Cut Out Fashion

Giles SS13
Shattered glass was the key reference for Giles SS13: "a good smashed window can be quite beautiful in the right part of town." Laser cut leather created the illusion of fractured panes, successfully turning something ugly into something quite beautiful.

Images via vogue.com

Marchesa SS11 
As with previous collections, Marchesa SS11 was all about bringing the drama. Dresses were wrought with orientalist-inspired details. The soft pink laser-cut gown (seen below) encircled model Esme Wissel's body "like layers of delicate Mille-feuille".

Images via vogue.com

Alexander McQueen AW12
For AW12 Sarah Burton once again brought couture fabrics to the ready-to-wear catwalk, mounting laser-cut ponyskin on leather. Probably the most functional clothing in this blog post, you could wear one of these coats without flashing your underwear, and they look quite warm too! Mind you, I'm not sure how well ponyskin fairs in the rain...

Images via style.com 

Carven AW12
Guillaume Henry's Carven AW12 collection was "the fantasy of a girl walking through a museum filled with sixteenth and seventeenth century art, stealing things off the walls for her wardrobe..." I absolutely love this idea, so original and so fun! Henry's girl is feminine, a little bookish, and not afraid to flash a bit of flesh. 

Images via vogue.com

Sportmax SS13
I saved the best till last... For SS13 the Sportmax collection was inspired by the future, with contemporary lasercut coats punctuated by dogtooth... The models walked the catwalk in beautiful paper lanterns! These coats would cast mesmerising shadows, I need to dig through some magazine editorial archives. Modern, original designs. Very inspiring. 

Images via vogue.com

Would you wear any of these cut out designs?
Which is your favourite?

Until next week...

Karen

Inspiration

Below are 5 of my favourite paper cut artists who inspired me to pick up a scalpel:

Rob Ryan

The original paper cutter, Oh Cut It Out wouldn't exist without Rob Ryan and the uni tutor who introduced me to his work. I often look to lyrics/quotes as a starting point for art, and so was drawn to the use of text in Ryan's paper cuts. He creates sentimental, honest stories within a single image, much like a song.

Beatrice Coron

I discovered Coron's work at Manchester Art Gallery's 'The First Cut' exhibition in 2013. From a single piece of paper Coron creates multiple stories/worlds, and so every time I return to her work I see something new that I missed before. In her TED talk she says: "as my image is already inside the paper, I just have to remove what's not from that story."


Emily Hogarth

Emily Hogarth is a designer and illustrator capturing the Scottish landscape and wildlife. Hogarth has a distinctive style with recognisable flora and fauna. I find Hogarth particularly inspiring as she isn't much older than myself and is already a very successful artist, having  worked with companies including: Nivea, Cadbury's, and Jasper Conran. The motto she lives by is "making the everyday magical".

Su Blackwell

Su Blackwell is known for bringing fairy tales to life, including Lewis Carroll's 'Alice in Wonderland', by constructing three-dimensional characters on the pages of the book. As a big reader I love how Blackwell's scalpel effortlessly brings the stories from our imaginations to life.


Elsa Mora

Elsa Mora is fascinated by the endless possibilities of paper, and how a simple piece of paper can become something meaningful. I particularly like Mora's papercuts featuring flora and fauna inside of people, almost as though you are looking at the very roots of the people.





Who are the artists who inspire you?

Until next week...

Karen
 
Image credits:
Rob Ryan & Beatrice Coron - personal photos
Emily Hogarth - emilyhogarth.com
Su Blackwell - sublackwell.co.uk
Elsa Mora - elsita.typepad.com

Work In Progress

All of my designs, both artwork and greetings cards, are cut from 210gsm card. Through experimentation I found 160gsm not substantial enough, and 240gsm too thick for adding detail. Cutting 50 concert tickets from 240gsm black card almost gave me RSI... Never again!

Before I start drawing I always consider the size of the frame the design is to be mounted in. No use having a beautiful paper cut that refuses to fit into any of the typical frame sizes.

I sketch out the entire design before picking up my scalpel. Quite often I get impatient and want to start cutting, especially if I'm having trouble mapping out the design, but it's obviously easier to erase a pencil line than to erase an unwanted cut!

Deciding where to start cutting depends on the design... For example, when cutting bunting I cut out the letters first, before cutting round the flags. This reduces the risk of the card ripping.

It's my preference to leave small details until last. In the above design the insides of the flowers were the last to go. When cutting out text I leave the inside of the letters until last (if I cut them out at all).

The finished product! Now all that remains is to choose the preferred coloured paper to back it, and a suitable frame that will compliment both the design and the room it will be hung in.

Equipment I use:

• HB pencil
• Eraser
• Plastic ruler for drawing the design (personal preference)
• A3 self healing cutting mat
• Scalpel
• Small scissors
• Metal ruler for cutting straight edges

Hopefully this has given you a small insight into how I work!

What other types of blog posts would you like to see?

Until next week...

Karen

Goals

Oh Cut It Out has a lot of growing to do in the coming months, before the training wheels can come off. Below are some of the key goals that have my full attention:
  

• Fully cohesive brand. Oh Cut It Out is in an experimental  phase as I trial various papercut styles and products. I'm confident that in time the Oh Cut It Out products, logo, and brand photos will come together to form a cohesive paper chain.

• Improved photos. I've set myself a challenge to create beautiful, eye catching photos and a cohesive instagram feed. Lots of flowers, donuts, and colour! Take a look and tell me how I'm doing!

• Befriend etsy designer/makers and form a Derby etsy team. Being part of a community is really important, especially when you work from home. I was disheartened when I couldn't find a Derby etsy team to join, until I heard Caitlin Moran's voice in my head telling me to start one myself! Calling all Derby etsy designer/makers, let's build a community and support one another!

  

• Reach 100 'likes' on facebook. I was feeling under pressure to share a finished papercut every day until I realised this is unrealistic, and ultimately lowers the quality of my work. Now my focus is on producing interesting, shareable content, such as works in progress and artists I admire.

• Craft fair(s). I am planning for Oh Cut It Out to have its first table at one of Derby's craft fairs this year. I'm really looking forward to meeting fellow local crafters, and showing off my products!

What are your current work goals?

Until next week...

-Karen