Paper cutting is an absolutely brilliant hobby for those wanting to learn something a little different that can be done in the comfort of your own home.
It’s a beautiful artwork with minimal supplies which you can frame and keep
Supplies for paper cutting
Craft knife or scalpel and blades, one with a fine point.
11A Excel surgical blades and knife. Plenty of spare blades and a disposal box.
Self-healing cutting mat A4 or A4 depending upon your artwork.
Cardstock
This is personal preference. Some cutters use thin paper, which is easier to cut but considerably more delicate and more prone to tears, while some prefer a thicker card stock although these will blunt your blade quicker and take more effort to cut neatly. My favourite papers tend to be around 130gsm but I’d say anything from there up to 160gsm is a good start.
Templates
There are so many websites offering templates now it can often be hard to find one you like and that matches your skill level. However, Design Bundles offer a fantastic selection of paper cutting templates from a wide range of designers all at reasonable prices.
Ideally take a pdf, png or jpeg file as these don’t require any special software to open and print although they will not be editable.
Or you can download line art images of your choice for paper cutting.
Printer
To print your beautiful paper cut templates! Remember that templates get printed backwards as you work from the back of the paper so no marks are left on the front of the artwork itself, so print on the reverse of any one sided papers (some pearlescent or black papers will have a grey, white or plain reverse side, this is the side you want to print on). It also means any text will be printed backwards and this is completely normal!
Items not required but nice to have:
Coloured paper for infills and a glue stick
Infilling is when you cut and glue coloured paper to the back of your paper cut to ‘infill’ some of the holes. It’s a great way of adding colour and depth to your artwork and it looks super fancy.
Acetate
A clear sheet of acetate can be placed behind your paper cut during framing just to add a little more structure to it or if it’s a ‘floating’ piece which doesn’t touch your frame at all.
Now you’re ready to go!
The Process – Paper Cutting
Print your template, set up your work area and get going. Start with small details first, then curves, then straight lines. Take it slow and don’t press too hard as you will dull your blade on the cutting mat itself. It’ll take a little while for your first try but by the end, you’ll have a piece of art you can be proud of.
Thank you for Reference:
PAPER CUTTING: Introduction to Paper Cutting with Grace Hart – Part 1
https://youtu.be/sl2WcHgoXE0
PAPER CUTTING: Introduction to Paper Cutting with Grace Hart – Part 2