Scissor Paper Cut Art Instructions
Learning the craft of paper cut art is quite simple. A few simple techniques need to be learned and practiced and you will be cutting away.
Here you will learn to:
- Start cutting inside the image
- How to cut inside the shapes without tearing the paper
- How to color your ready-to-color background paper with pastels
- How to finish you paper cut art
Starting to Cut:
Cut out all of the gray areas. The white spaces are the papercut that will remain, do not cut them.
Insert the scissor into the center of any gray area.
With the scissor inserted, make several snips in various directions to widen the cut and snip out a center hole to work from.
Cut from the hole towards the edges of the gray shape. Carefully cut along the white edges with smooth cuts. Continue cutting around the edges of the shape, turning the paper as needed and enlarging the center hole as needed.
Turn the paper as needed to approach the edges.
Remove the scissor and change directions to cut around objects more comfortably.Creating the background:
Before doing any pastel work, move the completed papercut to a clean storage area, far away from anyone working with pastels. You may wish to use disposable gloves to keep your hands clean.
Practice using pastels on a plain white paper. Draw smooth areas of color using the flat sides of the pastel chalk, not the ends. It is important to create soft blended colors for the background of your papercut. 
Blended areas are achieved by softly blending the edges of adjacent areas of color together with your fingers.
Hard lines and stripes interfere with the papercut image and should be avoided.When your pastel is finished, blow off the excess pastel dust.
With clean hands, gently lay your papercut with the BACK SIDE DOWN - THE SIDE WITH THE PRINTED IMAGE, on the pastel background to check how it looks. You want to make sure to keep the FRONT of your papercut clean. Check the background for the following adjustments:
- Is there enough color?
- Should the colors be blended further?
- Are there blank areas to be filled in?
- The colors should be extended over the edges of the border
Put away the papercut before actually making any adjustments to your background to keep it clean.
If your kit comes with a plaque, color lightly over the words to match it to the background.
Finishing your paper cut art:
In a well ventilated area, lay the pastel background sheet face-up on a large sheet of newsprint.
Spray one blast of fixative off to the side to clear the nozzle.
Prepare a clean work area to assemble your papercut and a clean sheet of paper to press it together with.
Holding the can about 12 inches from the paper, spray the background sheet in a sweeping motion across the paper going back and forth. Spray the plaque as well in the same manner.Let them dry.
Do not reuse the newsprint from previous steps because you want to ensure that your papercut remains clean.
Spray adhesive on the BACK of your papercut (and your saying, if included) in the same manner that you sprayed the fixative on the background .Spray the plaque as well in the same manner.
The adhesive needs to sit about 1 to 2 minutes after spraying to become tacky (not sticky) so that the papercut can be repositioned, if necessary, before attaching it to the background.
Bring the papercut to your work area and carefully lay it down over the pastel background. Check that it lines up correctly. You may reposition the background as necessary. Lay the clean sheet of paper over the front of the papercut and press down all over to glue the papercut to the background. Rub it down and remove the sheet of paper.
If your papercut comes with a plaque, place it onto the blank area of the front of the papercut. Carefully line it up. Place a different clean sheet of paper over the front of the papercut and press down all over the saying to glue it to the papercut
Sign you art!
Some helpful tips:
- Use small sharp scissors
- Cut the smallest areas first, large areas last.
- Use a fresh sheet of newspaper under the papercut and background for fixative and adhesive sprays.
- If any pastel or dirt gets on the papercut, use a kneaded eraser to gently rub it off or scrape gently with the flat side of the blade.
- If your scissor should cut through to an ajoining area, put a piece of clear tape over the cut and cut away the extra tape.
