THE ART OF THE PAPERCUT

A paper cut is a creative artistic design executed from paper with scissors or knives. It begins in the mind of its creator, sometimes inspired by nature, a pattern, photo or drawing: transferred to paper and then cut out. The artist can use a variety of scissors or x-acto knives to cut out areas of his design and when finished, affix it to a contrasting background.

I usually start my paper cut by carefully choosing a subject from many different sources that I have collected. My paper cut can come from photos, nature, drawings or copyright free materials that are offered both on the internet and at Dover Publications. I then try to determine the proper size for my paper cut.

I like to use x-acto knives because they give me the freedom I need for intricate cutouts in my paper cut. I glue the image onto my paper using rubber cement. When it dries I begin cutting from the inside to the outside so I don’t tear the small cutouts of my paper cut.

When the paper cut is finished, I carefully remove the paper I glued from the sheet I glued it on. I then will decide whether I want only a backing sheet, or will I add color or will I make it 3-dimensional by raising the paper cut above the backing sheet. When these elements are decided I then frame the paper cut with a mat frame and place it in a picture frame.