So real you expect them to fly away: Artist creates incredible birds made
These cute little birds are made just using paper, watercolour paint and hours of hard work by talented Dutch artist Johan Scherft.
The realistic-looking furry creatures are the result of painstaking painting and gluing, with Johan assembling the different parts with two pairs of narrow tweezers.
Each bird is a mini-masterpiece hand painted with very fine brushes, then modelled in 3D.
Scroll down for video
Warbling: A delicate paper Wren in full voice, held by its talented creator Johan Scherft
Delicate: Johan's designs, such as this robin, can take up to a month to create from start to finish
Vivid: The Bullfinch in full red and blue glory on his paper branch
Johan started his interest in creating pint-sized works of art at the age of 14, when he started making paper bird models, which he coloured using pencils.
Johan's work caught the eye of the admissions board at The Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague, Netherlands where he studied graphic design, free painting and drawing.
More...
Epic adventures: National Geographic showcases breathtaking images taken around the world by photographers vying to win 2013 Traveler Photo Contest
Fisherman reels in 50lb 'Beast of Billericay' catfish after it eluded anglers for more than 20 years
His full-time job is his papercraft, and he can take anything from two days to a month to complete just one.
He uses computer programs for the basic design, but the rest of the work is done by hand.
Painstaking: The goldcrest's graduated yellow colouring is delicately picked up by the watercolours
Striking: The kingfisher with its beautiful blue and orange plumage and a beak sharp enough to make a papercut
Johan says: 'There's a lot of trial and error involved before a model is satisfactory.
Each species has its own distinctive shape, so I never use a standard design.'
'I hope to capture some of the beauty and character of the birds'
Johan hopes that his designs will be encourage people to be interested in wildlife and be realistic enough to put people off taxidermy.
'People can now enjoy this beauty in their homes without owning a dead stuffed one,' he says.
Autumnal colours: Johan was keen to pay tribute to sparrows as they are declining in numbers in his native Netherlands
Complex: Johan even managed to capture the crested tit's remarkable crest out of paper
Subtle colours: The dunnock was painstaking work with the tiny dots around the eyes and the many shades of grey and brown
Cute: Johan managed to capture the treefrog's shape and texture perfectly by assembling the frog with two pairs of tweezers
