on the blog.

Originally from Oxfordshire in England, she graduated with a first class degree in illustration from the College of Art at the University of Edinburgh, and worked in Edinburgh and Glasgow before moving to north London where she is a freelance illustrator.


Laura's style of creating colorful miniature figures and buildings originated about eight years ago while attending art school. She credits her childhood, faith, location, and personalities as inspiration.


Obviously Laura has no shortage of patience when it comes to scissor cutting such remarkably small pieces. Even tinier cuts are added to each layer, as seen in the detail shot above, and gouache or graphic digital elements are sometimes applied as finishing touches.


She admits her work was 'reasonable' in size originally, but gradually became smaller and smaller. She enjoys the process and unique results, so worked to perfect her skill. The tiny buildings below were illustrations for a children's book... I can picture small ones poring over every little detail and taking them all in, as they tend to do.



Laura created this paper cut portrait of Karl Lagerfeld for Elle magazine in 2018, just before his passing early this year. I hope he had a chance to enjoy seeing it.

An exciting event is the recent opening of Laura's first solo show, A Time for Every Purpose. Described as a celebration of the mundane, the exhibit is on display at The Jam Factory in Oxford through July 8, 2019. Artists Evening will be held this coming Sunday, May 19 from 6-8 PM.


She is a member of the Paper Artist Collective, an online group of talented artisans that hosts pop-up shops, collaborations, and exhibits (first featured in this post), and made this 3D paper craft model of Royal Albert Hall for an event... it is far larger than her usual pieces.


See more of Laura's paper art and contact her about a custom design via her website, Not on the High Street shop, or Instagram.

She welcomes requests for individual or family portraits, as well as characters from films and books, wedding portraits, and homes.