Sculptures of Native American scenes made out of paper by Allen and Patty Eckman

Sculptures of Native American scenes made out of paper by Allen and Patty Eckman

These stunningly detailed sculptures may only be made from paper - but they are being snapped up by art fans for tens of thousands of pounds. The intricate creations depict Native American scenes and took up to 11 months to make using a specially formulated paper

Husband and wife team Allen and Patty Eckman put paper pulp into clay moulds and pressurise it to remove the water

The hard, lightweight pieces are then removed and the couple painstakingly add detailed finishings with a wide range of tools

They have been making the creations since 1987 at their home studio, in South Dakota, America, and have racked up a whopping £3 million selling the works of art

The pieces depict traditional scenes from Native American history of Cherokees hunting and dancing

The most expensive piece is called Prairie Edge Powwow which sold for £47,000

Allen said: "We create Indians partly because my great, great grandmother was a Cherokee and my family on both sides admire the native Americans...

...I work on the men and animals and Patty does the women and children" explains Allen

"I enjoy most doing the detail. The paper really lends itself to unlimited detail. I'm really interested in the Indians' material, physical and spiritual culture and that whole period of our nation's history I find fascinating. From the western expansion, through the Civil War and beyond is of great interest to me."

Allen explained their technique: "It should not be confused with papier mache. The two mediums are completely different. I call what we do 'cast paper sculpture'"

..."Some of them we create are lifesize and some we scale down to 1/6 lifesize"

"These sculptures are posed as standing nude figures and limited detailed animals with no ears, tails or hair"

"We transform them by sculpting on top of them - creating detail with soft and hard paper we make in various thicknesses and textures.

"We have really enjoyed the development of our fine art techniques over the years and have created a process that is worth sharing. There are many artists and sculptors who we believe will enjoy this medium as much as we have."

An Indian mother holding her baby is a favourite of many clients

Hyper-realistic embroidery: tapestries by Jill Draper

Hyper-realistic embroidery: tapestries by Jill Draper

 

Hyper-realistic embroidery: tapestries by Jill Draper

Landscapes painstakingly recreated using just a needle and thread.

Incredibly realistic scenes from rural life have been painstakingly recreated by a British artist in her own living room - using just a needle and thread. Jill Draper, 62, creates embroidered tapestries, recreating scenes with astonishing accuracy from photographs. Each picture measuring around 15 by 30 inches contains hundreds of thousands of stitches done by hand and machine

A photograph [left] taken in Autumn 2009 of a heather path, and Jill Draper's hyper-real tapestry of the scene

Jill copies the photograph, painting the landscape onto padded bridal satin or pure silk with fabric dye. She then fixes the painting with heat before embellishing the material with stitches to create depth

A photograph of snow-covered trees taken in winter 2007...

...and Jill's tapestry of the snow-covered trees

Top: a photograph of a snowy Wenhaston, Suffolk in January 2010. Bottom: Jill Draper's realistic tapestry of the wintry scene

She picks from her thousands of colours of household cotton or Terylene and applies them with a sewing machine or darning hoop. She hand-sews special detail with pure silk. She sews for around six hours every day and relies on natural light to distinguish between the hundreds of similar shades. She says she takes care to limit the amount of time she spends sewing, as the intense concentration required can make her nauseous

Some of the hundreds of different coloured threads used by Jill Draper

Jill from Wenhaston, Suffolk, said: "It's a passion and a labour of love - I get a thrill out of seeing the finished product, then I move on to the next piece. Once I get on the machine, I become quite manic and I will work on small areas of the picture, rather than the whole picture. I can work on it for days and then throw it on the floor and say 'It's finished'"

She works as a full-time embroidery artist and has sold hundreds of pictures through galleries and as private commissions for between £500 to £3,000 for a piece. Jill and her husband Peter have recently bought a plot of land in a nearby Suffolk village and plan to build an eco-home incorporating a gallery for Jill's work

Jill's tapestry of the Shallows, Newport, which she re-created from a photograph

Jill's embroidered lobster pots

A tapestry of Blytheborough

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