Art Director and paper artist, Victoria Bee, specializes in crafted illustration and prop making. After five years of Graphic Design studies (which included anything from illustration and packaging to typography and layout), and four as a junior art director and paper artist based between Montreal, Paris, and London, she became an independent artist and moved to Berlin in 2015. That is also where she started her own creative studio where she shares a space with fashion designers and illustrators.
Her work these days mostly consists of creating paper props — a niche she admits she stumbled into. “After making some 2D paper-cut illustrations for myself and some friends, a guy in Brussels asked me to build some paper bird-head masks for his art project,” she recalled in an interview with Sixtysix Magazine. “I accepted and decided to see how it would go, but I knew already I had a good vision for size and volume. It worked out really well, and I got a lot of positive feedback.”
She went on to accept a few other projects and started to build a portfolio. When she had enough work samples, she applied for a position at a creative studio in London, which looked for paper prop makers. “That was my chance,” says Bee. “I was quickly hired and from there it became official: I could make a living out of this.”
When it comes to her inspiration, it naturally consists of paper. “I have a box full of sketchbooks, lonely sheets of paper, Post-its, napkins… all waiting to be presented and used,” she detailed. “I also keep all the sketches from previous projects. They’re not useful anymore, but I have fondness for them. I can recall the time I discussed that idea with someone and scribbled out the project. It’s not just a napkin anymore; it’s a real memory!”
Take a look at some of her original paper designs.
