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
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