Hello, my name is Sarah Yakawonis, and I am the sole proprietor and designer of everything here at YakawonisQuilling. I am an artist living in Portland, Maine. I have my BFA from the Maine College of Art with a focus in graphic design. I love graphic design and creating images and illustrations on my long suffering iMac. While at art school I also picked up an obsessive attention to detail.

I first discovered quilling in 2010, about a year after I graduated. I fell head over heals for the medium, and I wanted take it from an enchanting craft to an astounding art. To that end I decided to create a series of anatomical illustrations in quilling. I spent the next year working tirelessly to create a series of twelve painstakingly accurate quilled anatomical illustrations, some of which I still have available for sale. Although my anatomical quilling garnered me a great deal of attention and accolades, I chose to move on from that theme.

After I completed my anatomical quilling series I was truly missing making art on my beloved iMac, and it was my true desire to merge my love of digital imaging with quilling. By merging my two loves I have developed a special process all my own. I begin on the computer using a combination of Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, and on occasion InDesign, to perfectly execute my idea. I then print what I’ve made and the quilling magic begins as I create coils loops and swirls until I find the perfect combination for the project I’m working on. Next, I cut out the upper layer and position and glue it in place. Finally, I use a secret process I have developed to photograph the work so that retains all of its dimensionality. I have had people touch my prints to see if it’s flat!