Sabeena Karnik has a way with paper. Using colored paper, she twists, cuts, and sculpts her material, exploring its endless possibilities. “My process is like every other designer,” she remarked once in an interview with Creative Chair.
“It always starts with sketches putting down all the ideas that are in mind and making it into a harmonious-looking composition,” Karnik reflects. “After approvals from the client, I make the final clean drawing adding colors if needed, then proceed to create the illustration with paper.”
Karnik also stresses that none of her drawings are made digitally. “Everything is hand done without the use of computer software.”
Based in Mumbai, India, Karnik specializes in paper typography, with her paper alphabet creating quite a splash online. Combining a love for paper and typography, her handcrafted lettering is very delicate and ideally displayed in a shadow box.
“I decided to start my typography series and thought of making individual letters with paper,” she recalled in an interview with Verve Magazine. “A, B, C, D… going right up to Z. By then, I had my own website and started posting images of what I had created. Even before I had got halfway through the alphabet, I was offered my first project with Tanishq.”
According to Karnik, paper is the most versatile and creative medium. “Whatever I do, even if it’s the smallest thing like cutting a vegetable or a fruit, I want it to be perfect,” she explains, “it has to be done precisely, in a pattern. And you will see that attention to detail in my work as well.”
Scroll down to see some highlights from her feed:
