In the last month I decided to try my hand at a little bit of paper cutting, or scherenschnitte, after seeing a few artists’ work using only a piece of paper and a sharp implement. I started using my old exacto and ended up with three choice calluses on my thumb, pointer and middle finger. I have a pretty advanced callus on the side of my middle finger from years of drawing, but I must have completely melted my old one and rebuilt a better one because it was really really painful as it was healing! After popping down to my local Riot Arts & Crafts I got a new blade with a rubber handle which has helped heaps even though it doesn’t feel that much softer! I saw other artists had been using scissors so I bought myself some nice ergonomically friendly ones, but I haven’t had a chance to use them yet. Truth be told I’m so used to using a blade, I think that using scissors will be completely different.
This is one of my first attempts, but I used brown card… It was so thick and difficult to cut, so I couldn’t cut nice curves at all. It throws great shadows though!
I’ve made a couple of t-shirt designs out of some of these too! Check out definatalie.redbubble.com for more information and other designs (as well as my other drawings that you can buy as prints).
Red Bubble are offering free shipping until the 30th of October so get in before it ends and buy! buy! buy! Enter “100000masterpieces” at check out and shake your fist at the world’s economy.
Wow! No wonder you have calluses, these must have taken ages. They look fantastic – I especially like the ‘cupcake’ shirt design.