ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
ARTIST NEWSLETTER
15
VOLUME
4
ISSUE
2017
FALL
Hi, my name is Grace Hart and
I’m a papercutting artist. I sketch
and cut all my work by hand
using a single sheet of paper, a
craft knife, and lots of blades. In
2007, I graduated from Brigham
Young University with a degree in Business
Management. I actually grew up thinking
that I didn’t have an artistic bone in my
body. I enjoyed studying business and
following my graduation, working in the
business sector. However, I still felt as
though something was missing in my life.
Then, my entire world changed for the
better when my daughter turned two. For
some reason (which I believe is fate) she
demanded that I draw pictures for her to
color instead of using the dozens of coloring
books tucked away in her craft cupboard.
She would put in her requests: a princess
riding on a unicorn, fairies
having a tea party in a ower
garden, a mermaid searching
for seashells in the ocean.
There I was, subconsciously
learning how to draw as I
took orders from my little
boss with blonde pig tails. It
opened up an entirely new
world for me — it took me
to a new world of creativity
where I found joy in artistic
expression.
A year later, I was introduced
to papercutting by my mom
after she returned from a
papercutting workshop.
She shared with me all that
she had learned with great
enthusiasm. At that time,
I had a newborn baby and
papercutting was literally one
of the last things on my mind.
I was a bit more consumed
with the simple things of life, like when I
might be able to sleep or take a shower.
Then, six months later and completely out
of the blue, I suddenly had the urge to make
a papercut on my own. So, I reached out to
my mom to nd out what I needed in order
to give it a try. That night, I designed and
cut my very rst piece and instantly fell in
love. I tell people it was “love at rst cut”!
Merging my self-taught ability to sketch with
my newfound love of papercutting was, for
me, the ultimate duo. I’d stumbled across a
passion I didn’t know existed and I’ve been
papercutting nearly every day since. There
MAIN FEATURE
10 Tips to Papercutting Success
By Grace Hart
NEW PRODUCTS
First look at our new products
releasing this fall!
-more-
2017 Online Workshops
Workshop 3: Ethereal Mixed
Media on Toned Paper
now available.
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Vision Instagram Giveaway
Show us your Vision, win
Strathmore products!
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Questions from our Website
Inkjet printing on
Strathmore papers
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“There is something surreal, even magical,
about turning a sheet of paper into
something beautiful.”
continued
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® and ™ used under license from Mohawk Fine Papers Inc.
ARTIST NEWSLETTER
15
VOLUME
4
ISSUE
2017
FALL
www.strathmoreartist.com
is something surreal, even magical, about
turning a sheet of paper into something
beautiful. It’s actually even therapeutic for
me to cut away all the little pieces of paper
to reveal an expression of my inner self.
PAPERCUTTING HISTORY
Papercutting is the art of cutting designs
from a single sheet of paper. Papercutters
generally choose to cut with either a craft
knife or small scissors.
The art of papercutting has a long history
appearing rst in China during the Han
Dynasty. The oldest surviving paper cut
dates back to the 6th century and is a
symmetrical, geometric piece. Papercutting
has evolved in different countries all over
the world with each culture developing
their own unique attributes. For example,
in China red paper is often used as it’s the
most popular color in Chinese culture.
Their papercuts feature people, animals,
owers and symbols and are often used
to express hopes and wishes. They call it
jianzhi and often refer to paper cut pieces
as “window owers.” In Mexico, bright
colors are used and paper cut banners
are made for celebrations. They use the
beautiful papercut banners and decorations
for holidays, birthday parties and wedding
celebrations. German papercutting, also
known as scherenschnitte (pronounced
she-ren-shnit-uh), uses black paper and has
a lovely folk art theme. German farmers
originally started papercutting in the
winters when they had spare time. They
would create beautiful papercuts inspired
by their farms, animals, homes, and the
outdoors. Many other cultures all over the
world have their own unique, papercutting
Dream Big Little One
“...my entire world changed for the better when my daughter turned
two...she demanded that I draw pictures for her to color instead of using
the dozens of coloring books tucked away in her craft cupboard.”
continued
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® and ™ used under license from Mohawk Fine Papers Inc.
ARTIST NEWSLETTER
15
VOLUME
4
ISSUE
2017
FALL
www.strathmoreartist.com
characteristics. It’s beautiful to see this art
form so widely practiced by papercutting
artists everywhere with their own distinct
styles and techniques.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Papercutting is a great art to experiment
with because the materials are so simple and
fairly inexpensive. The essentials are:
1. Knife and Blades: Excel or Xacto
®
knife
will do. I personally use #11 Excel blades.
2. Self-Healing Cutting Mat: The cutting
mat will last several months or sometimes
longer. They can be found at your local craft
store and online.
3. Paper: I prefer Strathmore 300 Series
Drawing Paper. The 70 lb. paper weight
holds together well, but isn’t so thick that it
wears out your hand cutting it. I also like the
soft white color.
10 TIPS TO PAPERCUTTING
SUCCESS
1. Positive and Negative Space. Papercut
art is a simple art form with the sheet
of paper and the pieces you cut away.
Usually, you are only dealing with two
colors — the color of your paper and your
background. The proper use of positive
and negative space makes a piece beautiful
and interesting. Make sure your design
highlights and draws attention to the
focus of your piece.
2. Connectivity: Make sure your piece
connects and is properly supported. You
may have to rethink your design in order
to have it all ow and connect.
Cruise
continued
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ARTIST NEWSLETTER
15
VOLUME
4
ISSUE
2017
FALL
www.strathmoreartist.com
3. Hold your knife correctly and with
appropriate pressure. Hold your knife like
you would a pencil. Oftentimes, beginners
do not apply enough pressure, which means
they don’t completely cut through the paper
and end up going over the same spots over
and over again in order to cut the paper.
4. Change your blades often. I can’t
stress this enough. Mistakes are often
made because of a dull blade. Dull blades
will cause slipping, making you cut things
you aren’t planning to cut. I generally
change my blade every 10-20 minutes.
When the tip breaks you will hear a little
tick sound. I don’t currently know of any
efcient way to sharpen blades, so I donate
them to my local Artist Guild members who
use them for art and craft projects that don’t
require the same level of sharpness that
papercutting requires.
5. Pull towards yourself for the most
control. When you are starting out, you
will feel the most secure when pulling the
knife towards your body. This will create the
cleanest cuts. Adjust the paper as you go
along to make the cut — pulling towards
yourself. As you practice more, you will
begin to feel more comfortable cutting
in all directions.
6. Cut from left to right. Or, if you are left
handed, right to left. You want to avoid
going over the portion you’ve already cut with
your hand to minimize damage. You can also
place a paper over the portion you have cut.
7. Cut inside details and small pieces rst.
Those small pieces are easy to cut when the
paper is supported and strong. If you want
to do those pieces after it’s been cut out,
you might damage your piece.
continued
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® and ™ used under license from Mohawk Fine Papers Inc.
ARTIST NEWSLETTER
15
VOLUME
4
ISSUE
2017
FALL
www.strathmoreartist.com
8. Cut pulling from the strongest
point out to the weakest point.
If you try the reverse, you will
notice the paper may bend or curl.
So when I cut things like blades
of grass, I start at the base of the
grass and pull to cut the tips of
grass last.
9. Clean cut corners. The corners
are often where the paper catches
and doesn’t get cut completely.
Don’t pull the paper out. This will
cause the corner to fray and not
look like a clean cut. Instead, gure
out where your piece of paper is
caught and go back over the corner
with your knife.
10. Cut away excess paper as you
go along. This helps to keep track
of your progress and it is easier to
remove the paper in smaller pieces.
If you want to give this incredible, ancient art
form a try, check out my free downloadable
template and short follow-along video.
You can also watch the Strathmore
papercutting videos I created: Introduction
to Papercutting, Sketching and Cutting Your
Piece, and Framing Your Papercut.
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Grace Hart is an accomplished papercutting
artist. Observers delight in nding her
signature image — a heart concealed in
each of her papercut pieces. She recently
published a children’s book that will soon
be available through Amazon: Always I Love
You, illustrated with her intricate papercuts.
She has sold hundreds of papercut pieces all
over the world, taught hundreds of people
how to papercut throughout the United
States, and recently displayed her largest
piece on exhibition at the Mesa Arts Center.
She has also lmed three informational
papercutting videos for Strathmore Artist
Papers and has collaborated on design
work for various companies. Grace lives in
Arizona with her husband Jeff and their two
children. She is a stay-at-home mom who
enjoys playing trains and LEGOs
®
with her
son and creating art projects and baking
with her daughter. As a family, they enjoy
the outdoors, travelling, and eating ice
cream every chance they get. Grace nds
so much fulllment in her papercut art, but
her greatest joy is reliving the magic and
wonder of childhood through her children.
To see more of Grace’s work visit:
www.alittleheart.com
Instagram: @alittleheartpapercuts
Facebook: A Little Heart
Download a free papercutting
template from Grace and watch
the video tutorial:
Free downloadable template!
Free video tutorial!
Grace’s book, available on Amazon soon.
TEMPLATE VIDEO
ARTIST NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 15
|
ISSUE 4
|
FALL 2017
A division of Pacon Corporation
® and ™ used under license from Mohawk Fine Papers Inc.
www.strathmoreartist.com
make something new
WHAT’S NEW FROM
STRATH
MORE
TONED MIXED MEDIA
ART JOURNALS
Our new Toned Mixed Media paper
is now available in hardbound and
softcover art journals!
• Heavyweight: 184 lb. (300gsm)
• Vellum surface
• Suitable for both dry media
and wet media applications
• Available in warm tan or cool gray
• Hardbound sizes: 8.5" x 5.5" & 8.5" x 11"
• Softcover sizes: 8" x 5.5" & 7.75" x 9.75"
Strathmore now carries two
NEW Learning Series pads:
- Hand Lettering Basics
- Adorable Hand lettering
1
LEARNING SERIES
HAND LETTERING
Each Learning Series
Hand Lettering pad includes:
• 12 step-by-step lessons
from Maureen Wilson
• 12 blank sheets of 100 lb.
(270 gsm) 200 Series
Bristol Smooth paper
(1 per lesson)
• Follow along with video
tutorials for each lesson on
strathmorelearning.com
3
METALLIC
SKETCH
JOURNALS
With flexible but sturdy
18pt. covers, these journals
feature our 200 Series
Sketch paper and are
available in both brushed
silver and hammered
copper finishes. Great for
on-location sketching and
practicing techniques
with dry media.
•
Paper weight: 50 lb. (74gsm)
• Fine tooth surface
• 2 sizes - both available
with brushed silver or
hammered copper covers:
- 5.5" x 8.5"
- 9" x 12"
2
ARTIST NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 15
|
ISSUE 4
|
FALL 2017
A division of Pacon Corporation
® and ™ used under license from Mohawk Fine Papers Inc.
Show us your vision, win Strathmore products!
Post your Strathmore Vision
custom cover on Instagram, use
#strathmorecovers, and you could
be randomly selected as one of our
monthly giveaway prize winners!
During the rst week of every
month through December of 2017 we’ll be
selecting 1 random winner
from the pool of entrants.
PRIZE: a preselected
assortment of $100 worth
of Strathmore products!
POST ARTWORK
Upload an image of the art you
created on your Strathmore Vision
cover to Instagram.
TAG & HASHTAG
Tag @strathmoreart and use
the hashtag
#strathmorecovers
to be entered for a chance to win our
monthly giveaway.
WIN A PRIZE!
A random winner will be chosen each
month to win a pre-selected assortment
of Strathmore products valued at
$100!
™
®
1 2 3
See contest rules HERE
@strathmoreart
MONTHLY GIVEAWAY!
Art by Sarah Becktel
ARTIST NEWSLETTER
VOLUME 15
|
ISSUE 4
|
FALL 2017
A division of Pacon Corporation
® and ™ used under license from Mohawk Fine Papers Inc.
Strathmore’s Online Workshops feature
free video lessons and downloadable
instructions created by experienced
artists. Follow along in the online
classroom as instructors guide you
through various topics and demonstrate
useful tips, techniques, ideas, and
inspirations to get you creating and
learning even more about art.
Share all the fun on Instagram,
Facebook, and Twitter using
#StrathmoreWorkshops
Join us for Strathmore’s
FREE 2017 Online Workshops!
Instructor: Georgina Kreutzer
NOW OPEN: Runs through December 31st, 2017
In this 4 lesson pastel course, we will explore mixing various
media as an extremely exible and advantageous technique
for creating art. Knowing how to use a wide array of art-making
tools and products is powerful when approaching any kind
of challenging subject. It’s also vital for beginning artists to
experiment and learn which kinds of media resonate with
their own artistic direction. This FREE workshop will guide
you through Georgina’s techniques in mixed media art using
pencils, soft pastels, inks and acrylics, with an aim to leave you
condent in nding your own set of preferred skills.
About the instructor:
Georgina attended the National Art School in Sydney, Australia.
Late in her undergraduate degree she began posting work to an
Instagram prole, which gradually gained interest and amassed
a following of other enthused, creative individuals.
Her work has been exhibited in Sydney, Byron Bay, and the
Gold Coast. Many originals hang in homes in Australia, New
Zealand, the UK, the USA, Canada, Germany, Spain, Mexico,
and the UAE.
Join us for our FREE workshops at:
strathmoreartist.com/artist-studio
A division of Pacon Corporation
® and ™ used under license from Mohawk Fine Papers Inc.
www.strathmoreartist.com
WORKSHOP 3: Ethereal Mixed Media on Toned Paper
A division of Pacon Corporation
® and ™ used under license from Mohawk Fine Papers Inc.
ARTIST NEWSLETTER
15
VOLUME
4
ISSUE
2017
FALL
www.strathmoreartist.com
You Could Win a $100 Art Materials Gift Card!
Speak directly to the Art Supply Industry by taking the 2018
NAMTA Artist Survey. The study’s focus is active artists who
have created ten or more artworks in the past year. If you are in
the USA or Canada, take the 2018 NAMTA Artists Survey to help
provide valuable feedback and get a chance at winning a $100
Art Materials Gift Card!
Strathmore is a member of the International Art Materials
Association (NAMTA) and together in November we are
conducting the tri-annual Artist and Art Materials Survey.
We want you to participate! There are several benets to
completing the survey:
• You become eligible to win one of ve $100 art supply store
gift certicates that can be redeemed at any NAMTA
Member Retailer.
• Your input will help artist organizations, art schools, and others
serve you better.
• You’ll be heard because the survey results provide feedback
to art material retailers and makers of art supplies like us.
Thank you,
Strathmore and NAMTA - The International
Art Materials Association
TAKE THE SURVEY
A division of Pacon Corporation
® and ™ used under license from Mohawk Fine Papers Inc.
ARTIST NEWSLETTER
15
VOLUME
4
ISSUE
2017
FALL
Questions from our Website
Question: Can I print on your art paper?
Answer: Many artists ask us if they can
run our Watercolor, Mixed Media, Bristol
and other art papers through an inkjet or
laser printer. Typically they are looking to
reproduce art prints on paper that would
be true to the medium used to make the
print look as authentic as possible. Other
artists are looking to print certain elements
onto art paper, then complement the piece
with watercolor, markers, or other mediums,
so they need a paper that not only prints
well but can hold up to the mediums
being applied.
The answer to whether or not our art papers
can be used for inkjet or laser printing is
not completely straightforward. In our
manufacturing process we do not add any
ingredients to the paper that are designed
specically for inkjet or laser printing
properties. We also do not test for inkjet
or laser printing in our quality control and
evaluation process. Therefore, we cannot
technically recommend any of our art paper
for inkjet or laser printing.
However, many artists do run our papers
through printers and are happy with the
results. Sheets such as Watercolor and
Bristol are fairly thick and printer models
with a larger bend in the paper feed could
pose an issue. Check your printer manual
to see how thick of paper can be run
through without jamming it. We also
suggest using a sample sheet if possible
to test the results and see if they would
meet your expectations.
We offer a limited line of Inkjet Papers
that are ideal for reproducing artwork and
photography. The 8.5"x11" size is perfect for
desktop inkjet printers. Paper types in our
inkjet line include:
• Watercolor: medium texture, cold press
• Texture: felt nish for a soft look
• Radiant Gloss: distinctive pearl-like nish
• Matte: print photos on a matte nish
• Glossy: print photos on a glossy nish
We also carry a line of Inkjet Cards which
are great for sending your artwork in a
personalized greeting.
• Textured: light texture for a soft look
• Pearl: elegant pearlescent surface
• Matte: non-glare, smooth surface
• Gloss: smooth, glossy coating
www.strathmoreartist.com
Photography by Laura Baptist
