Category: Paper

Paper Cut: Mapping Out New Work

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I’ve never been much of a sketcher of ideas, but lately this seems to work well when it comes to working on new paper cut designs in my sketchbook. But instead of a pencil I work with an exacto blade.

Sketchbook Page

The top image is of the sketchbook work, and the bottom image is of a “paper test” on a scrap piece of map.

Paper cut map

I really want to work with recycled/reclaimed paper and since I recently acquired a pile of large topographic maps, this is the paper I hope to work with going forward with the paper cuts. I really like the combination of materials and design, and the paper the map is printed upon is fairly decent to work with.

Work-In-Progress Paper Cut

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Last week I mentioned beginning work on larger paper cut work, and this is the second of the two. The paper size is approximately 19″ x 24″ and is a thinner stock than the grey paper I was working with last week to create the flower shaped paper cut.

I’m enjoying working with the basic crescent shape and having the design flow around the page. Sometimes they become tornados, then seashells, and morph into imaginary microscopic organisms.

When I’d cut away about a quarter of the paper I came close to calling it quits because it seemed like an impossible amount of surface area to work with. I was overwhelmed because I don’t normally work this large. I’ve managed to push past that phase and will obsessively cut away paper until I reach the end.

Paper Cutting and Working Larger

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For the past month I’ve been creating small paper cut designs to practise and refine my technique. This week I wanted to begin working larger but I wasn’t sure about exactly what I wanted to do, so I started playing around with ideas in my sketchbook. It seems funny to use a sketchbook for paper cutting instead of drawing but it did lead me in the right direction.

I went with smaller cuts to create a more intricate design. The image below is the one I created in my sketchbook

Work in progress - Paper cut in sketchbook

I took the same design and began working on a grey piece of paper that proved to be ridiculously hard on the hands to work with. It’s a thicker stock than I’ve worked with previously and it wore through numerous blades and exhausted my fingers. I’d originally intended to cut the whole piece of paper, but I’m going to leave it as it is and move on to something else.

Paper cut work in progress

Finished paper cut design

This is the final design with seven flowers. I’m thinking about cutting away most of the rest of the paper so there is just a thin outline of grey around the main design. Hopefully my fingers can withstand it.

Next up: going even larger (but with thinner paper)…

More Paper Cut Designs

The paper cutting has continued, though I’ve slowed down a bit this week to concentrated on making a series of small collages. I owe a debt of gratitude to the Sketchbook Project for inspiring new work in a few different directions. These are my favourite recent designs, all of which were created on 9.75″ x 6.75″ sized paper.

Paper cuts

Paper cuts-10

Paper cuts-7

Paper cuts designs

While I’ve been enjoying the process because it feels quite meditative, I’m reaching the point where I want to create a finished piece. But I haven’t quite figured out the form this will take because I still have so many ideas to explore.

Obsessed with Cutting Paper

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The paper cutting obsession, which started with the Sketchbook Project, continues on. Tiny pieces of cut paper and worn out blades are starting to pile up around here, but I’m learning much in the process. These are three of the most recent ones I’ve made using a pack of coloured paper picked up at Yoko Yaya.

Paper Cutting

I like the process of making these designs because it’s loose, flowing and spontaneous. I grab a piece of paper, decide upon a single shape as a starting point for the design, and then start cutting. I try not to over think things and just let the design flow across the page. It’s a wonderfully meditative process.

Paper Cutting

Paper Cutting

All three of the paper cuts featured here are 5″x7″, and took between one to two hours to create. I want to go larger with these and also play around with layering a few of them together within a frame.