Year: 2020

Duck Flower

This is from an ongoing papercutting project that I’ve been doing (working my way through designs from the “922 Decorative Vector Ornaments” book by Dover Books.) Today’s design is number #677 in the book. OK, I know there’s no such thing (or at least I think there’s no such thing) as a ‘duck flower’, but I couldn’t think of anything else to call it, and to me it looks like it’s got a beak or a duck’s bill and is just about to eat something:

Closer up:

This is another ‘negative’ cutting, where instead of cutting the design from black paper, I’ve cut the shapes out of white paper and so the black is just the colour of the thing that the white piece of paper is resting on. If I’d rested the piece on some blue paper then it would be a blue ‘beak’ instead.”

It’s not too bad, in terms of skills. Considering how small it is, I’m quite pleased with the way the tiny rounded shapes turned out.

Would I use this design again in future in a ‘real’ project? Probably not. I can’t really see any circumstances under which I would need a flower with a beak.

Any comments? You can chip in via the comments page, or Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.

Cornflower Papercut

This is from an ongoing papercutting project where I’ve been working my way through designs in the “922 Decorative Vector Ornaments” book by Dover Books. Today’s design is number #694 in the book. I know it’s not a cornflower! But it looks like a cross between a corn on the cob and a flower, so that’s why I’ve given it the title “Cornflower”.

Closer up:

See: corncob!

Can you come up with a better name for it? You can chip in via the comments page, or Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.

Fan Flower

This is from an ongoing papercutting project that I’ve been doing. (Basically I’m trying to work my way through all of the designs in the “922 Decorative Vector Ornaments” book by Dover Books.) This is number #676 in the book. None of the designs have titles so I have to come up with names for them myself, and I’ve decided that this one looks like a cross between a fan and a flower. Hence “Fan Flower”:

Closer up:

There were lots of long thin lines in this design, but I didn’t accidentally rip any of them, fortunately. I must admit that I rip fewer and fewer designs these days, but it’s still a possibility – all it takes is one slip.

I think I’ve cut at least five designs in a row now that are vaguely Art Nouveau-ish. Those are my favourite kinds of design (to adapt and cut and look at). I like almost everything about this design. The leaves, the vines, the flowers themselves.

This one will be especially useful for creating a fancy border around another image. I look forward to having another go at this picture, one day.

Any comments? You can chip in via the comments page, or Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.

Thistle Papercut

“Thistle Papercut” is from an ongoing papercutting project that I’ve been doing. (Basically I’m trying to work my way through all of the designs in the “922 Decorative Vector Ornaments” book by Dover Books.)

Today’s design is number #671 in the book. It only vaguely looks like a thistle (maybe it looks more like a pomegranate?) but I had to come up with a title and it’s got spiky leaves and a sort of crown-like flower, so that’s why I went with “Thistle” as the title:

Closer up:

Woof – I love this design! It’s one of my favourites so far. It was difficult-but-rewarding, and had lots of interesting shapes and curves in it. I also managed to cut it out without making a giant mess of it.

I will definitely find a use for this design somewhere in a ‘real’ project. I seem to really go for designs that are almost-but-not-quite symmetrical. And of course, it’s an Art Nouveau style design, which I’m already particularly drawn to.

If you’ve got any comments or you’ve tried to adapt and cut any of the images in this book you can contact me via the comments section or contact page, or Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.

Flower Border

This is from an ongoing papercutting project that I’ve been doing (trying to work my way through all of the designs in the “922 Decorative Vector Ornaments” book, by Dover Books.)

I’m quarter of the way through the 100-day challenge!! Today’s design is number #540 in the book. I couldn’t think of anything particularly imaginative to call it, so this one is “Flower Border”:

Closer up:

…and the middle…

…and the bottom:

It reminds me of an ornate piece of decorative ironwork, or a piece of a gate or something. I might be able to use this for a wedding invitation or similar.

And I think I’ve done an OK job of the cutting. Maybe the bottom section is the dodgiest part, but because the design has a lot of flowers and leaves in it, it just seems like the wobbly lines are part of the natural design.

It was a nice big piece to cut, and took well over an hour, and I didn’t accidentally stretch the paper or rip any of the design. So on the whole I’m pretty pleased with it. Yeah – I reckon it’s one of my favourites so far in this project.

Any comments? You can chip in via the comments page, or Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.