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Lockdown Papercutting Project Day 54: Oval Flower

oval flower papercut - horizontal with scalpel - Kay Vincent LaserSister

Oval Flower #643

This design is from an ongoing papercutting project that I’ve been doing. (I’m trying to work my way through all of the designs in the “922 Decorative Vector Ornaments” book by Dover Books.) Today’s “Oval Flower” design is number 643 in the book.

As always I’m running out of titles for all of the flowers and leaves that appear in the designs, so that’s how I’ve ended up with this title.

oval flower papercut - square with scalpel - Kay Vincent LaserSister

Closer up:

oval flower papercut - close up - Kay Vincent LaserSister

I particularly enjoyed cutting this one. it was a real challenge to cut the tiny thin slivers and lines from the paper. I’m reaching the stage in this project where I’m actually starting to feel way more confident in my papercutting skills. I hardly ever accidentally over-cut or tear bits of paper these days, no matter how intricate the design.

As for the design itself, it looks a bit ‘wavery’, but it’s all deliberate. So I don’t find it super-pleasing to the eye, but with a few tweaks I think I could use it in another project one day. It looks like it would go very nicely in a papercut alphabet – e.g. in a hole of a lower-case ‘g’.

In the meantime I’m still listening to the audiobook version of The Fairy’s Tale by FD Lee. In fact I’m enjoying it so much that I might buy the actual print version of it.

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

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A Perfect Christmas Family Gift

lasercut wooden family tree

(Feel free to skip reading this post if you aren’t interested in my laser-cut products and services, because that’s basically what this post is about. The basic suggestion is that the perfect Christmas family gift is one that I’ve made with my laser cutter…)

Apparently the December 2020 issue of Family Tree Magazine should be available for uploading and reading today. I already have a subscription to it via my local library, but I’ll be interested in this particular issue because it contains my first-ever advert in a magazine.

screenshot of family tree magazine on my e-reader

The issue includes a picture of what could be the perfect Christmas family gift…a personalised bauble:

family tree magazine Christmas edition advert for LaserSister - lasercut Christmas tree bauble

OK – I probably should have put one of my family tree artworks in the ad instead of the bauble design (what with it being the “Family Tree” magazine), but

  1. I wanted to be friendly and wish the magazine a merry Christmas, seeing as it’s their December issue, and
  2. My family trees are bigger and more expensive than the baubles, so maybe fewer people would be interested in them.

So if you’re reading this post because you saw my ad in Family Tree Magazine, then welcome! Here is a picture of a Christmas tree ornament that could (literally) have your name on it:

personalised laser cut Christmas tree bauble

This is one of my family tree artworks in comparison:

lasercut wooden family tree

My Etsy shops:

I’m currently in the process of moving from my old ‘PolymerKay’ Etsy shop to my new ‘LaserSister’ Etsy shop. However, the personalised baubles should hopefully be available from both shops by the time you read this.

The shops contain a range of baubles; from pre-made letters to completely personalised messages.

…so in answer to the question of how to make a perfect Christmas gift for the family? Basically just visit one of the shops above, make an order including the family name, and I do the rest. Easy!

Do you have an idea for a personalised artwork that is a bit more ambitious? If so, please feel free to contact me, and I’ll be happy to discuss it with you.

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Lockdown Papercutting Project Day 53: Curled Leaf

papercut 645 curled leaf - horizontal - LaserSister - KayVincent

Curled Leaf #645

This “Curled Leaf” design is from my ongoing papercutting challenge. (I’m trying to work my way through all of the designs in the “922 Decorative Vector Ornaments” book by Dover Books, but during the Covid19 Lockdown I’ve been adapting and cutting 100 papercuts in 100 days…)

Today’s design is number 645 in the book.

papercut 645 curled leaf - vertical pinterest - LaserSister - KayVincent

Closer up:

papercut 645 curled leaf - square - LaserSister - KayVincent

I like this one. It was fairly quick to cut because it’s so small, and I enjoy the way the end of the leaf curls around, and the swirly vine thing that it’s attached to.

I can definitely see myself using this motif in a future project. It looks like it would work very well in the border of a larger design.

While cutting this one I was listening to a library audiobook, The Fairy’s Tale, by F.D. Lee. I’m quite enjoying it, which is a nice surprise. This year I’ve already listened to all of the books that I actively wanted to listen to, and am now down to trawling through the remaining books and just hoping that they’re not going to be awful. And this one definitely isn’t awful.

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

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Lockdown Papercutting Project Day 52: Scrawny Flower

papercut 648 scrawny flower - horizontal - LaserSister - KayVincent

Scrawny Flower #648

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.) Today’s design is number 648 in the book. And yes, I have officially run out of creative names for these designs. Hence “Scrawny flower”. This one in particular is a bit of a puzzle – it’s got a fairly pretty leaf with some nice tendrils around it, but the flower itself is a bit … myeh.

papercut 648 scrawny flower - vertical pinterest - LaserSister - KayVincent

Closer up:

papercut 648 scrawny flower - square - LaserSister - KayVincent

I’m not sure I’ll use this design again, but I must admit that I do like the curly vine-tendril element.

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

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Lockdown Papercutting Project Day 51: Oranges And Leaves

papercut 650 oranges and leaves - horizontal - LaserSister - KayVincent

Oranges and Leaves #650

This “Oranges and Leaves” design 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 650 in the book.

papercut 650 oranges and leaves - vertical pinterest - LaserSister - KayVincent

Now that I look at it, I think I should probably have rotated it 90 degrees anti-clockwise, (so that it would make the top right element of a design, rather than the bottom left as I’ve currently shown it). And I’m also thinking that the fruits might be apples instead of oranges. Double oops!

Closer up:

papercut 650 oranges and leaves - square close up - LaserSister - KayVincent

Anyway, this is another design motif that I find particularly pleasing, so I think I will almost certainly use it in a future project.

As for the actual cutting skills, I’m fairly happy with the outcome. It’s a very forgiving design anyway because there aren’t any thin straight lines and because it’s asymmetrical, but all the same I’m pleased with the curves that I managed to cut.

In the background I was listening to The Story Studio podcast. It’s one of my top 5 writing podcasts to listen to. Probably a bit sweary for some people, but has given me some great writing ‘mindset’ tips over the last few years.

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

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Lockdown Papercutting Project Day 50: Flower Hair Woman

papercut 654 flower hair woman - horizontal - LaserSister - KayVincent

Flower Hair Woman #654

This “Flower Hair Woman” design is from my ongoing papercutting challenge. (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 654 in the book (but I’m not cutting them in any particular order). But…

… it’s the 50th cut in my 100-day lockdown papercutting project. Half way!

papercut 654 flower hair woman - vertical pinterest - LaserSister - KayVincent

Closer up:

papercut 654 flower hair woman - horizontal - LaserSister - KayVincent

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, faces are tricky to adapt for papercutting, because you need to find ways to link the eyes, eyebrows, nose and mouth to the rest of the design so they don’t fall off and disappear. Also compared with yesterday, this one feels a bit more forced and a bit less natural in the way I’ve linked some of the elements. I’ve had to drag the wavy hair a long way across the face so that the lips can link onto something, and the line of the nose has extended into the eyebrow so it has turned into a giant big conk.

I do like the individual elements though – especially the eyes – and so I think that with just a bit of a tweak to the nose I would use this design again one day.

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

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Lockdown Papercutting Project Day 49: Deco Rose Woman

papercut 659 deco rose woman - horizontal - LaserSister - KayVincent

Deco Rose Woman #659

“Deco Rose Woman” 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 659 in the book:

papercut 659 deco rose woman - vertical pinterest - LaserSister - KayVincent

Closer up:

papercut 659 deco rose woman - square - LaserSister - KayVincent

For once it should be fairly obvious how I’ve chosen the title for this design. It’s a woman with an Art Deco style rose in her hair. Easy!

And since there’s already a face deliberately included in the design, my eyes aren’t trying to trick me into seeing other little faces in the design (like they were in yesterday’s design and also this one).

I loved cutting this one, but especially adapting it. Faces are often really hard to adapt into realistic-looking papercutting designs. After all, how do you link people’s eyes, noses and mouths etc., without making the linking-pieces seem really ‘forced’? But in this case the design was very forgiving, because the nostril just hooks onto the rest of the nose, and the eyebrow and eye extend fairly naturally into the hair.

The expression on her face is a bit dour, so I’m not sure what I could use this particular design for. But if I adapted the expression a bit then it might work in a general illustration that required a woman’s face in it.

Today while creating this post I’ve been having a bit of a 1980s flashback, by listening to some of John Denver’s greatest hits.

Any comments on today’s post or design? You can chip in via the comments page, or Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.

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Lockdown Papercutting Project Day 48: Roses and Ribbons

papercut-689-roses-and-ribbons-horizontal-LaserSister-KayVincent

Roses and Ribbons #689

“Roses and Ribbons” design is part of my ongoing papercutting challenge. (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 689 in the book. For once I haven’t had to scratch my head too much thinking of a title/description for the design. It’s just got roses and ribbons in it (and leaves, I suppose). I don’t think any of the other motifs have had just those elements, so hooray – I’ve got a unique title for the piece.

papercut 689 roses and ribbons - vertical pinterest - LaserSister - KayVincent

Closer up:

papercut 689 roses and ribbons - square - LaserSister - KayVincent

Oh dear. That weird thing has happened again, where my eyes have spotted faces in the design that aren’t supposed to be there, and now I can’t un-see them. Where the two bits of ribbon meet in the middle at the top, I can see two faces touching each other. They look like those Greek tragedy masks, with the exaggerated lips and eyebrows:

close-up of part of the image that looks like two Greek tragedy masks kissing

…and so what started out as a perfectly lovely design of ribbons and roses has now become two Greek tragedy masks just on the verge of having a passionate kiss. Eeew.

Anyway, until I started to see it that way I had particularly liked this design. And I certainly enjoyed cutting it. I think I can see myself using it in another project in future, but I will definitely have to do something about those two kissing masks, first!

Any comments? (e.g. is it really just me who sees those masks?!) You can chip in via the comments page, or Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.

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Lockdown Papercutting Project Day 47: Spiky Flower

papercut 691 spiky flower - horizontal - LaserSister - KayVincent

Spiky Flower #691

“Spiky Flower” 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 691 in the book. As always I’ve had to come up with a name for it myself (because in the book the motifs just have numbers and not names), but as so many of the designs involve flowers, I couldn’t just call it “Flower” because that wouldn’t differentiate it from all of the other flowers. This particular flower has got jagged, spiky lines in it. Hence the name.

papercut 691 spiky flower - vertical pinterest - LaserSister - KayVincent

Closer up:

papercut 691 spiky flower - square close up - LaserSister - KayVincent

I especially enjoyed cutting the extremely thin middle section of the flower – that was a real challenge. Looking at it again now, I’m not even sure how I managed it!

Although I like the overall look of this motif, a couple of elements don’t really seem to match the rest of it. It’s those very thin lines that don’t fit (according to my eyes, anyway). On the other hand, if the lines were made thicker then they would mess up the look of the design and make it hard to tell what they were. As the moment it’s obvious that they are the edges of leaves, but if they were thicker then they might look like side shoots or something.

So I almost definitely won’t be using this design again ‘as is’.

Never mind though – it wasn’t a wasted exercise. I’ve gained more experience in cutting, and I’ve got another design to put in my papercutting sketchbook.

On a completely different note: Oh goody. Look what Rob’s brought home from the supermarket because they had a ‘reduced’ sticker on them:

red mullet fish ready for preparation - KayVincent

Now I get to hoik their guts out and descale them. Yay. Oh well, at least the meal should hopefully be better than last week’s effort.

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

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Lockdown Papercutting Project Day 46: Tri-Leaf Trio

papercut 707 tri-leaf trio - horizontal scalpel - LaserSister - KayVincent

Tri-Leaf Trio #707

This “Tri-Leaf Trio” is from the ongoing papercutting project that I’ve been working on for ages. (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 707 in the book. It’s a bit of a tonguetwister – a trio of three leaves:

papercut 707 tri-leaf trio - vertical pinterest - LaserSister - KayVincent

Closer up:

papercut 707 tri-leaf trio - square close up - LaserSister - KayVincent

I enjoyed cutting this one. Thin tendrils combined in filigree-type elements. It makes for a delicate-looking design that looks a bit more complicated than it actually is.

When I first cut it I really liked it. But then I encountered a problem. The problem is that with a lot of floral or leafy designs, quite often my eyes spot little faces in the pattern that aren’t supposed to be there. In this case, the ivy-leaf designs look like Venetian carnival masks. The kind that just cover your eyes and nose. To me they always look a bit creepy – but the ones in this design look especially mean, with their slitty eyes and cruel leafy beaks.

papercut 707 tri-leaf trio - square close up - LaserSister - KayVincent

Is it just me, or does anyone else see creepy faces in wallpaper designs etc?!

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