Crafter Lily Diana Richards recreates flowers and insects out of paper. The therapeutic hobby began during her early days as a new mother in 2012, and it is still going strong after a decade.
Creating flowers out of paper
The minute details that Lily Diana Richard has incorporated into her floral crepe paper art are what make it so intriguing; how each petal falls, and each stalk stands — the intricacies of what makes a real flower that the crafter managed to capture in her masterpieces. Lily has been a crafter at heart since an early age and is highly sought after among those who appreciate the art.
The 32-year-old Sabahan, who is based in Kuching, Sarawak, is a small business entrepreneur for ‘Lily’s Hand-Arts’ on Instagram and a Cricut Ambassador here. When asked how her love for craft began, the woman recalled the time she saw her mother working on it.
“My mother often made crafts out of recycled bottles when I was younger. She’d transform them into lovely flowers. When I was in secondary school, her hobby inspired me to decorate our classroom’s information board with scraps of coloured paper. I enjoyed doing so since it allowed me to use my creativity to make the room look more lovely,” said the mother of three.
A paper flower artist and mentor, she revisited the hobby after the birth of her eldest son in 2012. A therapeutic hobby that accompanied her during her early days as a mother, Lily initially used tissue papers to create a flower using techniques she had learnt from YouTube.
As she pursued her passion, she said that she started receiving commissions for her artwork in 2014. She also teaches those interested in the arts through her ‘crepe paper’ courses, which she offers both online and offline. In 2019, she launched her YouTube channel ‘Lily’s Hand-Arts’, where she shares tips and tutorials on how to create crepe paper flowers.
“What drove me into making more crafts was the learning process and the utilisation of various techniques for making different flowers, as well as how I could link it to a real one.
“Aside from that, I really love how the colours are combined to create a range of shades for the flower petals. The end result is astonishing, and it has encouraged me to create more flowers and gifts ever since,” she said.
When asked why she chose floral art, Lily said that with flower themes, she may use any colour of flower for an arrangement based on the shade that her client requested.
“In addition to crepe paper flowers, I make crepe paper plants. Aside from crepe paper art, I also make a variety of crafts, including greeting cards, wedding accessories, bouquets, corsages and wristlets, gifts and more. My treasured projects are the butterflies, bees, flowers and 3D paper lanterns.”
Lily had recently learned how to decorate candles, 3D cards, and handmade paper lanterns using a Cricut maker machine. As an ambassador for the ‘Cricut’ brand, Lily guides people in the art community on how to use the machine.
“I contribute to the growth of the Cricut community by teaching, educating, and training new users by conducting demonstrations in-store or online.”
A flowery masterpiece
Though her eyes hurt from staring at her work for too long, and her back aches from sitting all day, she tries to stay focused to ensure every detail is done meticulously. As she makes sure to get ample rest in between producing a masterpiece, she revealed that she spends two to three hours on each flower stalk.
“I’ve learned to sketch it on paper, then try to figure out how to make and achieve the shapes, what materials and tools to use, what colours to combine, and how to get it done. With my years of experience in this art, I gathered many approaches to establish and recreate one of the most difficult replicas, which include the sunflower, rafflesia, butterflies, and bees.”
According to Lily, in order to produce a crepe paper artwork, one needs to be skilled at cutting, cupping, twisting, curling, ruffling, fringing, stretching, colouring, folding and scoring.
Meanwhile, the essential equipment for creating the art include scissors, wire cutter pliers, paint brushes, pan pastel master colour, watercolour, curling tools, hot glue gun, floral wire, plastic tube, and foam ball.
“For most of my flowers, I use crepe paper from China, double-sided crepe paper from Germany, and Cartotecnica Rossi crepe paper from Italy. I like using them because of their colours and paper quality,” she said.
Having done various types of flowers — big or small — Lily said that the tinier ones or filler flowers such as hydrangeas, jasmine, rose bud, daisies, berries, sunflower florets, and even insects such as butterflies and bees can be difficult to do. According to her, because of their sophistication, these can take up to three days to recreate.
Juggling her life as a mother and homemaker, she would take time in between school runs, cooking, and cleaning to create those impressive blooms. As her hands work on creating a botanical of allure, she would listen to her favourite music, either jazz or blues.
“I would sometimes watch my favourite Netflix shows while working on my artwork. However, I would only do this while working on the easy, less complicated parts of the flowers, like cutting, cupping, and shaping the petals.”
Lily’s handiwork is a floral masterpiece that crepe paper enthusiasts would love to admire. An interesting way for preserving the flowers you love, the paper flower artist’s passion for it remains strong.
