by Nancy Haberman
My fascination with paper cutting and paper crafting began in the 70s at an exhibition of Jewish folkart at the Skirball Museum in Los Angeles. To be honest it probably began in kindergarten when I was given a pair of scissors and colored construction paper, but then that would be a different post.
I suppose an attraction to the graphic nature of paper cuts is not uncommon given that many religious and cultural traditions have used paper cutting in their folk art and marriage documents for centuries. I saw a lot of this kind of art on the walls of friends and family – they are part of my earliest memories.
In 1993 I had the privilege of working with The Paperdoll Company of Encino, CA on the production of the Louie Award winning greeting card – Mizräh. Risa Mandelberg is the artist responsible for The Paperdoll Company’s innovative cutting techniques utilizing the latest modern technologies. Mandelberg’s artistic technique and eye for detail has garnered her 16 subsequent Louie Awards.
Mazel Tov Mizräh - 3rd Runner-up to the 1995 Louie Award Winner - Card of the Year
Floral wedding card
Papercuts rely on positive and negative space and multiple layers of papers to create a three-dimensional piece of art, which can be as much a sculpture as a greeting card. Throughout history, affording art materials was beyond the reach of many. Therefore, paper cutting became popular around the world among the working classes as an inexpensive way to produce a work of art with nothing more than a piece of paper and a sharp knife.
Paper cutting possibilities for greeting card artists are endless, from working with simple graphic shapes that act as a frame or an appliqué (positive vs. negative) to intricate designs having many of the same qualities of lace, or paper doilies.
Teachers, scrapbookers and crafters have long had access to a wide range of personal die cutting machines for creating dynamic and colorful displays and presentations. Most of the consumer die cutting machines require the purchase of additional proprietary cartridges containing clip art in order to cut designs.
For years I’ve been looking for a desktop die cutter that uses my original vector art so that I can produce original, one of a kind (maybe two or three) greeting cards. I’ve found something that I believe has all of the capabilities on my checklist, so I’ll keep you posted on what I discover.