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Lockdown Papercutting Project Day 62: Lily of the Valley

lily of the valley papercut - with horizontal scalpel for scale - Kay Vincent - LaserSister

Lily of the Valley #631

This “Lily of the Valley” papercut design is from an ongoing 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 631 in the book.

lily of the valley papercut - vertical scalpel for scale - Kay Vincent - LaserSister

Closer up:

lily of the valley papercut - square close up - Kay Vincent - LaserSister

I’m not very keen on this design, and I’m not even sure why. Theoretically it should tick all of my boxes. I like all of the individual elements. It’s got nice curvy lines, enjoyable curly leaves, and some very thin lines in it. I think it’s the combination of the thick and thin elements that bothers me. They seem to fight with each other a bit.

On the other hand, I’m very pleased with the development of my papercutting skills in this piece. It’s quite an ambitious project, with all of the tiny thin lines and large sweeping curves. And the fact that it (literally) stems from a single point at the bottom means that the whole design is structurally very fragile. So I’m glad it’s all in one piece.

Any comments? (e.g. do your eyes also find the mixture of thick and thin elements in this design offensive?) You can chip in via the comments page, or Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.

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Lockdown Papercutting Project Day 61: Delicate Leaves

papercut 632 delicate leaves - horizontal with scalpel for scale - LaserSister - KayVincent

Delicate Leaves #632

This “Delicate Leaves” papercut is from an ongoing project that I’ve been doing. (Where 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 632 in the book.

delicate leaves papercut - with vertical scalpel for scale - Kay Vincent LaserSister

Closer up:

delicate leaves papercut - square close up - Kay Vincent LaserSister

So – it’s yet another leaf design. Good job I like leaves and flowers and Art Nouveau-y motifs, since there are so many of them in the designs in this book.

For a change I can’t immediately see any disturbing faces in the piece (like I did in this cutting) – although I can see what looks suspiciously like a curly waxed moustache at the very bottom of the design. (Or again – it could just be me!)

I’m really chuffed with the way this one turned out. It’s got very delicate thin leaves and vines and berries in it, and they presented a good challenge for cutting.

Today’s audiobook has still been The Princess and the Orrery by F.D. Lee. It was definitely worth persevering with, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first two in the series.

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

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Lockdown Papercutting Project Day 60: Triangle Swag

triangle swag papercut - horizontal with scalpel for scale - Kay Vincent LaserSister

Triangle Swag #634

“Triangle Swag” is from my continuing papercutting challenge (where 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 634 in the book. And because it was cut on Day 60 of my 100-day papercutting challenge, that means I’m six tenths of the way through the challenge. On the other hand, I don’t think I’m even halfway through cutting all 922 of the total number of designs, yet. So I’ll still be cutting for another couple of years. Still – I should be pretty good at papercutting by then!

triangle swag papercut - with vertical scalpel for scale - Kay Vincent LaserSister

Closer up:

triangle swag papercut - close up - Kay Vincent LaserSister

Technically speaking, I think the definition of a “swag” is that it’s a (decorative) piece of draped or folded fabric, like curtains. But I didn’t know what else to call this particular type of motif. It might not exactly be a swag, but it’s not really a “sprig” either. Maybe it’s a swig or a sprag?

Anway, not only do I love this design, but I particularly enjoyed cutting it and am very pleased with the way the shapes and thin lines turned out. It’s a bit fancy, but it’s also fairly small and simple. It didn’t take long to cut, either. I look forward to using it again in a ‘proper’ project. Maybe I could mirror the design and then use the two pieces as a kind of frame for something.

In the background today I’ve been listening a bit more to The Princess and the Orrery by F.D. Lee. It feels a lot slower than the previous two books. And the plight of one of the characters makes me feel a bit queasy. I’m still hoping it will start to perk up soon, though…

Any comments? (e.g. What would you call this type of design, if not a ‘swag’) You can chip in via the comments page, or Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.

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Lockdown Papercutting Project Day 59: Mini Nouveau Leaf

Mini art nouveau leaf papercut - horizontal with scalpel - Kay Vincent LaserSister

Mini Nouveau Leaf #635

This “Mini Nouveau Leaf” is from the ongoing papercutting project that I’ve been undertaking for aaaaages. (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 635 in the book. It’s yet another mini leaf design, and yet another Art Nouveau style motif, so that’s why I’ve given it that title. I really am going to run out of names for the mini leaf designs, soon.

Mini art nouveau leaf papercut - square with vertical scalpel - Kay Vincent LaserSister

Closer up:

Mini art nouveau leaf papercut - close up - Kay Vincent LaserSister

Because the leaf is so small, the imperfections look worse when the image is enlarged, but all the same I like this one. It was quick to cut and I’m partial to Art Nouveau type designs anyway.

I can definitely see myself using this motif in another project one day. Maybe it would work well as a border, with multiple copies of the leaf being used.

Today in the background I’ve been listening to another audiobook from the library. It’s the third book in the Pathways Tree series, “The Princess and the Orrery” by F.D. Lee. I’m not enjoying it as much as the previous two yet, but hopefully it will start to move all of the subplots forward soon.

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

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Lockdown Papercutting Project Day 58: Vine Pot

vine pot papercut - horizontal with scalpel - Kay Vincent LaserSister

Vine Pot #636

This “Vine Pot” papercut is from an ongoing project that I’ve been doing (where 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 636 in the book.

vine pot papercutting - square with scalpel - Kay Vincent LaserSister

Closer up:

vine pot papercutting - close up - Kay Vincent LaserSister

I think this is a lovely set of leaves and vines … but it feels like something is missing. It just seems a bit unusual to have a pot with a set of leaves and vines growing in it. So if I ever use this in a real project then I imagine I will add a flower or pumpkin to the scene. Maybe I’ll create a Halloween scene. Although that will still probably look a bit odd, to have a great big pumpkin coming out of a small pot. Maybe I can just leave it as a mystery: The Case of the Missing Pumpkin. Or maybe a fairy godmother has borrowed the pumpkin to use as a coach for Cinderella, and it will return back to its pot after midnight.

I did enjoy adapting and cutting this piece, though. I really like the shape of the leaves and the curling tendrils of the vines.

Oh – except that I’ve only just noticed that there is a line missing on the left side! Oops.

In the background today I’ve been continuing to listen to The Academy by F.D. Lee. It’s the sequel to The Fairy’s Tale, and I am really enjoying it. It’s clever and funny, with some very satisfying elements to the plot. (I wonder if that has been feeding my subconscious mind with the ideas about missing pumpkins and fairy godmothers? I hadn’t realised that until just now. )

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

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Lockdown Papercutting Project Day 57: Bumpy Border

bumpy border with horizontal scalpel - Kay Vincent LaserSister

Bumpy Border #637

“Bumpy Border” is from the 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 637 in the book:

bumpy border papercut - square with scalpel - Kay Vincent LaserSister

Closer up:

bumpy border papercut - close up - Kay Vincent LaserSister

This one is not the most interesting of all the designs in the book. In fact, it’s so boring that I only cut a shortened version of the (very repetitive) design. I knew that if I had the skills to cut 15 of those little bumps at the top, then I would have the skills to cut 150 (etc…).

The other thing about this piece was that I made a mistake and accidentally ripped a piece of it. Ooops.

I can’t even remember what I was listening to while I was cutting the piece. On the other hand at least it didn’t take long to cut, so I was able to move onto the next piece very quickly. And strangely enough, I think I can actually see myself using this design in future projects precisly because it’s so boring and straightforward.

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

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Lockdown Papercutting Project Day 56: Spotted Leaf

spotted leaf papercut - horizontal with scalpel - Kay Vincent LaserSister

Spotted Leaf #638

This “Spotted Leaf” design is from the 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 week’s design is number 638 in the book.

spotted leaf papercut - square with scalpel - Kay Vincent LaserSister

Closer up:

spotted leaf papercut - close up - Kay Vincent LaserSister

This one looks a bit lumpy up close. I seem to have forgotten my recent-ish revelation that I can go back and neaten up the papercutting before I actually take the photo. Plus, the tiny size of the leaf makes any imperfections more obvious. All the same, I really like this one.

It was really really hard to cut out the teeny tiny holes. I needed to use a completely new blade so that there was less chance of ripping the paper. I also needed to wear some reading glasses. The leaf is so small that I can’t even focus on it properly most of the time anyway, so there is no chance that I’d be able to see it in enough detail to cut the holes out.

Now I’ve been listening to the audiobook of The Academy by FD Lee. It’s the sequel to The Fairy’s Tale, which I really enjoyed. Today I’ve also been watching a bit more of Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD.

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

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Lockdown Papercutting Project Day 55: Shaded Leaf

shaded leaf papercut - horizontal with scalpel - Kay Vincent LaserSister

Shaded Leaf #640

This “Shaded Leaf” design is from my ongoing papercutting project (trying to work my way through all 922 designs in the “922 Decorative Vector Ornaments” book).

Today’s design is number 640 in the book.

shaded leaf papercut - square with scalpel - Kay Vincent LaserSister

Closer up:

shaded leaf papercut - close up - Kay Vincent LaserSister

This one is cute. I liked cutting it and I could definitely see myself using it in a ‘real’ project. Yet again it’s got a bit of an Art Nouveau them to it, which I find very attractive. And I liked cutting the teeny tiny shaded lines on the leaf, and the the curvy stalk bits of it. It also didn’t take too long to cut. I wonder if I’ve been ‘cherry picking’ the small designs though, and will end up with a disproportionate number of really big designs at the end of the project? Hope not!

In the background today I’ve been watching Marvel’s Agents of Shield on Amazon Prime. But oh dear, all six of the first six series will cease to be available on Amazon Prime in 6 days’ time. We’ll just have to get to the end of Series 3 and then wait for it to come back, 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 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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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.