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The World of Paper Models by ‘Atamjeet’

By Atamjeet Singh Bawa on 43 Comments / 8601 views

Holla Rodinhooders,

It was an honor and completely my pleasure to share my entrepreneurship challenges amongst 200+ entrepreneurship enthusiasts at the Delhi Open House on 22nd Mar 2014. For those of you who were there, I am sure you would remember my presentation on ‘Paper Models‘ and a strange confused Punjabi artist dressed in formals showing off a motor-cycle made out of paper in his hands. Yes, that was me!

This is how I generally introduce myself (and you’ll figure out the “confused” me):

  • I was born to be a Pilot (I still dream of being a pilot and having my very own runway at my backyard just like ‘John Travolta’)
  • Destined to be a Table Tennis Player (TT is another passion, played national level in 2000, in fact the very reason I used to love my school was because I could play TT for an hour every day & I’m always up for a challenging game)
  • Happened to be a Textile Chemist (I’m B-Tech in Textile Chemistry, for those of you who don’t know whatever that is, well, lemme figure it out myself first)
  • Could have been a Guitarist (guitar is turing out to be another passion of mine. I am a hard core music fan and trying my hands to create my own music. And I kid you not, I hit the ‘G’ yesterday night and they say its the toughest chord, well not for a pro like me 😀)
  • Eventually landed being a Software Programmer (I’m a geek too and I love coding. In fact  complex algorithms turn me on more than that lady on a wrecking ball licking a hammer. I am currently working in an IT giant)
  • And the best part, I am gifted to be a ‘SCALE PAPER MODELER‘ (in simple words, I make paper airplanes and other machines, highly detailed ones. Its not ‘Origami’ neither it is ‘Papier Mâché’, its cutting and joining parts of paper using glue)

* For those of you who are thinking why I put bullet points above, well, this is one of those side effects to work for an IT company where you need to explain everything in “bullets”

I am a born airplane enthusiast & even today I never miss to observe a passing by aircraft. And whenever I get a chance, I stop at the NH8 perpendicular to the IGI airport runway and satisfy my appetite by saying ‘bye-bye airplane’ to the one that is about to land/take off!
In 2004 (my first year of graduation) a thought struck my head that I wanted to utilize my geometric skills (did I tell you that I used to teach Geometry at ‘Career Launcher’) and my Engineering Drawing skills (a very interesting subject they teach you in every engineering course & I used to teach my own class) to create an airplane using paper. And after a month of hard work, 8 layers of aluminum paint & an ‘Engineered Accident’ my first  paper model was ready. From that day onwards, I never looked back and created more than 27 models of various machines and still counting!

What started as a pure passion for airplanes has turned into a business that targets ‘luxury segment customers’. People usually say that my paper models look real and they do not seem to be made using paper but one has to hold them in their hands to feel the weight and timber.

During the brainstorming session at the OH, I received a very +VE response from everyone especially Alok and I am glad I represented such creative people who possess unparalleled energy and ideas.

I have been featured in a few TV channels after I was interviewed at the Auto Expo 2014 where I exhibited all my paper models. I have also been featured in Deccan Herald, Motown India and various other online websites and expecting a 2 pager article in ‘Top Gear’ magazine’s May edition.

I am sure you all would enjoy what I do and would give your honest feedback and valuable suggestions of what all I could do. Atamjeet loves machines and will always love machines!

Added a few images of my creations but you could always check them out at my FB Page album:
Paper Models by ‘Atamjeet’ – 1
 Paper Models by ‘Atamjeet’ – 2
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A Paper Modeling Workshop was conducted for the Kids in Gurgaon in May 2014:

And this is kind of how I do it!
Making of Paper Model of ‘LS-1000 Diesel Locomotive’

The Presentation I delivered at the Open House Delhi:

Thank you all,
Atamjeet Singh Bawa
Founder and Principal Paper Modeler at ‘Atamjeet‘
LIKE: FB Page
WRITE: contactatamjeet@gmail.com
Twitter: @atamjeetsbawa

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43 Comments

  1. A great work, Atamjeet. We really loved your product. 

  2. Even if you had just stood over there with that bike wala paper model and said nothing, it would have been the same.. your work speaks for you :))

    Good that you presented your challenges and we could resonate with the fact that at the core the challenges are the same: to sell your product/service!! Hope you took back some valuable lessons and ofcourse good friends! Looking forward to see you in next !!!

  3. Thanks for the message @Aditya K Singh and I am glad you liked my stuff!

  4. Thanks for the message @Anamika Joshi. It was a great learning experience for me to be amongst such passionate people!

  5. Impressive work Atamjeet…

  6. You are a really Talented guy Atamjeet .. My friends have already visited your FB page and all of them loved it. All the best in finding the best people to work with and take this art ahead in life.. This is World Class !!

  7. Thanks Anuj Tyagi!

  8. Thanks Suman Dash for sharng my work amongst your friends. I am blessed with passion for machines, so I am going to continue creating something or the other around the machine theme! 🙂

  9. Hi Atamjeet,
    Some incredibly amazing work here! Thoroughly impressed and ming-boggled with the details you have put in.

    I also went through the ppt you have shared, and want to present my thoughts here, on developing your business:

    1) Add history and rarity to your products
    My understanding of art is that people buy it not because it’s incredible and awesome. They buy it because (a) it’s rare, and that they are made to feel they own something precious, and (b) it allows to own a story, almost as if it’s a piece of history.

    Hence, the price tags on your paper models won’t mean much unless they carry a great story and they are very very very rare. The fact that they are delicate is a great plus point. Think Chinese pots! 🙂

    It is up to you how to make your products rare. One obvious way is to make limited editions of them. But I suggest you create something that can go down in history. For example: Creating a paper model of MH370, offering it for a charity auction, and giving away the money to the children of the victims. That would get you noticed, and it would make a difference. Another example is to create paper models of the first Macintosh Computer, Nokia Mobile Phone, and so on, and creating an exhibition of those models. There can be umpteen other ways.

    2) Give your customers a chance to personalise your paper models
    It’s like personalised gifts. A photo mug or personalised greeting card means much more than the physical product. If you can find a way to make custom, personalised items that people can buy as gifts for their loved ones, you would be able to tap into the huge birthday gifts, wedding gifts, and anniversary gifts market.

    3) Create a team
    Granted, this can be pretty darn difficult. But Walt Disney grew only after he shifted from an animator to an animating company. Ditto for every other ‘art company’. Start looking for other artists like you, and form a company. At the very least, you will have a million different ideas of growing and expanding your business. Imagine you are Steve Jobs, and keep looking for Jonathon Ive. 🙂

    Hope this helps.
    All the best!

    Cheers!
    Nirav

  10. Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions Nirav!
    1. Yes, I was discussing with my wife a couple of days ago about the idea of creating MH370, but I couldn’t think of what you have suggested. I think I have got the message you are trying to convey.

    2. Whenever I talk with a potential customer (didn’t meet many though), I stress upon this very fact that I will create a product as and how you want it to be. If you want me to create a bike with you sitting on it, I can do that! so, I am going to continue doing that 🙂

    3. Hmmm creating a team is a challenge but I completely understand the importance of it. To be very honest, I want to get recognized and then really think of collaborating with other artists / conducting workshops to teach etc. but not yet!

  11. You must be knowing this, still here is a place with wide audience for this work: https://www.facebook.com/itshandmade/

  12. Hi Atamjeet.

    Your work is awesome. Congratulations and all the very best. 

    Have sent you an email. look forward to hearing from you. 

    Sheetal Gandhi
    http://www.facebook.com/sbgcreations
    Stay Blessed

  13. Thanks for sharing the link, I will go through their page!

  14. Thanks Sheetal. I shall revert to you email soon!

  15. I’m not sure if someone has given this idea; but this is what I feel.

    Your best bet is to improve and grow your Youtube Channel. I’m damn sure there are many fanatics out there who would want to know how you do it. Not everything that we do need to be ‘sellable’; but the process it self could be monetized? the output of skateboarding isn’t worth anything; but teaching skateboarding definitely is :).

    So why don’t you look at it in way where your target market is not the people who want to buy it; but the people who want to do what you are doing? One great example for me is this person below…

    https://www.facebook.com/ben.heine.artist

    This artist overlays photographs with sketches; how would you monetize that? All he did was get his FB page popular and brands came forward to use his skills in way that popularizes their product.. So I guess what you are currently doing (Networking) should continue in full speed and 

    2. Make promotion of your Youtube channel your primary goal. Get some professional gadgets, recorders, lights (hardly costs 10-20k) and get started. Just to tell you; every 1000 views in youtube pays at least $5 to $10 and thats how we recover our ad spending from our youtube channel 🙂

    https://www.youtube.com/user/bonitobangalore

  16. A few things I can think of are:
    1) Popularize your youtube channel
    2) Create a game kit and you can retail it at landmark or something
    3) Your own workshops

    ai sure there are many others who have suggested the same y!

    Gd luck!

  17. At majesty your talent has on ly place at ILM industrial light and magic- the Jorge Lucas (Star Wars) company try and share your work at ILM ( just figure it out)

    About business idea- you can try n talk to all big movie and toys co may be they should make use.
    Eg Disney, Toys r Us ,American Greetings,Hasboro…( perhaps your skills and talent will not be rewarded in India)

    If you can convert DO IT YOURSELF kits and sell it Online
    All the best

  18. Atmajeet

    Your Logo shows your exceptional hidden talent in typography and Motion design what you may lack is design training. But you are so naturally gifted that two ways

    – make money from your coding and enroll your self with CalArts US get a design degree
    -you can make paper sculpture and sale in glass box Online , try and make more and more complex stuff( not that there is no body like in the world there are other paper artists too)
    May be people buy it

  19. Thanks for this amazing idea Sameer. Yes, a lot of people do ask me if I have uploaded any how to do videos on youtube and my answer is “yes, kind of” because my youtube channel does not look professional at all!

    I am going to clean up my channel and make it look attractive +  I am making a “About Atamjeet” video myself with stop motion animation kind of experimentation that will be up soon. So, let me set a target for myself to have a proper channel with good videos by 15th April! Thanks one again for this idea!

    Secondly, I kind of did something like ‘Ben Heine’ such that I carried my under construction paper model of Yamaha VMax to the Auto Expo and with special permission of Yamaha team (they were very kind), I could click some close-up pictures with that bike. Refer the below link to see that album! So, I am going to continue doing that in as and when I get a chance.

    https://www.facebook.com/AtamjeetPaperModels/posts/593225710770305

  20. Thanks for the suggestions Shilpi. I especially liked point #2, game kits is a good idea (I was thinking of making a chess board using paper) and would definitely plan to build one someday 🙂

  21. Thanks for your suggestions Ashwin! I must thank you for the ‘ILM’ idea, I just saw their work and I could totally relate my passion with what they are into. I am surely going to send them my portfolio.
    I am loving Rodinhood-ing 🙂

  22. My branding and logo is done by a very talented designer (and a dear friend) – Harmind Singh Arora
    And yes, that “May be people buy it” is the code that I am trying to decrypt 🙂 I am sure there are people who would love to buy it and I am very confident that I will find those people vey soon!

    Thanks!

  23. Nidhi, I must share this with you! I actually displayed all my Paper Models at the Auto Expo 2014 and I consider that to be the best experience and exposure I could ever get. Check out my Auto Expo story below:
    My Exhibition at the Auto Expo 2014

    Thanks! 

  24. Amarjeet ( by the way when I type your name iPad spell check gives a word ‘smartest’:))
    I would siggest you to log on RCindia a site we flyers are on, and display yr aircraft photo there.

    I would say if you make a large real size,objects 1:1/2 a commissioned work say a vintage car,
    You can talk to Top architect firms,Indian Navy,airforce also for paper models.

  25. Too to poohacha hua artist hai…how many years are in to this paper models?

  26. Let me refer you another such artist from Maharashtra Rajendra Gole ( he is on face book) a fine artist and miniature paper artist of high caliber refer his art on this link

    https://www.mid-day.com/articles/very-hatke-a-haat-for-a-cause/197275

    https://lite.epaper.timesofindia.com/mobile.aspx?article=yes&pageid=46&sectid=edid=&edlabel=TOIM&mydateHid=07-05-2011&pubname=&edname=&articleid=Ar04601&publabel=TOI

  27. Its been 10 years since I created my first Paper Model of ‘F4F Grumman Wildcat WWII airplane’

  28. Hi Atamjeet,

    I like your idea, but the only issue is I’m in Mumbai :). 

    A bit about me, I’m a foodie and a foodpreneur, I’m trying to run Veging, a pure veg cafe.

    Well I’m almost ready with my first oultet, and I had this idea clicking in my mind, if you can make the smaller or Nano versions of these product. 

    And can we get it delivered it to Mumbai, I superliked it, especially the Iron Man, can we do it with the batman mask and also with others.

    You can watsapp me on +91-9699-246-444.

    Regards,

    Karan Pandhi

    Founder Veging

    Tweet me @Karanp17

  29. Awesome work! 🙂

  30. Dear Atamjeet,

    Where is the BUY button?

    When will you start selling them?

    As fragile as they might be, you can charge for special packaging and cushioning.

    Please start selling small, simple and quick to make and easy to ship ones first!

    Keep rocking!

    🙂

  31. You got give them easy option to buy it at click of button, especially when they are in the ‘amazed’ mode of seeing your stuff first time. You could even have a nagging pop up on your site to encourage people to buy simple ones right now and gift to some of their facebook friends!

  33. Loved your work buddy , This is something really unique . You should open a store of your own ( Online and Offline ) as well . What you have is something really special and you should make a brand out of it .

    Spread awareness about your work on FB/Pinterest/Twitter etc. Get an online store going so that people can buy directly from there .

    I can help you in digital marketing for free ( Only if you are interested ) . Lets connect and get the ball rolling .

  34. Awesome and amazing work Atamjeet. Keep up the great work. Best wishes

  35. Thanks for the message Karan. Yes, the smaller versions could be made. Let me get in touch with you on whatsapp! Sorry for the late response!

  36. Thanks Rishi!

  37. hey no sorries Atamjeet, would be great to connect with you. 

    Do buzz 🙂 

  38. Hi Atmajeet. Read your post. Was swept off my feet by learning your journey from a teacher at Career Launcher to an IT professional to a Paper modelling artist and entrepreneur. Your work is simply awe inspiring, no wonder you are featured and appreciated at so many platforms. Also read comments, the ideas shared by people are really practical. Relating to something great done in history or personalizing them for people will boost your sales :). Great work, congrats.
    Actually I like making portraits, and like u, I work in IT industry. Reason of why I got attracted to your post was that you were able to convert your passion into a sustainable business :). Same is what I want from my life but have no clue on how to differentiate myself and scale. Would u be able to help :).

  40. Hello Asha,

    Hats off to Perzen for her achievement and Trh for getting things moving for Perzen. Similar is what I am looking for myself.

    From her posts I understood that putting my work on the platforms like fb, twitter will be the first step to market my art and make it salable. Also making the work related to history and personalized to customers is another great way to make it salable (Learnt from replies under Atmajeet’s post).  

    Actually I need to actually locate a road map to a successful career in this field. In fb I saw many pages where people have uploaded there work. I need to understand among all such beautiful artwork already available on net how can I make my work stand out and get valued in market. I would simply admit that ditching the financial expectations will not be possible for me. I somehow believe that our Bawi bride did not have to financially compete with her peers in her relations. But being a boy as a prime earner of my family I’ve always felt that competition right from the days when I was told to write IIT JEE exams and crack money pots for the name of the family J. So simply speaking I need help In building a  vision, finding a road map which if I pursue with complete honesty I will be able to achieve financial success. This fear/ doubt of earning less money is pushing away my passion L. Requesting your valued inputs on this.

    Currently I am just an amateur and all this brainstorming I am doing so that when I take the dive, I take in full confidence and don’t turn around in the middle due to any of the unattended doubts. 🙂

  41. alankar – pls feel free to create a post in ASK.

    let’s not hijack atamjeet’s post 🙂

  42. Oh right! That was a blunder. So sorry for that :(. Thanks for correction. Will post it on ASK 🙂 .

  43. THANK YOU everyone who suggested me to TEACH my art to others.  
    And so a workshop was planned and conducted and I received an overwhelming response. I really had no idea how fulfilling it could be to see a new generation of Paper Modelers.

    I have tried to make a video of my first experience of the Paper Modeling Workshop and these testimonials of the kids would tell you how much we all enjoyed the learning!

    https://www.facebook.com/AtamjeetPaperModels/posts/748539091905632

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