The thrill of quilling

Unique Hobbies

The art of paper quilling enthused Doyal Zenim Saldanha a while back. And since then, this youngster has made many items to explore her talent.

However, she can’t seem to get enough of it. The 21-year-old, who lives in Kalyan Nagar, continues to make cute items of interest with strips of paper and one would be amazed by the detailing in each of them.

From Christmas decorations — like snowflakes, miniature Santa Clauses, Christmas cribs and snowmen — to other items like bridesmaids, brides, a Chinese couple, jewellery boxes and even dainty earrings, the collection that Doyal has will pleasantly surprise anyone. They’re also inspiring — anyone with a flair for art will want to pick up the craft themselves.

“It’s not hard at all since there are so many designs available on the internet and so much one can pick up. I just watched videos online and practised till I could make them quickly and perfectly,” says Doyal. Her sister encouraged her to pick up the craft and continues to suggest unique things that she can try; Doyal says that she is her muse and support.

Varying from cards to photo frames, there is a different style used for every piece that Doyal makes. She details, “With the help of a quilling tool, the paper is rolled into a particular shape depending on what I want to make. If it’s a doll, then the paper has to be pushed the perfect way to make a dome that is used as the body.” She says that dolls generally require a lot more work than trinkets or earrings.

Doyal uses coloured strips of paper, varying between three millimetres, five millimetres and a centimetre in width to make the objects. She also incorporates a variety of colours like red, blue, green, pink and yellow into these and darker shades such as black, brown or beige for the skin and hair for her dolls. She then shapes the strips according to the object she has in mind, gluing them to perfection.

After letting them dry, she adds the finishing touches. Using varied embellishments like half-pearls, beads, glitter paper, ‘bindis’ and little cut-outs from hole punchers, she moulds the final product. Talking about the different items that she’s made, she says she loves making things that are useful in a person’s day-to-day life. She adds, “Earrings and jewellery boxes are the most fancied items. I have had friends asking me to make those items for them or even teach them how to make them — which I happily do.”

Doyal has made a lot of Christmas items. One of the unique ones is a Christmas crib, which her sister challenged her to make last December. “I sat from that afternoon and completed the set by the evening. It included the three kings, Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus, and even sheep. We used it as a tabletop for that festive season,” she says proudly, adding that she’s also made a bigger version of it.

Doyal doesn’t intend to sell her art despite being advised to do so by her friends and colleagues. “I know that I’m able to make these items with such detailing because I’m doing it for myself, and discovering my passion. Once it becomes a business, the finesse and the quality of the items will suffer,” she says. “Art is something to be enjoyed and I’m glad I am able to share it this way,” she wraps up.