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Paper prop making is a job for illustrator across two main industries: film and TV, and advertising; it is a branch of illustration that is more three dimensional compared to other illustrative focuses. For film, paper props often consist of books and documents, sometimes branching into packaging for prop products, it is important that these look appropriately weathered for their purpose and are as accurate as possible when imitating official documents or historical print. In advertising paper prop making tends to be three dimensional works of paper construction or layering, consisting of models, structures or scenes of finely cut and folded paper and card.

Ross Macdonald is a prominent name in illustration-based prop making and has created hundreds of props for dozens of films and tv projects. His most famous prop is the Book of Secrets that was created for the National Treasure films, while other notable props include leather bound books for Shazam Fury of the Gods, a town charter for Parks and Rec and John Wick’s calling card. However, most props he makes are given far less pride of place. Creating documents and wanted posters as well as matchbooks and productions of historically accurate books and newspapers. Macdonald is a prop maker who enjoys the history of printing and as such aims and achieves great historical accuracy in his work, as such he has made a name for himself in the industry.

Annie Atkins is a graphic designer who does some work on paper props for film and TV, she got her start in the industry straight after graduation with a job on the third series of The Tudors as a full-time graphic designer for the set. She specialises in period type work in documents and signage, particularly “creating lettering that looks like it was printed up by a layperson rather than a professional designer”, which is a difficult job as a designer to work against their own learning, and instead research how such a task would have been achieved in the period the prop is imitating and attempting to replicate this. Atkins is best known for her work with Wes Anderson on The Grand Budapest Hotel carefully curating the props for accuracy and aesthetic.