FOCUS ON: NATHAN WARD, PAPER ARTIST 58 email: news@printmonthly.co.uk July / August 2024 - Issue 349 also appeared as the papercraft TV judge on Channel 4’s Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas. So, where does Ward's inspiration come from? He says a lot of inspiration for his personal work comes from the world around him including nature, sports, and the outdoors. “Inspired by design books and galleries, I am becoming increasingly interested in forms within sculpture, product, and furniture design and alternative construction methods,” he explains. Because commercial briefs have often been carefully considered by teams of creatives, Ward says in these cases they have come to him for his high craft skills. “I describe it as the difference between being employed for my hand or head. I enjoy both types of projects.” A Sustainable Craft Despite many greenwashing claims of paper being unsustainable with the rise in digital alternatives (see Two Sides’ myth-busting website full of facts and information!), paper is in fact one of the most circular materials. Although sadly, like much of the visual media industry, many of Ward’s projects find themselves in recycling, a benefit of his work is that it is genuinely sustainable. Ward only uses paper from sustainable suppliers that are B Corp and FSC certified and he emphasises the fact that paper offers a better alternative to traditional sculptural mediums such as foam carving and casting. “Often, after projects have served their purpose, store retail teams will take the items home for enjoyment. This was the case with my Hobbs project where I was commissioned to create numerous papercraft robins and pinecones for their Christmas displays. For a few of my projects, I store and license them for use.” Quizzed on what some of his favourite projects have been, Ward says: “That is a really difficult question! Each of my projects have taught me something new. The ones I enjoy most are often some of the most challenging! I get excited about problem-solving. The more complex a structure, the more interesting it is.” Ward describes his work for Santander x Mastercard creating Ant and Dec as “one of the funniest and bizarre creations to date!”, and another memorable project was making a paper bum for the sustainable toilet roll brand Who Gives a Crap. “I am quite used to receiving strange requests from agencies who come to me with concepts as paper and my low-poly technique allows for the creation of lots of interesting shapes! If you can imagine it, I can probably make it in paper!” You can find out more about Nathan Ward and his work here: www.thisisnathan.com nathan@thisisnathanward.com @thisisnathanward 07712738597 ▲ Ward created a confetti-style installation for The Ned's fifth birthday using 35,200 pieces of paper I used to spend hours painstakingly measuring out the nets for my 3D shapes, working out complex trigonometry with a protractor and compass, and making multiple iterations and mock-ups until I was happy with the results
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