TOKYO >> “Stationery art” has become popular in recent years as more people use items such as masking tape and pencils to create art.

Nasa Funahara, 30, is a masking tape artist living in Miyagi prefecture. She tears off pieces of masking tape and applies them to paper. When I visited her studio in mid-April, she was creating a copy of Vincent Van Gogh’s masterpiece “The Starry Night.”

Masking tape is easily removable and has recently become popular among junior high and high school students for decorating their notebooks and other items.

“Unlike paints and other art materials, you can peel the tape right off and put it back on again even if you make a mistake,” Funahara said.

She uses masking tape made with Japanese washi paper. When torn, the paper fibers become visible, providing a softening effect, she said.

Not only does she render her work in the style of a chigiri-e collage, she also employs boldly colored tape with polka dots and other patterns. Chigiri-e is an art form in which pictures are created from hand-torn washi paper.

Funahara said she can finish an 8-1/2-by-11-inch work in about a week.

Funahara began creating masking tape “paintings” when she was 19 while studying oil painting at Musashino Art University in Tokyo. She replicated the “Mona Lisa” using tape for a project on portraits and received positive feedback. Since then, she has been honing her skills.

Funahara creates original art, and she replicates famous paintings because she wants people who feel little connection to art to be able to experience it in a casual manner.

Ryo Sehata, 49, uses cellulose tape for his 3D art.

He created a horse by tightly rolling cellulose tape and shaping the curves using the unevenness of the tape.

As a child, Sehata noticed that tape he removed and rolled up hardened quickly and was resilient. Since then, he has been obsessed with making things with cellulose tape.

After graduating from Tokyo Zokei University, he signed an exclusive contract with Nichiban Co., which owns the registered trademark for “Cellotape.” Sehata held a solo exhibition in June.

According to Maiko Kikuchi, a writer and member of the International Association of Art Critics, interest in stationery art has been growing over the past several years.

During the pandemic, stationery art became known as an art form that can be created at home using everyday products.

Kikuchi said that with the proliferation of artists posting their work on social media, the number of people following in their footsteps is increasing.

“The surprise … of these elaborate artworks, being created with everyday stationery products found in the home, captured people’s hearts,” Kikuchi said.

She said stationery art could be defined as a contemporary art form, with works someday drawing high prices.

TIPS FOR CREATING A MASKING TAPE ‘PAINTING’

>> On a piece of paper with a smooth surface, such as a postcard or printer paper, draw a rough sketch.

>> When applying tape, tear it by hand.

>> Use a variety of solid and patterned tapes. If you use about 10 different tapes, you can create a variety of effects.

>> After the work is completed, frame it to keep it in good condition.