Japan has no shortage of papercraft vituosos who can create wonderful objects of art. For example, we have seen intricate kirie papercutting by Shinobu Ohashi and Mr. Riu, who create works so delicate it's hard to believe they are cut from a single piece of paper, or artists like Yuko who layers cutouts made from traditional washi paper to create a three-dimensional look.

Seiji Tsukimoto is a papercraft artist who combines both pop-up book and kirie techniques to create amazing greeting cards and compositions featuring adorable character vignettes from fantasy worlds of children's tales like Alice in Wonderland and Cinderella. Princesses, fairies and enchanted forests feature prominently in his memorable creations, most of which are encapsulated in a spherical frame.

His most recent creation with a clock theme shows a new dimension to his already astonishing work. Not only does it transform from a flat card to a multi-layered scene, and even has two hidden panels which swing out to reveal two girls seated facing each other, but the piece is composed of interlocking gears which create an actual moving clockwork mechanism!

For those who are curious, here are the pieces before they are assembled:

Seiji Tsukimoto is most famous for his pop-up sphere greeting cards, so popular that they often sell out when he presents his work at various design festivals or sells them online. Children's classics, fairy tales and folklore stories are his favorite medium, both from Japan, as you can see in this Taketori Monogatari card below, and Western sources such as Alice in Wonderland in the Congratulations and Anniversary cards that follow.

He also creates original standing pieces and more "conventional" (non-spherical) pop-up cards.

However, his most complex and beautiful works are large spheres where he is able to use the additional layers (and strategic lighting) to create nuanced compositions that really pull you into the fantasy world. It's hard to believe they're only made of paper.

If you'd like to own your very own Seiji Tsukimoto original, you can buy a collection called "SPHERE Fushigi na kyutai pop-up card" (SPHERE 不思議な球体ポップアップカード) containing a total of 23 works, some of them pre-assembled and some of them to cut out an assemble on your own. This collection is available online in Japan at this website, and it is also available internationally at YesAsia here.

Moreover, you can check his online shop here. Although his works are all sold out at the time of writing, new works will likely go on sale in the future and older works may also be restocked. If you live in Japan or happen to visit when he has a booth at a design or crafts show, you may also be able to buy his latest works. He plans to set up a booth at the Art and Handmade Craft Bazaar in Osaka from 3/16-18 and Kobe from 5/3-4, Art Dive in Osaka from 4/28-29, and Design Festa in Tokyo from 5/12-13.

To stay updated, follow his Twitter account here.