Collage artist’s unusual 'paper faces' may look familiar

An unusual style of portraiture has been developed by British artist Rosalind Freeborn, who uses shreds of torn wallpaper, magazine pages, tissue and newspaper to make pictures of famous faces like actor Bob Hoskins (pictured).

Freeborn, who refers to her portraits as "paper faces", developed the technique after experimenting with collage and oil painting at art school. She decided to “ditch the paint and concentrate on the paper” two years ago. Since then, she has chosen to immortalise a number of familiar faces from television using her own “curious approach” to paper recycling.

Journalist Andrew Marr and actress Helena Bonham Carter are among the most famous faces to have been depicted in the bold print colours of Freeborn’s creations. But Freeborn, a self-confessed Coronation Street addict, has used the ITV show as an artistic muse, creating 30 portraits of the characters in the cast.

Preferring to paint from life rather than photographs, Freeborn was “very delighted” when Hoskins agreed sit for her to have his portrait done. However, getting the actors in Coronation Street down from Manchester proved more difficult. “When making the Coronation Street portraits I imagined that the characters in the drama, rather than the actors who play them, were sitting for me in my North London studio,” she said.

The Gallery at the Sable D’Or in London is due to hold an exhibition of Freeborn’s portraits throughout July, to mark the launch of her new website, via which paper art can be commissioned.

Click here or on the image above to see a gallery of Freeborn’s work

An exhibition of work by Rosalind Freeborn will take place at The Gallery at the Sable D’Or in Muswell Hill, London from 1-30 July. See paperface.co.uk for more details.