Diana Beltran Herrera is a Colombia-native paper artist who creates astonishingly beautiful paper sculptures of birds, butterflies, and other living creatures. She is so proficient in her craft that most people think they are looking at a real thing when seeing her works.
When she started with this creative outlet in 2012, Beltran Herrera wanted to immortalize on paper the wildlife she has seen in her surroundings. But over time, she started drawing inspiration from exotic species that she never had the opportunity to see in person. This led her to adopt different techniques so that she could faithfully recreate each species.
“I like this approach because it is not harmful, and through my work, I can show and tell my viewers about the things I have been learning, of the importance of nature just by researching and making it myself,” she revealed to Colossal in one interview.
Beltran Herrera’s creative process begins well before she starts working on a piece. She first does extensive research about the subject that includes looking at photos, videos, and even biology books. She then lays out a design and spends a significant amount of time choosing the right paper before finally beginning with the manual work.
Her beautiful sculptures are always made to scale, and it can take her several weeks before finishing a single piece.
