Masked Midnight Bandits

Im not entirely happy with this one. I think it needs some more work. But for now, Im just going to leave it as it is. 

While they may be a menace, raccoon babies sure are cute!

Ice, Snow, And Happy Feet

Penguins spend about half their lives on land, and half in the ocean. 

That's a pretty amazing thing.

A Heart Apart

Spring is here, which means that the flowers will be coming out soon...and so will the honey bees.

Ring Around The Doggie

Yellow and black labs chasing geese. 

I thought it would make a good frame for a photo.

My idea was to do something like this:

This is just a stock photo of a yellow lab (as if you couldn't tell).  

Mush! Mush!

In honor of the 2011 Iditarod (which is not getting enough press time, in my opinion) I present this paper cut:

Bull-headed Bullheads

Tada! The completed piece. It measures 20 x 30, took a couple of days, and is my largest piece to date. I plan on making more designs of this size very soon...but we shall see! The next step: finding/buying a frame.

The Hows and Whys of Paper Cutting

My first paper cut was for my friend, Sara. It was a cut of the Mad Hatter from 'Alice in Wonderland'. I realized after making it that I really love the process of paper cutting. It's one of the most satisfying forms of art because you can see how fast you are progressing. I have a hard time sticking to a piece if it takes me  weeks to complete. With paper cutting, your work evolves quickly (I have designed and made a paper cut in half an hour). And how cool is it that you start with a whole sheet of paper, cut away at it, and come out with a work of art? Its so simple!
Yes, it can be time consuming. It can also cause blisters (my sister guessed what her Christmas present was going to be because of the blisters on my fingers). You get frustrated when your knife slips, or you finish a piece only to then realize that you cut out an important part. But what art form doesnt have its frustrations?

Some of you have asked how I make my paper cuts, so I thought I would make this little illustrated guide on my process. I'm sure other paper cutters have different techniques, but this is the one that seems to work the best for me!

Pressing onwards...

Step 1: The Design

First I come up with my design. I drew this bullhead catfish on a piece of tracing paper and scanned it into my computer. It is important to constantly be thinking of your drawing as a paper cut as you work. What I mean by this is that a line drawn out in space, not connected to any other lines, will not work with paper cutting. Every line must be connected with another. 

Then I mess with it a bit in Photoshop until it is dark enough to easily see. I decided to make a repeating fish pattern based off of my drawing.

Step 2: Assembly

Next, I print out my design to the desired size. This one was fairly large, so I had to tile the image when printing it. Then I cut and taped sheets together so that it looked correct and lightly taped it to the sheet of paper to be cut. 

Step 3: Cutting

Then it's simple. Using an Exacto knife and a self-healing cutting mat, I start to cut out the design.

Yes, I look awful in this picture.

I like to hold the piece up as I work to see how it's progressing. Holding it in front of the light or against a white wall works well. 

The front...

and the back.

And that's it! Now go off and create paper cuts of your own. But make sure you send me a picture. I want to see what you come up with!

P.S. I just finished this fish cut. Expect a new blog post soon!

Got Milk? Got Inspiration?

Hey everyone! I just wanted to drop a quick note letting you know that because I am in the middle of my next paper project (the biggest one yet!!), and I am back at work, I haven't been able to put up any new posts. I am working on getting together a section on my blog explaining my process, the materials I use, etc., which a couple of you have asked for. So not to worry, I haven't forgotten!

Also, I need some help from you!

I work at a Swiss bakery, and I have been given the 'ok' to sell my work there (!). I am currently brainstorming for possible papercut ideas along a German/Swiss theme. Now your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to help me come up with some ideas! Anything and everything is welcome! Be my muses and help me get my creative juices flowing!

And something having nothing to do with paper cutting, a picture of me with my parent's new dog, Mischa.

P.S. I also added my e-mail address to the side bar on the right, in case you wanted to e-mail me your ideas rather than leave them as a comment. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Voyage To The Deep

After seeing a fish design I had made my uncle for Christmas, my mom requested that I make one for her of one of her favorite deep sea creatures. This was the end result: