These incredible paper creatures come from Canon's Papercrafting website, Canon Creative Park, where you can find a plethora of fun paper crafting projects. After printing them from the website and cutting out each piece, dad made each of these animals come to life by meticulously gluing them together.
What's most amazing is that no one would ever guess by looking at these intricate creations that dad suffers from a debilitating condition which causes his hands to tremor.
It is heart wrenching beyond words to see a man who once enjoyed so many creative hobbies... photograhy, wood and paper crafting, computer graphics... to name a few... have to come to terms with the loss of control of his hands.
The tremors are to the point now that even the simple task of using a mouse to navigate on the computer has become very difficult for him. I imagine it must take a lot of concentration and hours and hours of patience and determination to finish each of these critters... which of course makes me appreciate these creations even more.
It is heart wrenching beyond words to see a man who once enjoyed so many creative hobbies... photograhy, wood and paper crafting, computer graphics... to name a few... have to come to terms with the loss of control of his hands.
The tremors are to the point now that even the simple task of using a mouse to navigate on the computer has become very difficult for him. I imagine it must take a lot of concentration and hours and hours of patience and determination to finish each of these critters... which of course makes me appreciate these creations even more.
This past week I asked for permission to take dad's menagerie home with me to photograph so he would be able to share pictures of them with friends and family.
I took them outdoors and had fun taking the pictures, but had to be very careful as they would blow away with even the slightest bit of wind!
Some of these guys are quite small, no more than 2 or 3 inches high, so I had to lay down on the ground with them to take their pictures!
This Kingfisher may not look too much different than the rest of the creatures, but it took dad several weeks to put complete because he had such a difficult time assembling the bird's feet...
Each one of the bird's claws is a separate piece, rolled into a hollow tubes then glued together. Crazy! I tried on one occasion to help, but gave up after a few tries!
This maneki neko or Japanese "welcoming cat" is his largest creation to date. The finished size is nearly 12 inches tall, and dad says it took 10 sheets of 8-1/2 x 11 paper to create!
Needless to say, we are all extremely pleased that dad has found a new passtime to enjoy. Most importantly this new hobby has definitely boosted his own self image and confidence. We may be overly optimistic, but we are hopeful this might also help him gain some control of his tremors.
Currently, dad is working on a 3 dimensional mini model of the Byodo In Temple in Japan. I'm not sure how large the completed project will be, but we're told it takes over a hundred pieces, cut out and glued together. Can't wait to see it, dad!
10 comments:
OMG - Eunice,
Your Dad certainly has the patience to do this type of 3D. I am familair with Cannon's site and love seeing all those items that can be made - they are VERY complicated and intense with detail - I will not attempt it but it is great to know someone who can complete them!
TFS with us all!
best,
Patti
wow, those animals are so cool!
OMG Eunice, these are AMAZING! A lot of work went into these and it shows in the final project. What is even more amazing is that your dad crafted these with his condition. How sad that he has had to come to terms with the loss of control of his hands but you would never know it with these incredible animals. Each with so much fine detail. I can only imagine the work that has gone into each of these animals. I would LOVE to see Byodo In Temple in Japan that he is working on and hope that you will post it when he has completed it. Again, this is truly amazing!
Hi, thank you for sharing these amazing creations with us! Please pass on our appreciation to your dad, and hope he continues to enjoy making them for many years to come.
Hugs
Marisa
this is fabulous!!!! what a wonderful hobby this is and it's so amazing that they are made out of paper! all I can say is WOW! I guess the talent really runs in the family =) have a wonderful week!
Wow!your dad is incredible.
Fantastic menagerie.
Bravo to him.
PJ(Jessie Adams)
Wow Eunice!!! Your dad has so much patience to do all of these. And they are sooooo cute!! I can see where you've acquired your desires for paper crafting. Well, I will keep your dad in my prayers, girl. I will also be looking forward in seeing that completed temple.
Big Hugs n' Blessings,
Jen
double & triple WoW! Simply amazing. Kudos to your Dad for his tenacity and determination. And thanks for sharing with us!
Amazing! I love all of the animals that your Dad put together. What a patient man. My dad used to help me do all types of crafts too, but after his stroke, it's so sad to see his frustration, not being able to do crafts with me but he still plants a mean garden of vegetables! Thanks for sharing with us Eunice, it was so touching to see these precious animals created by this sweet man with lot of love.
Wow Eunice! Thanks so much for sharing this story about your Dad and his new creative outlet! I hope you told him how impressed we all are with his work! These animals are adorable and you did a great job on the picture taking! TFS and many blessings to you and your family! xoxo, Linda
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