Miriam, here is a paper piecing pattern picture:
http://ts4.mm.bing.net/th?id=H.49008...19631&pid=15.1
The areas on the paper are numbered in order of the seams to be sewn. Paper pieced blocks can be very detailed, and rather than cutting tiny pieces of fabric, rough cut pieces of fabric are used similar to a "sew and flip" method with trimming after sewing.