All the participants of our papercutting workshop at ROUGE in celebration of the Chinese year of the Ram said they enjoyed it a lot and would love to do another one, which is so nice to hear! So, below we share some images from the event that was hosted by Lei's friend Ding Ding and we will also post instruction videos in the mixed media section very soon.
In the image above, you see Ding holding up two of the floral papercuts she prepared for the workshop. She suggested we start with these templates as they are fairly easy to cut out, even though they look quite intricate.
floral papercut template
After everyone has cut a floral design, Ding explains how to combine patterned and plain paper to create an interesting background.
Someone says the paper used for this floral papercut reminds her of 1960s textiles.
Straightening the folds before gluing the papercut on the first background layer is a good idea.
the Ram template
one example of the Ram on a mixed patterned and plain background
another example of the Ram papercut, on the same background arrangement, but with different colours and patterns
the 'double happiness' template
'double happiness' accomplished :-)
a handful of double dragon papercut templates
the double dragon template transferred onto the paper - the most time consuming papercut of the workshop
a pink double dragon
Ding provides practical guidance on how to choose effective combinations of patterned and plain-coloured papers for the layered background on which the papercut is mounted.
smiles and concentration
a four-fold dragon - one participant creatively modified Ding's double dragon template
then she got even more creative and drew up her own bird papercut ...
... which impressed everyone enormously and led to a lively discussion about whether this bird is a crane or not
No time for a tea break! Everyone was too immersed in her work to even look up when Lei offered a tea break. We risked spills onto our precious artwork, but thankfully there were none.
Gluing the papercut onto a background paper is a tricky business. The glue is mixed with water in saucers and applied to the papercut with a calligraphy brush.
Finally all the finished papercuts are spread out on the table and discussed.
Preparing to pose for a final picture with everyone holding up their best papercut.
The final picture with everyone holding up their best papercut.
Thank you, Ding, for hosting this fun Sunday morning papercutting workshop in celebration of the Chinese Year of the Ram!
And thank you to everyone who attended! We hope you enjoy the artwork you created and feel inspired to make some more.
