Paper Cutting

I got the chance to spend one lovely evening at the Make Lounge in Islington with the great illustrator Poppy Chancellor and learn the art of paper cutting. Since I grew up in Switzerland I had seen paper cuttings before, though the black and white designs of cows and chickens were not at all what I saw in this class!

Examples from the Make Lounge

Just by using multicolored origami paper, a scalpel knife and a pencil, Poppy showed us how to turn simple designs into amazing art. Paper cutting has been present throughout history in Mexico, China and northern Europe, though the techniques have changed throughout countries and time.

When you first begin it is probably best to use a ready made template which isn't too complicated, which is how the class at the Make Lounge started. Placing the template on a cutting board so you won't ruin your lovely table, begin by using the scalpel and cutting out along the lines of the template. Then, once you feel like you've had enough practice and feel comfortable, you can begin to make your own designs!

It was such a good template until I made a tiny mistake..

Taking one origami sheet remember to flip it over! That way, any scruffy parts will be on the back of the final picture.  However, unlike what I did in the above photo, remember if you want writing you should flip it over! Otherwise when you turn the paper over the writing will be backwards.

There we go!

 

 

 

Just from the inside out, starting with the smallest and most delicate parts. Finally, when you flip it over, it should look like this:

For my template in the class I did a mix of the two, and here is what I got! When you're finished put some craft glue on the main corners and mount it onto some card stock, and you have a modern version of the folk art of paper cutting.

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