My favorite earlier posts were about paper cut art. It’s been awhile since I scoured the web and the galleries in my area for some fresh paper cut art. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there has been a surgeance of artists and new art. Here are a few of my favorites below. I wish you all a very happy Monday!
Artist Eiko Ojala via Ploom.tv
Artist Benja Harney via Paperform
Artist Sher Christopher
Scrapbooks etc.
This week has been a little hectic with catching up on work after coming back from my trip on Tuesday, but next week regular posts will once again resume. I cannot wait to share some of my favorite planners and journals I found in Boston last week too! Until then, I thought we could end the week with these lovely paper-cut art creations and the artists that I have come to adore. I hope you all enjoy your weekend!
Follow my Paper Cut Board on Pinterest here for more!
P.S. I have a Halloween Party this weekend and no costume, any ideas? (more…)
Bunting is one of those crafts where it is so versatile and used in everything from home decor, cake decorating, cards, to weddings and events. Did I mention it is also one of those cheap DIY ways to cover what was once a cold white wall or even outside patio? I love that you could use any type of material from fabric to paper and all don’t even have to match and can be in all different shapes to create a beautiful and whimsical piece that can be appreciated by all.
Laser Cut Bunting
Screen Printed Flags
Paper Bunting-Yellow
Paper Cut Banner Card
Made using 1 1/2″ wide circles cut from pages of Macbeth out of a vintage Shakespeare book, this garland also has circles of orange and light brown cardstock.
Black and Orange Circles Garland
Handmade Recycled Paper Heart Garland
Bunting Cards
Small-Circus Violet Printable Party
Small-Circus Violet Printable Party
Customizable Cake Bunting
Outside Bunting
And just because I love this image…
Inspiring
Note To Self: Will have to follow up with Bunting Part II. There are too many great ideas and images to just stop here.
Via:
Keep Calm And Pretend It's Not Monday
photo via Francesco Mugnai
Happy Monday everyone! Yes, I am trying to buy into the above statement. Mondays could feel overwhelming if you think of it as “you have four more days of work”. Monday’s Makers is all about productive people and creative ideas to help inspire us all or just to have some eye candy today 
. I came across this image on Francesco Mugnai’s blog and I am glad I did because he has a great post on How To Survive Monday Mornings with some other funny images here.
Marshal Alexander is a Dutch paper engineer who creates incredible papertoys and small paper scenes. I love his style and honestly anyone who can say they are a paper engineer is awesome in my book. His work has been shown in various books, magazines, and exhibitions. Check out his site for these fun FREE downloadable papertoys that you could start assembling today!
paperboy photo via nicepapertoys.com
xmas 2010 photo via nicepapertoys.com
Pop 3D
I first saw Marc’s work at the Wynwood Art Walk in downtown Miami. The Art walk is once a month located in the design district of Miami. All the galleries are open to the public (kinda like a pub crawl but rather art crawl!). I was having a great night already seeing all kinds of artist but was so happy and shocked to see a whole gallery display of paper arts. Marc’s work was something I had not seen before with the colors and illustrations. Usually I see black silhouettes in paper cut art, so his work was truly unique and amazing.
Monster Mash Print
The World View Print
Jessica Jones is a graphic and textile designer whose site is filled with all things inspiration and great DIY tutorials. She covers everything from DIY wedding ideas (Elizabeth are you reading this?), interior design, and my favorite paper crafts. You could find her portfolio here and her beautiful fabrics too here (hint hint Johanna).
I love this free download because of the message. I think this is great for around your office space or just to suprise your friend with. You can choose to print or cut out the lettering from this free PDF download.
DIY Compliment Bunting
DIY Compliment Bunting
Every time I discuss and continue my quest to find other paper arts, it is hard not to always come across paper flowers. I realized I had never really looked into it before and was surprised to see all the various takes artists have on them.
David Stark
I thought I had seen it all until I saw David Stark’s creations (hint hint Elizabeth). David Stark is an event planner extraordinaire and how he incorporates paper is genius. I found a great post on Demoiselle about how David turned 6,000 tons of paper into a beautiful and elaborate event. Read more about it here.
David also designed a pop up store/installation at the West Elm store in NYC to celebrate the launch of his new book, David Stark Design. The whole store was created out of paper. Check out more of it here
My Bohemian Summer has a different take on origami flower art and have made their own signature flower design. They make more than just flowers including wedding bouquets, favors,home decor and have been featured on many sites and wedding blogs.
April Showers
Spring Fling
Sing To Me Origami
I have talked about Leah Copplestone before and have even Featured her here. I love everything from her style, color choosings, and design.
Handmade Paper Flowers
For Japan
Omiyage is a great webshop for all Japanese paper crafts and other fun finds. On their blog I found these beautiful cherry blossoms and the how to on their site here. A cherry blossom is the flower of the cherry tree known as Sakura and Kirigami is the art of cutting paper.
DIY Sakura Kirigami
All Resources:
Couple on Bikes Handcut Paper Silhouettes
I believe I described PapercutsbyJoe by saying his pictures say it all and to quote myself from before, “he is the master, and each of his pieces is hand-cut from a single piece of black paper.” I still don’t really have words to describe his work except awe-inspiring. Even if you did not know his pieces were hand-cut from a single piece of black paper, you would still be mesmerized by solely his silhouettes. He takes everyday aspects from nature and architecture and turns it into a work of art. It is as if you are looking at this everyday object for the first time.
Name: Joe Bagley
Age: 26
Location: Boston
Is this a fulltime business for you?
Yes, I’ve been papercutting full time since the fall of 2008
Why do you choose paper as your median?
I think I just enjoy the fact that people are impressed when you make something from paper. It’s a very common material, so whenever it is transformed into something beautiful or complicated, it gets a great reaction from others.
Octopus Handcut Paper Silhouette
Penny Farthing Bicycle
What led you to this?
This started as a hobby when I was 10 having first done it at a summer art program. I really enjoyed working with the sharp knives, and I kept up the hobby for years. A few years ago I started trying to make my own designs and it just grew from there.
Do you ever feel “artist’s block”, and if so how do you overcome it?
YES! I tend to work in big bursts of manic excitement and enthusiasm. I get ideas, crank out a bunch of designs and then I feel mentally empty and kind of let things go on their own for a while while I wait for the next burst of inspiration. I regularly have worries that I’ll never have a good idea again. Sometimes it’s just seeing something on the street or at a museum that gets my creativity going. A recent trip to a Natural History museum broke a long dry spell and I now have over a dozen bug and animal designs that I am really proud of. I designed them all in one day, and cut them for the etsy listings over a few days.
How would you describe your style?
I would call it the New American Style of Papercutting. Basically I invented itJ It’s hyper realistic and emphasizes the difficult areas of a design rather than pass over them or avoid them like traditional papercutting. Basically it’s creating the largest most detailed designs I can possibly do with paper.
Who are some of your favorite artists and sites?
I really like Roa, Alexander McQueen, Dali, Shepard Fairey, Tord Boontje, bansky, Lady Gaga, anyone that just goes for it.
Bow-24x18 Original
Boston City Hall
What makes you unique?
I hope I’ve raised the bar for all papercutters. And if I haven’t yet, I still plan to do so. I sell mostly small simplified silhouettes on etsy, mostly because they are affordable, but my large pieces have 10,000+ holes in them and have been shown in numerous galleries. Nobody has come close to doing the types of designs I do with nature and architecture.
To see more of Joe’s work:
Blog:
http://www.papercutsbyjoe.blogspot.com/
Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/people/papercutsbyjoe?ref=ls_profile
Stacks-Paper Art Print
I don’t know if I have discussed this previously, but I am partially colorblind (lucky me!). I find that because of this I have always been drawn to the kind of dark, more whimsical pieces of art since the color schemes and illustrations stand out best to my eye. This is why I was initially captivated by the pieces of work by Rural Pearl (I have the piece above!). Angie Pickman is a full-time artist, not only creating one-of-a-kind works for individuals but also putting commercial work in the mix. When I envision what a true artist embodies, she definitely comes to mind. She definitely lives in all aspects as an artist from the house in which she lives, to her creative space, and how she gains inspiration for all her works!
Name: Angie Pickman
Age: 31
Location: Atchison, Kansas
Is this a full-time business for you?
I do cut paper art full-time. I sell my work online, at art fairs, exhibits, and through commissions. I also do illustration and commercial work and have a few licensing deals.
Tea Party
Why do you choose paper as your median?
Between all the art forms that I’ve experimented with, cutting paper has felt the most natural to me. I love the the boldness and subtlety of it. Your mind almost has to fill in some of the details when you have a black (or solid color) image without light and shadows, and I think that can help the viewer relate to it more because they’re more able to tie their own experiences into it when their mind is filling in the details.
What led you to this?
I was attracted to cut paper art while watching Lotte Reiniger’s stop-motion silhouette animation “The Adventures of Prince Achmed” from 1926. It was like a punch in the face. At the moment I started watching that film, I knew that’s what I wanted to do, so I initially started practicing by making cut paper silhouette animations. I still like to play around with animation, but 2D still art has become what I make mostly.
Shelter Eachother
Do you ever feel “artist’s block”, and if so how do you overcome it?
I don’t know if I’d call it artist’s block, but I definitely have slumps that I think are usually caused by other distractions in life. I try to keep believing that there are no limits to ideas, and when I’m in a slump (that can last for weeks if I’m not careful!) I try to get outside and breathe fresh air, get some exercise and regain focus on the things that matter most to me — one of which is my artwork.
How would you describe your style
I’d describe my style as .. hmm.. contemplative whimsy
Who are some of your favorite artists and sites?
The artists that have had the biggest impact on me are David Weidman, Walter Henry Williams, Lotte Reiniger & Victor Moscoso. I’m not a great resource for website recommendations, but do I enjoy checking out Grain Edit from time to time. I love art from the 50s, 60s, & 70s, and Grain Edit does a great job featuring it as well as contemporary artists who are inspired from that era.
Our Town
What makes you unique?
I think we’re all unique in our own ways.. I don’t know if I can pinpoint my ways, but I know they’re there..
Any small ideas you can include to help others create something small and from the heart?
When I really started to dig my heels into making art, I found myself looking at a lot of other artists’ work and trying to emulate it.. And that was frustrating to me because I never felt as good as them and I also wanted something of my own. I ended up sort of closing myself off from the world for awhile and just trying to form ideas and make them into something without looking at external things that might infiltrate what I was doing. And I think that’s how I developed my own style. Now I can look to other artists for inspiration and feel confident enough in my own style to use that inspiration to make something of my own. Most of the things that I make are based off of simple ideas and beliefs that are important to me. I try to keep some sort of emotional aspect in everything I do. And I try to trust my gut. When something feels right, I go for it. If it doesn’t, I keep shaping it until it does.
Rose Tree
Any other products you are working on you can share!
I’m just getting back into making animations after a long break from it and it’s been a lot of fun. I love giving life to images. They are very simple and low-fi, and sometimes a little weird. It’s nice to have other creative outlets– it helps to keep everything fresh.
To view:
I love other artists’ creative space, could you share yours?
I work from home in a very old house that my great-great grandfather built. There’s a blanket over the windows to keep the winter wind from seeping in and to give me some extra darkness when I make my little animations on my light box. And I always have to be surrounded by books.. I love books!
Angie Pickman's creative space
To view more of Angie’s work:
http://www.ruralpearl.com/blog
Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/ruralpearl
Other Resources of hers:
LBCpaper
When I initially started researching into Papercutting, LBC Paper was one of the first places I began with. I knew the person behind these creations had to be fun and creative! Her name is Leah Copplestone and I was completely right about this when I connected with her. I knew her Q&A would be fun and resourceful but I did not begin to imagine how admirable her background story would be. She had found this art form through a hard time in her life. She was a star athlete and because of a severe injury, she then had to take a leave from school and field hockey. A lot of times, when we focus all our efforts into one passion and we hit tribulations, we sometimes think it is the end because we cannot see the reason for this and we did not think about ever doing anything else. However, this was not the case with Leah. She understood the struggle she was faced and still found a way to focus her creativity into positivity. She did this through placing the energy she still had in Papercutting and finding a community on her online store through Etsy. Not only is it admirable but it goes to show you that sometimes things do happen in life and you might have to go another angle but you will always come out for the better.
Name: Leah Copplestone
Age: 21
Location: Roanoke, VA.
What led you to this?
I went to the University of Mary Washington to play field hockey. By the end of my sophomore season at UMW I had developed an athletic overuse injury so advanced it was becoming difficult for me to walk. A couple months later it was necessary for me to put school on hold in order to save my limbs, which have indeed been saved, but the overuse injury (Compartment Syndrome) caused extreme nerve damage throughout both my legs and I now have Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, which is a chronic neurological pain disease. As soon as my health stabilizes I will be transferring to Boston Architectural College. My Etsy shop (LBCpaper) is how I keep myself busy while finding a long-term treatment for CRPS.
LBCpaper Paper Ornaments
How would you describe your style?
I like simple things, geometry, bright and strong colors. I like straight lines and squiggly lines, but straight ones are my favorite! Sometimes I get close to retro but most of the time it consists of anything geometric, but it is still dependent upon my mood.
Do you ever feel “artist’s block”, and if so how do you overcome it?
I get artist’s block all the time. When that happens I browse through my favorite Etsy shops looking for inspiration. I doodle all over everything with my colorful fine-point Sharpies. I make lists of ideas. In extreme cases I force myself to spend an entire day away from paper and Etsy so that I can refresh my mind and restart with completely new thoughts.
LBCpaper Valentine's Day
What makes you unique?
I am unique because I am in a really weird place in my life right now. The only reason I ever started playing with paper was that I was physically unable to do anything other than sit all day long (which was boring). There is no cure for the nerve disease I have so I’ve gone through a lot of different surgeries and treatments in the two years I’ve been away from school. Paper has kept me sane. Very quickly I went from running faster than the average cheetah to being unable to walk. My extra energy goes into paper. I love the creativity that is now a part of my life but I hope very much that one day I’ll be able to lay down the scissors and go for a run.
Who are some of your favorite artists and sites?
Favorite Etsy shops (long list but I visit all of these pretty much daily): JennSki, the merriweather council, artquirk, inaluxe, paintsquare, cottonmonster, lamarquisedesanges, EightSeasons, focuslineart, thebigharumph, lauraamiss, blancucha, littlehouses, ArtMind.
What sites do you contribute to?
I am a regular contributor for The Handmade Gift Guide, which is an amazing blog run by an amazing lady who has an amazing taste for handmade goods.
Any small ideas you can include to help others create something small and from the heart?
It will only be from the heart if you’re excited about it. If your excitement is your motivation you will love the outcome. It’s okay to make things for other reasons, like for work or school or for profit, but you’ll never love those items as much as you love the straight-from-excitement items. My most favorite pieces are things I make as a gift with a specific person in mind. You don’t need to know what the piece will look like in the end but if you know what you’re going to do with it all the pieces, it will fall into place.
Leah also include a few little extra goodies on how to try this for yourself!
How to Play Like Leah Copplestone:
LBCpaper
Pick a simple and recognizable image. Raindrops, apple, fork, tree, house, arrow. Anything that can be recognized two-dimensionally. OR pick a shape. You can make up a shape. It can just be a blob. Pick your color scheme. Pick your background color. Take your image or shape and cut it out from several differently colored pieces of paper (I usually make a tracer out of a piece of scrap paper and just trace that many times). Arrange all your cut-outs into a pattern. It doesn’t have to be anything exact, things can just be placed randomly. For the piece above I randomly arranged forks, knives and spoons.
Creating a Simple Greeting Card:
This is how I make some of my favorite simple greeting cards: pick a piece of paper for the card itself. Cut it to measure 8” by 5.5”. Fold it in half so that you have a card measuring 4” wide by 5.5” tall (that’s my favorite size for a card). Pick out several pieces of paper that are all different colors. Cut a few strips from each piece of paper, maybe four or five. Make the strips long enough to cover the width of the cover of your card (so about 4”) and about ¼” wide, but you do not need to be exact and you don’t even have to cut in perfectly straight lines. Glue each strip horizontally to the cover of your card, leaving just a tiny bit of space between each one. Place the different colors randomly or in a pattern (I like placing them randomly). Use as little glue as possible. If your strips are longer than the width of the card you can snip the edges to fit. The outcome will be like this:
LBCpaper Greeting Card
To see more of Leah’s Work:
Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/people/LBCpaper?ref=ls_profile
The Handmade Gift Guide: http://www.thehandmadegiftguide.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/lbcpaper
I discussed before that I am working on some homemade Valentine’s Day cards for my boyfriend. I am making a few of them just for you readers to see! I have been working with a few techniques, one of which is papercutting. When I say I am attempting papercutting, it definitely means I am working in the most remedial of ways. I find papercutting to be as awe-inspiring as a painting. The detail and craft one must possess for it is incredible. Some people use multiple pieces for this and other artist use only one. Papercrafting doesn’t have to be intimidating either. It could basically mean pasting pieces on to pieces. See, no big deal! There are a few artists that I follow because it gives me ideas and well, I just want everything.
I first discovered papercutting through PapercutsbyJoe. The pictures below say it all. He is the master and each of his pieces is hand-cut from a single piece of black paper. They are one-of-a-kinds and are truly magical. My favorites are his bicycle pieces. How beautiful would one be framed in my office your house!
First Anniversary Gift Paper Couple on Bikes
Mustache Triptych three
Stilleto Silhouette
Handcut Octopus
Leah Copplestone is the brains behind LBCpaper. She attends Boston Architectural College and you could tell that her love of structure definitely influences her shapes. I enjoy her use of colors and especially her paper ornaments. She uses multiple pieces of paper to create her pieces. Leah makes everything from magnets, cards, gift tags, and my favorite journals! A handmade papercut journal is the only kind I yet to have. Yes, I am a journal hoarder.
LBC Paper
LBCpaper Ornaments
LBCpaper Handmade Stationary
Tina Tarnoffs papercuts I find to be very whimsical and appreciate the depth of them. She also includes prints of her handmade papercut images in her jewelry. You can love papercuts and wear it too! (dorky of me I know) She designs necklaces, chokers, and brooches. They truly are unique.
Autumn Kiss
Words of Wisdom
Autumn Kiss Choker Necklace
Insect Specimen Brooch
Back Where You Belong Earrings
Via:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/papercutsbyjoe
http://www.etsy.com/people/LBCpaper?ref=ls_profile
http://www.etsy.com/shop/tinatarnoff
I am 8Balloons curator Julie Reif and I love all things paper and other beautiful creations. I am not the artist but rather the admirer. read more...
My Bohemian Summer
