How to create paper cut art
Learning the craft of paper cut art is quite simple. A few simple techniques need to be learned and practiced and you can be on your way. Here you will learn to:
- Hold the knife properly.
- Insert the knife and pull it correctly.
- Cut straight and curved lines.
- Color your background.
- Put it all together.
Use extreme caution and supervise children at all times.
Holding the knife, Making the cut:
Hold the knife in a comfortable pen position, preferably with the index finger on top.
Make sure that the sharp side of the blade is facing downward.
The knife should be held at a 25°-30° angle off the paper
Position the paper so that you pull the knife towards yourself when cutting. Insert the knife completely into the paper at the beginning of the line that you wish to cut. Pull the knife towards you until you reach the end of the line that you are cutting. Remove your knife from the paper.
When the line changes direction, turn the paper so that you will pull the knife towards you when cutting.
It is sometimes helpful to cut long straight lines using a metal ruler. Line up the ruler with the left side of the line. (Line the ruler up with the right side of the line if you are left-handed.) Hold the ruler down tightly and gently score the paper alongside the ruler.
Cut the score line by inserting the knife all the way through the paper at the insertion point at the beginning of the line. This method of scoring and cutting prevents the ruler from sliding during the actual cut.
Cutting on a curve:
To cut a curve, position the paper so that you will pull the knife towards yourself. Insert the knife completely into the paper at the beginning of the line that you wish to begin your cut. Pull the knife around the curve until the knife becomes awkward to pull. Do not remove the knife from the paper.
While holding the knife, turn the paper so that you will pull the knife towards you again when cutting. Pull the knife around the curve until you either need to turn the paper again or until you finish the curve segment. Then remove the knife from the paper.
To remove the cut out shapes, insert the knife slightly into the center of the shape and tug gently. If the shape does not come away easily, DO NOT PULL IT.
When tugging, observe where it is attached and re-cut those areas. Usually, the shape is still attached at a corner. If this is the case, re-cut the corner slightly past the corner point, and then remove the shape.
If your papercut kit comes with a plaque that has a printed saying on it, cut out the plaque inside the border lines.
After the papercut is completely cut out, turn it over on a dark surface, such as your cutting board. Check it for imperfections such as snags, pulls and uneven cuts. These imperfections are easy to repair from the front of the papercut by shaving them away with a new sharp blade.
Creating the background:
Before doing any pastel work, move the completed papercut to a clean storage area, far away from anyone working with pastels. You may wish to use disposable gloves to keep your hands clean.
Practice using pastels on a plain white paper. Draw smooth areas of color using the flat sides of the pastel chalk, not the ends. It is important to create soft blended colors for the background of your papercut. 
Blended areas are achieved by softly blending the edges of adjacent areas of color together with your fingers.
Hard lines and stripes interfere with the papercut image and should be avoided.
When your pastel is finished, blow off the excess pastel dust.
With clean hands, gently lay your papercut with the WRONG SIDE DOWN on the pastel background to check how it looks. You want to make sure to keep the front of your papercut clean. Check the background for the following adjustments:
- Is there enough color?
- Should the colors be blended further?
- Are there blank areas to be filled in?
- The colors should be extended over the edges of the border
Put away the papercut before actually making any adjustments to your background to keep it clean.
If your kit comes with a plaque, color it to match the background. Color very lightly over the words.
Finishing your paper cut art:
In a well ventilated area, lay the pastel background sheet face-up on a large sheet of newsprint.
Spray one blast of fixative off to the side to clear the nozzle.
Prepare a clean work area to assemble your papercut and a clean sheet of paper to press it together with.
Holding the can about 12 inches from the paper, spray the background sheet in a sweeping motion across the paper going back and forth. Spray the plaque as well in the same manner.Let them dry.
Do not reuse the newsprint from previous steps because you want to ensure that your papercut remains clean.
Spray adhesive on the BACK of your papercut (and your saying, if included) in the same manner that you sprayed the fixative on the background .Spray the plaque as well in the same manner.
The adhesive needs to sit about 1 to 2 minutes after spraying to become tacky (not sticky) so that the papercut can be repositioned, if necessary, before attaching it to the background.
Bring the papercut to your work area and carefully lay it down over the pastel background. Check that it lines up correctly. You may reposition the background as necessary.
Lay the clean sheet of paper over the front of the papercut and press down all over to glue the papercut to the background. Rub it down and remove the sheet of paper.
If your papercut comes with a plaque, place it onto the blank area of the front of the papercut. Carefully line it up. Place a different clean sheet of paper over the front of the papercut and press down all over the saying to glue it to the papercut
Sign you art!
Some helpful tips:
- Always use a fresh sharp blade
- Make sure you insert the knife completely through the paper
- Cut the smallest areas first, large areas last.
- Use a fresh sheet of newspaper under the papercut and background for fixative and adhesive sprays.
- If any pastel or dirt gets on the papercut, use a kneaded eraser to gently rub it off or scrape gently with the flat side of the blade.
- If your knife should cut through to an ajoining area, put a piece of clear tape over the cut and cut away the extra tape with the knife.
