tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31007666.post-47680617620969462142008-02-12T05:01:00.000+02:002008-06-27T11:21:19.380+02:00<a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_kzHK8CEOwWE/R7FHnRYaf6I/AAAAAAAADWg/y1F3sNviDWg/s1600-h/cuttingCU.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165988987576942498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_kzHK8CEOwWE/R7FHnRYaf6I/AAAAAAAADWg/y1F3sNviDWg/s400/cuttingCU.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;">A cut tut</span> <div><div>I arrived at my studio on Saturday morning, wanting to make something large and filled with different kinds of leaves and stems. In the back of my mind was <a href="http://bookhouathome.blogspot.com/2008/02/sketchbook-entry-no2.html">this sketch </a>by Arounna, and <a href="http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9028690">this ink drawing </a>by Etsy seller, Karen Gathany.<br /></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Step 1</strong><br /></span></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165982356147437410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_kzHK8CEOwWE/R7FBlRYaf2I/AAAAAAAADWA/bviND6Kh5cM/s400/cutting.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div align="left">After looking at lots of flowers and plants in my books and magazines, I drew a 45 x 45cm composition of botanical specimens onto some thin white paper, and stuck it to black paper with a couple of pieces of sticky tape.<br /></div><div align="left"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165738947465871154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_kzHK8CEOwWE/R7BkNBYafzI/AAAAAAAADVo/3EH8yFN6TUA/s400/cutting1.jpg" border="0" />Then I started to cut.<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165980337512808274" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_kzHK8CEOwWE/R7E_vxYaf1I/AAAAAAAADV4/okOtG5S1_hQ/s400/ntcutter.jpg" border="0" /></div><br /><div>I use steeply-pointed NT cutter blades in a rather wonky craft knife. I really should get a proper NT cutter because it's much more stable.<br /></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Step 2</span></strong> <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_kzHK8CEOwWE/R7BkHxYafxI/AAAAAAAADVc/xcPc_onz61I/s1600-h/cutting2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165738857271557906" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_kzHK8CEOwWE/R7BkHxYafxI/AAAAAAAADVc/xcPc_onz61I/s400/cutting2.jpg" border="0" /></a>Now it's just about putting on some music and putting in the hours. I slice through both layers of paper, cutting on either side of the lines I've drawn, removing the white paper so I can see where I've cut. I tend to make lots of decisions and changes as I go.<br /></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Step 3</span> </strong><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_kzHK8CEOwWE/R7BkDBYafwI/AAAAAAAADVU/Np7-hk3JGkM/s1600-h/cutting3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165738775667179266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_kzHK8CEOwWE/R7BkDBYafwI/AAAAAAAADVU/Np7-hk3JGkM/s400/cutting3.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div>Change the CD again, shake out your fingers, and keep on cutting...</div><br /><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Step 4</span> </strong><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165741283928080194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_kzHK8CEOwWE/R7BmVBYaf0I/AAAAAAAADVw/q4RKKqbNKfM/s400/cutting-leftover2.jpg" border="0" /></div><div align="center"><strong></div></strong>I like this part - I slough off the white paper guide, which remains largely intact, but very frail.<br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Step 5</strong> </span><a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_kzHK8CEOwWE/R7Bj-BYafvI/AAAAAAAADVM/ht0g56uNrXg/s1600-h/cutting4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165738689767833330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_kzHK8CEOwWE/R7Bj-BYafvI/AAAAAAAADVM/ht0g56uNrXg/s400/cutting4.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div align="left">This part takes the longest, and I have to be so careful. Most of my cuts have not been close enough to a neighbouring cut, so now I carefully make release cuts to remove the negative spaces. The more negative space I remove, the more delicate everything becomes.<br /><br /><strong></strong></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Step 6</span> </strong></div><div align="center"></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165984125673963378" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_kzHK8CEOwWE/R7FDMRYaf3I/AAAAAAAADWI/m5yD170g9Pc/s400/cutting6.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div align="left"><div>Finally! I finished without tearing anything or slicing anything off mistakenly. </div><div></div><br /><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Step 7</span></strong> <a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_kzHK8CEOwWE/R7BjmxYafsI/AAAAAAAADU0/_yBvXbyH7LE/s1600-h/cutting-final.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5165738290335874754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_kzHK8CEOwWE/R7BjmxYafsI/AAAAAAAADU0/_yBvXbyH7LE/s400/cutting-final.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><br /><div>Now I hang out the nearly-finished cutout on my line so I can look at it and decide what's next. Mostly, I'm happy with this cutout, but some areas seem a little congested and could do with some pruning, which I'll get onto today.</div></div></div></div>Heather Moorehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02868506163172216741noreply@blogger.com