How I Make A Papercut

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Photo Credit: Ann Diament Koffsky

Back when I was an art student at Stern College, a friend of mine introduced me to the art of papercutting – and since then I’ve never looked back! It’s an elegant art form, and (if I may steal from the box of the game Othello) it takes a minute to learn it, and a lifetime to master it.

Of course, there are many papercut artists out there, and each one has a different approach, method, technique and style. But this is how I like to make mine.

Step 1) The Plan: Sketching

Once you cut into your paper, there is no going back! Because of that, I find it absolutely essential to start with a detailed sketch. I create my sketches digitally on the iPad in Procreate, but in the olden days I used simple paper and pencil. Either way works.

Step 2) Prepping: Papers and Knife

Once the sketch is prepared, I layer it on top of the papers I want the design to be cut out of and tape them all together to the table below. I like to use Canson’s Mi-Teintes charcoal paper because they are thin, easy to cut through, and come in a wonderful variety of colors. I often will cut several layers at once. For this design, I taped my sketch on top of three layers of paper: navy, white, and the light blue that you see peeking out from under the sketch.

For cutting, I use an X-Acto knife and I switch out the blades constantly so that I am always cutting with the sharpest blade possible.

Step 3) Cutting. And Cutting Some More

Slow and steady. Bit by Bit. Section by section, I cut out all the shapes in my sketch. I cut through both the sketch and the papers underneath. Here you can see a completed section below, with the sketch still taped on top of the rest of the design. Note that paper bowl with the blades—that’s the blades I’ve already discarded, as they have become too dull.

Step 4) Layering: Putting It All Together

For this last step, I throw away the sketch, and arrange the order of the final cut-out papers. For this design, I chose navy for the top layer, white for the bottom, and light blue as a middle layer, to add some highlights. Separately, I also have created a mini-papercut of the chuppah, which I glue on top of the design.