64 Arts

Intro to Scherenschnitte

64 Arts

Did you get creative with the scissors this weekend? Well, now it’s time to break out the craft knives.

At a book festival a few years ago I came across a woman working on a beautiful Ketubah (Jewish marriage contract). The artist specialized in intricate paper-cut borders and it was just amazing to watch her work. Ever since then I’ve been fascinated by the paper cutting that also goes by the name Scherenschnitte.

Spring Flight by Scraps

Scherenschnitte (pronounced sharon-sh-net or sharon-sh-net-eh, depending on the country) is deceptively simple. It’s sort of like that old saying of the sculptor who takes a block of marble and removes what doesn’t belong. In paper cutting you just remove what isn’t a part of your picture.

In order to have the best look on the front, it’s best to draw or print your design on the back of your paper. Remember to reverse any words your using unless you plan for folks to read it in a mirror!

Just like the paperdoll style we talked about last week, you have to make sure everything is connected within your design, so get creative with your connectors. In the picture to the left I used bands of sunlight to keep my bird in place.

You can see my step-by-step process for “Spring Flight” over at eHow.com.

Paper cuts can add a really elegant touch to your home when framed for decor or bring a smile to a friend’s face if used as a card. They can be fun or formal, and tomorrow I’ll share some of my favorite resources and blogs that use Scherenschnitte in amazing ways!

Cunning with Scissors

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(that’s me trying to be cute–is it working? lol)

When’s the last time you folded up a piece of paper and cut out a string of paper dolls? Come to think of it, have you ever?

I know I haven’t done that in ages, but while brainstorming “cutting paper” it was the next thing to come to mind after yesterday’s eyebrow templates. And, sure, it’s a bit old-fashioned and all but I think there’s some serious potential left in this forgotten rainy-day project.

Time to put on the thinking-tiara! (I’m not really a hat type of girl)

First, let’s look at the basic mechanics of this art:

  • Long piece of paper (or short pieces connected) folded accordion style
  • A design that extends just off the folded edges in at least one place per side
  • Simple designs that work well repeated

Symmetrical designs work really great (like the paper doll) because every other panel is going to be backwards. This is why words are kinda tough to do unless you’re dealing with a palindrome (wow, for instance, would be fun because it reads the same pretty much any way except upside down, then it’s mom and, well, depending on the application that could work, too!).

Besides being something like a magic trick to little ones (viola! a string of shapes from just a few cuts!), what practical applications are there for these things?

  • Party decorations–either suspended across doorways or hanging down in the windows
  • Table decorations–spruce up your disposable tablecloth by accordion folding it and cutting out a patter of the lower 6 inches or so!
  • Wrapping decorations–a little craft spray and it can dress up any package wrapped with plain paper (wrapping paper, because it already comes in long lengths, works great for paper garlands, too)
  • Modern art–use some fun papers and place them in an inexpensive frame for some unique wall art
  • Clothing mods–use fabric and pinking shears (or felt and regular scissors) to make a fun border for hems, necklines or totes
  • Shaped cards–use a large design with at least 3 panels and make a card that can stand up on a desk or mantle; an egg-shaped card would be perfect for the upcoming holiday!

What other ways could this technique be used? I’m sure I’ve only scratched the surface!

the 5th Art: Cutouts

64 Arts

Cutting out small stencils from paper or peel for marking the forehead or other parts of the body with patterns.

You know what this makes me think of? Eyebrows.

Momma is the type to sit (for what seems like hours) and pluck pluck pluck her eyebrows into neat lines. Me? I don’t have the patience. I groom as necessary but I’ll invariably spend too much time on one and be exhausted before I can even get to the other.

Please, someone, tell me you do this, too?

I’ve tried a bunch of shortcuts, too. Those pre-cut eyebrow wax strips? Never fit my face, always needed to be trimmed. So I moved to the ones that came in the square strips since I’d have to cut them anyway.

Folks, when they say not to rewax the same place twice on the same night, please listen. For the love of all that’s good, do NOT rewax your brow ridge twice in one night to catch those few stray hairs. They’re not trying to make you walk around semi-unkempt, they’re trying to avoid potential lawsuits you ripping a few layers of skin off on that second pass. And that hurts. A lot. For about a week.

So, thanks to my German heritage, I just deal with the Brooke Sheilds-look and let my glasses distract.

For the record, the one time I had my brows waxed professionally I was broken-out for a full week. My skin and wax just don’t mix.

Anyway! Getting somewhere near the topic at hand.

Have you seen those plastic eyebrow guides? I can’t tell if they’re throw-backs to the era of drawn-on eyebrows (hello, Joan Crawford eyes!) or something “new” (no such thing, really, but you know what I mean). I understand what they’re trying to do, but I think it’s kinda far-fetched to spend $20 on a set of templates to shape a statement of your face that isn’t even fitted to the canvas, you know?

We’re not one size fits all. We’re not even symmetrical, generally. The most beautiful things about a person are the little quirks (physical or otherwise) that make us individuals. Which is why I like the idea of, if you must have a template, making one yourself (easy instructions over at the Makeup Files).

There are other fun ways to use stencils for body art. Simple stencils can be used to aid in face painting for young ones (or those young at heart) or for temporary tattoos for a fun night out. While you can purchase plenty of ready-made stencils in a variety of designs, making your own is fairly simple as well.

Things to consider:

  • Stencils should be flexible to easily wrap around curves of the body
  • Acetate sheets will last longer than paper ones
  • Clean lines are easier to follow, so use a fresh craft blade or heated stencil cutter for the best results
  • Paints, pencils and powders should all be safe for use on skin (and keep in mind that lipstick, while handy, can really clog your pores so make sure to use it sparingly away from the lips and thoroughly wash it all off as soon as possible)

So, whether you intent is frivolity or allure, have fun with it! Tomorrow we’ll get into some different cutout projects that have nothing to do with face paint or eyebrows 😉

From Stick to Chick

64 Arts

aka: How to go from drawing stick figures to drawing people.

That’s right, folks, I’ve put together a handy little exercise for those who think they can’t draw! I was working on these examples and a few other things as I was getting my oil changed this morning (gotta love being able to sit in your car while the SuperLube guys take care of everything else) and the mechanic noticed my scribblings.

‘Did you draw that?’
‘Uh, yes?’ (sketch pad propped up on steering wheel, pencil in hand…)
‘Wow, that’s nice, I can’t draw blood with a razor.’

I had to laugh at that one–hadn’t heard that particular phrase before. Incidentally this was while I was working on a different sketch, I doubt the early steps below would have been as impressive, lol.

But here we go:

From Stick to Chick, er... Chuck

From Stick to Chick (or Chuck) Copyright 2010 Jennifer "Scraps" Walker

Step 1: Draw your basic stick figure. A circle for the head, a vertical line for the neck/spine, a horizontal line for the shoulders/arms and 2 diagonal lines for the legs.

Tip: A human adult is, roughly, 7 heads high. So, if you draw a 1-inch circle for the head, the legs need to end 7 inches from the top of that circle.

Step 2: Add the basic muscle groups. The head is actually more of an oval than a circle, with a small cylinder for the neck. An inverted triangle covers the shoulders and comes to a point somewhere in the groin area–don’t be too worried about that. Small circles for the shoulders (just inside the corners of the triangle), elbows and knees with ovals for the upper and lower arms, thighs and calves. A horizontal oval works for the hips.pelvis and some open triangles (flat end out) for the hands and feet. It’s starting to look more like a person now. Sorta.

Step 3: Since most folks don’t go around hanging out in Vetruvian Man pose, let’s redraw the shapes with the arms akimbo, flipper-hands somewhere in the hip region, and draw the legs a little closer together. That looks like a slightly more normal pose, doncha think?

Step 4: Using a heavier line, draw the basic shape of the body using the shapes as a guide. Arms and legs tend to start wide and taper to a joint; look at your own as an example. The head gets some slight dents about a third up on each side to show where the eye sockets would be, before the cheekbones flare out a bit. For a woman, take the top third of the chest out a bit before curving in to form the breasts (hint: they should be midway between the shoulder and elbow at their perkiest) and curve the waist in a bit. Men’s pecs also flare a little (but shouldn’t look like boobs!) and there’s usually not as much of a waist, it’s more a slope from the ribs to the hips.

The rest is just window dressing! Clothes (unless spandex) should be a little bit bigger than the figure that’s wearing them. Fitted clothes, of course, follow the natural lines whereas baggy ones tend to exaggerate and hang different. Look at magazines or catalogs to see the way this work, maybe even drawing your stick-to-chick shapes over the photos to get a better idea of how it all fits together.

Hope you give it a try!

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Daily Doodle 3.5.10 Copyright 2010 Jennifer "Scraps" Walker

Daily Doodle 3.5.10 Copyright 2010 Jennifer "Scraps" Walker

And here’s Friday’s doodle, posted a little late as Saturday was a busy one for me–I’m going out of town late next week and had some errands to run, materials to prepare (more on that tomorrow) and, of course, I’m still trying to get my schtuff together for taxes, too.

I was thinking about needing to get the oil changed so the top of the hat actually started out as an oil filter. But I’d flared the bottom corners a bit and decided they looked more like a hat. I’d just seen (another) ad for the new Alice and Wonderland so it became a Mad Hatter’s Hat with the card in the brim, but I decided I wanted it to be a woman, so this is Maddie Hatteress.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

You still have until 6:59pm EST Sunday the 7th to submit links to your daily doodles. I can’t believe NO ONE wants to win a hand bound journal…

If you’re looking for some inspiration as to what to doodle, check out Illustration Friday. Every Friday a new theme word is posted. It’s a fun exercise to brainstorm what a word brings to mind 🙂

Lines, Boxes and Rules

64 Arts

Can I just start by saying how absolutely exhausted I am by the phrases “coloring outside the lines” and “thinking outside the box”? (Of course I can, it’s my blog!)

  1. I like to color inside the lines. It looks neat and tidy and everything is in it’s place and there’s nothing wrong with that.
  2. I like my box: I know where all the walls are and it’s roomy enough that I don’t feel claustrophobic.

If it’s your first time here or you’ve somehow failed to notice: I’m a very creative person. Both sides of my brain stay quite busy and I come up with way more ideas that I’ll ever be able to use. The above points don’t interfere with that one iota. Why?

Because I don’t feel the need to buck authority or tradition at every turn. I have a lot more time to create because I’m not eternally focused on how to disrupt convention or be a renegade, I’m in my box, doing my thing, and bringing in whatever I need when necessary. (Not that I think all who employ those catch-phrases are, but I’ve met a lot who think just that.)

Comforting things about lines, boxes and rules:

  1. They give us a framework to create in. Sometimes having all the options in the world is a hinderance instead of a benefit. You can spend way too much time picking out a dozen colors that will just look muddy when all combined into once piece whereas if the rules say you create with 2 complimentary colors, your options just narrowed. You pick between half a dozen pairs and get on with the creating instead of changing your mind a handful of times and then having to fix the mess the unlimited options led you to.
  2. A line is a path, a road, and just because someone already mapped it doesn’t mean there’s nothing for you to discover as you travel it. There’s 2 sides to each of those lines, too, the inside and the out and there’s nothing that says you can’t decorate on both. Sometimes our work looks better against a blank wall whereas other times it’s nice to have a background that coordinates and enhances. But the lines are there to show someone who can’t read our mind what parts go together.
  3. A box can be the biggest challenge you’ve ever faced (in a good way). Whether it’s a deadline (self-imposed or otherwise) or a set of parameters you cannot deviate from, it’s a challenge to be creative with limited time or materials. But it can be done. If you concentrate on what you have and immerse yourself, instead of bellyaching about what you could be using if you had your own way and one other thing, you might just be surprised at what you can come up with.

But, Scraps, what’s the big deal? So what if people “think outside the box” and go a little off-plan?

What if those plans are for your house? What if the contractor thinks the architect was nuts and moves a wall here, a beam there, takes out an eave here and puts in an arch there? Not only are not getting the house you wanted, it may not be structurally sound!

Now I’m off to color a picture. That I drew. Those lines are exactly where I want them 🙂

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Daily Doodle for Thursday:

Okay, so it was harder than I though to come up with something to draw each day. But, with the topic above bouncing around in my head, it did get the pencil moving, at least.

I don’t always do weekend posts but I have one last drawing topic in mind so at some point Saturday I’ll have something ready to go. Time is uncertain as there will be visual aids that need creating. Best way not to miss it, of course, is subscribe to the RSS feed 🙂