Looking for something?

Tap outside or press close

InspirationArt & Culture

My Amazing Body Machine: Paper-cut artworks of the human anatomy

London artist Owen Gildersleeve has created a stunning series of fifty hand-cut artworks to illustrate his new book My Amazing Body Machine, which takes readers on a unique journey through the human anatomy.

Written By:
Layered paper-cut artwork of a plant cell with a nucleus, organelles and colourful cellular structures on a light blue background

Bringing to life professor Lord Robert Winston’s famous explorations of the human body, Owen created intricate paper-craft artworks of each working part of the human anatomy. Using layered paper and blocks of colour, he worked with scientific consultants to ensure each piece, from our intricately wired brain and nervous system to the framework of our skeleton, was anatomically correct.

You too can get a slice of Owen's stunning work, as My Amazing Body Machine is available to buy from his online shop.

Colourful paper-cut illustration of a human brain with different sections in yellow, pink, blue, green, red and cream layered inside a blue head silhouette
Anatomical illustration of the human circulatory system showing the heart, arteries and veins throughout the body in red and blue layered paper-cut artwork
A paper-cut cross-section illustration of the human eye showing the internal anatomy with a green maple leaf on the left representing light entering the eye
Layered paper-cut illustration showing the human muscular and skeletal systems in red and cream, with blue outlines marking the body's outline
Blue human figure with pink brain and yellow nervous system running throughout the body, created as a layered paper-cut artwork
Paper-cut illustration showing the human respiratory system with coloured layers depicting the nasal passage, windpipe, and pink lungs with blue branching airways against a dark blue silhouette
Layered paper-cut illustration of a human head in profile showing the brain in pink with blood vessels, cerebellum highlighted in deep red, and spinal cord in yellow and orange
Layered paper-cut artwork showing a cross-section of human skin with pink epidermis, cream dermis and subcutaneous layers, with red and blue blood vessels and a hair follicle
Artist Owen Gildersleeve works on layered red and green paper-cut artwork depicting human anatomy at his studio desk
Hand using a craft knife to cut teal paper shapes from white paper, part of Owen Gildersleeve's anatomical paper-cut artwork series
Artist Owen Gildersleeve hand-cuts intricate pink paper to create a layered anatomical artwork on a turquoise cutting mat
Share

Further Reading