I've been wanting to try paper-cutting for a long while. It may have been an article I read about Elsa Mora, or maybe it was that youtube video I saw of the guy in the subway who will cut from a photo for $20. Whatever it was, the idea sat in the back of my mind and on the ever-growing list of things I want to try someday.
The Sketchbook Project started popping up on some of my favourite sites, and before I knew it, I was the proud owner of a Moleskine cahier, with it's very own barcode and a due date. I couldn't handle the pressure of 80 blank pages, so I cut the threads and removed them. In their place I stitched in a few sheets of cardstock. I won't call what I did 'bookbinding', but there was a needle and pearle cotton thread involved.
Then I set about the business of cutting. Aside from the hand cramps and finger spasms, attributed to holding an x-acto knife with a death grip for hours, it was fun! It was really more of an experiment, a way to try something I've wanted to, and with a commitment and a deadline so I couldn't just set it aside for too long, or bail altogether.
I managed The Little Mermaid and Hansel & Gretel, or something like them at least,
and I think they're alright. I may take another shot at this whole paper-cutting thing. I would love to have a shadow box full of layers of Marie Antoinette and her ladies with tables of macarons and flowers and cakes. I just need to learn how to hold that knife a little more relaxed next time!
