Artist Meticulously Cuts Paper Into Hyperrealistic Animal Sculptures

Compared to other media, paper He is more vulnerable. It can tear even under the slightest amount of pressure; It can dissolve into mush under water; It can wrinkle and wrinkle when folded incorrectly. But it’s also incredibly versatile, as evidenced by Thien Dinhpractice. By carefully manipulating paper, Dinh can transform a fragile art form into delicate birds, slender fish, scaly dragons, and much more.

Perhaps nothing exemplifies Dinah’s experience with paper better than his latest skills Betta fish sculptures. Over hundreds of hours, the Vietnamese artist meticulously stacks, cuts and shapes plain paper to achieve an incredible sense of realism. Each sculpture bears flowing tails that become translucent in sunlight, mimicking the transparency and texture of a real fish fin. The scales were also neatly rendered, neatly stacked along the arcs of the fish’s bodies and tracked. (To bring the creatures to life, Dinh animated the fish using artificial intelligence.)

Recently – and very funny –videoDinah brings a parrot sculpture to visit a local office. As with the betta fish, the parrot depicts exquisite craftsmanship, dressed in paper feathers whose edges have been carved with an X-acto knife. The technique appears again in Fu Jiao – Dance of the Changing Seasons (roughly translated to Mid-season dance), depicting a huge peacock dazzled by small gemstones. The bird, which was made to celebrate Vietnam’s Independence Day, held on September 2, 2025, represents innovation, luck and wealth, according to the artist.

Feathers and scales clearly dominate Dinah’s art, but over the summer, he expanded his imagination even further. Instead of recreating a real animal, the artist chose to create a real animal dragonIt combines several elements from previous and ongoing sculptures. Here we encounter the remains of fish scales. Bird feather wings. tell-tale reptilian claws; Even deer antlers. The result is an illusion-like creature, complete with details that, despite their fantastical nature, do not detract from the realism of the sculpture.

“Just paper? Think again,” Dinh said of the statue. “Every scale, every claw, every curve – obsessively handcrafted. This isn’t just a dragon. It’s patience, madness, and a thousand cuts.”

To explore more of the artist’s paper artworks, check out Thiên Dinh’s Instagram.

Vietnamese artist Thien Dinh carefully stacks, crumples and cuts paper to recreate feathers, scales, claws and more across his sculptures.

Dinh has a special penchant for fish and birds, but he also sculpted an impressive chimera-like dragon.

Thien Dinh: Instagram

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