Alyn Carlson

Today is Monday, July 20th

Hello everyone! Today we’re looking at the art and design work of Alyn Carlson, who did some beautiful design and brand development for our friends-of-the-binders, Sandy and Jim, over at Beehive. Carlson writes that she cherishes her work equally as a creative director, helping brands “find their voice,” and as an artist, creating abstract work in oil paints, watercolor, gouache and graphite, and digitally. She also (like us) loves working with paper. She writes that “paper is often my first stop in the studio, my go-to material for its versatility and ability to introduce a range of elements into any design scheme, including texture, shape, and height”. What Carlson also loves about paper is that her favorite material is everywhere, and “that inspiration is always just a recycle bin away”. Out of her love for papercrafting, Carlson createdThe Paper Hat Book, a book of twenty “super paper hats” that can be made for any “super kid” (or adult, she notes). Her hats are all made of recycled paper, and as intricately as they may be decorated around the theme of mermaid, or pirate, or bunny, or explorer, each hat is also mostly based around an easy, basic form. The simple “party hat” cone gets a swirling dragon's tail, and the “classic” pointy paper hat is given stitching, paper feathers, and paper leaves, perfect for any young explorer.

Check out more paper hats and more paper art by Alyn Carlson here at her website,alyncarlsonportfolio.com/paper-art. In addition to children’s paper hats, Carlson’s website showcases the beautiful giant paper flowers she made for an event at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, her cut paper illustrations, and a paper wedding cake made of paint chips!