Came across these wonderful illustrations by Romanian-born / New Jersey transplant  Andrea Dezsö for a re-printing of the 1812 first edition of the Brothers’ Grimm Fairy Tales. Below is an excerpt from an interview with the artist that you can read in full HERE.

“I like the tension that arises from using a medium in a way that it’s not typically used. In the case of the Grimm book, these are ink drawings that I made to look like cut paper. This drawing technique presents a unique set of challenges, like solving a puzzle, so I didn’t simply cut paper to make these illustrations.”

“My first notion of paper cutting came from Victorian toy theaters. From the start, I was interested in cut paper beyond its conveyance of narrative, and began experimenting with the possibilities of light and shadow and movement. After the initial tunnel book sculptures, I was invited to create gallery-sized cut paper installations and found it necessary to transition to laser-cutting in order to avoid destroying my hand from the repetitious act of cutting thousands of minutely-detailed figures. Making laser cuts involves drawing an image and digitizing it to send to the laser cutter; at that point the whole question of drawing and cutting has come full-circle. I started to play with that challenge.”

I find these really beautiful. You can pick up a copy of the book HERE, or better yet, support your local bookstore!