Papercut Polaroids

If you follow Oh Cut It Out on social media you've probably noticed that I like to draw inspiration for artwork from song lyrics. The first piece of papercutting I ever made (back when I was a student living off buttery toast and Yorkshire tea) used the Zeppelin lyrics "if there's a bustle in your hedgerow don't be alarmed now".

In recent months I've cut Billy Bibby's lyric "you keep me waitin' and waitin' for you" from the song "Waitin' For You" beneath an intricate, floral skull; and used Michael Malarkey's lyric "these holes in our hearts are like diamonds to some" from the song "Holes" to inspire a geometric anatomical heart...

Well, I've been at it again. This time with Darling BOY lyrics. I was feeling kind of upside down and uninspired (designing Christmas cards in July will do that to you) and these lyrics jumped out at me...

"We're living in a photograph

To keep the past just close enough" 

- "Bless Your Bones", Darling BOY

Recently my work has been growing in size. I want big designs with intricate detail. There's a soaring sense of achievement when you've spent 20 hours cutting one piece of card, and only one of your fingers has a plaster wrapped around it.

But working on large pieces all of the time becomes overwhelming. Polaroids seemed like the perfect antidote.

I dug out some old Polaroids of my parents first dog, Dylan, and cut out a German Shepherd beneath a leafy tree... Then I went looking for visual lyrics that could be executed in a limited space:

 "Are you ducking and diving round the houses?"

- "Oh Roisin!", Darling BOY

These papercuts remind me of the booklets you get in CD cases... Each song represented by a papercut visual and corresponding lyric. If people still bought CD's, that is...

"You knocked the wind out of my sails"

- "Shirley", Darling BOY

I'm so happy with how these lyric Polaroids turned out, and I suspect I'll be cutting out more in the future... Watch this space!

For more music chat go back and read 'The Lost Art of the Mix CD'.

You can find Darling BOY's ep 'In Flames!' on iTunes and Spotify.
 
Until next week...

-Karen

Finding Inspiration: Music Documentaries

Often the first place I look for inspiration for artwork is music, and so this week I thought I'd blog about some of the music documentaries I've been watching recently...

Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways
Directed by Dave Grohl

An 8 part series devoted to chronicling the histories and cultures that define a city's musical identity. In each episode the band record one song in one city, as Dave Grohl interviews the musical 'local legends'.

I loved this series! Being able to identify the reasons behind the lyrics makes the songs on the album (of the same name) much more meaningful. I also enjoyed seeing inside the 8 different recording studios and hearing the stories behind them.
 
Cobain: Montage of Heck
Directed by Brett Morgan

An honest look at the life of Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain through home footage, never before seen drawings, and journal pages. 'Montage of Heck' features in-depth interviews with Kurt's family and closest friends, including Krist Novoselic (Nirvana bassist) and Courtney Love (Kurt's wife). Revealing and very intense.

The accompanying book (of the same name) includes transcripts of hundreds of hours of interviews, and features never before seen photographs. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on it!

The Wrecking Crew
Directed by Denny Tedesco

 
My local independent cinema recently brought this documentary to my attention. 'The Wrecking Crew' were a talented group of studio musicians in LA in the 1960s who played on almost all of the hit records of the day, including songs by Nancy Sinatra, Beach Boys, and Mamas and Papas.

Unknown to the general public, the accomplished musicians were often brought in to replace entire groups on recordings. If you are at all interested in the history of rock music, I recommend this documentary!

Amy
Directed by Asif Kapadia

As with 'Cobain: Montage of Heck', 'Amy' isn't always an easy film to watch. Directed by Asif Kapadia, 'Amy' depicts the life of Amy Winehouse: her  blossoming career, her relationships, and her struggle with drink and drugs.

Kapadia's controversial choice to use paparazzi footage at times  creates the unpleasant feeling that you are hounding Amy, as the paparazzi so relentlessly did. But there are happier moments: a tattoo free Amy excited to begin her musical career. Be prepared to cry.

What documentaries have you watched recently? I'd love to hear your recommendations!

Until next week...

-Karen

Finding Inspiration

For the past few weeks I've been uninspired and unmotivated, which is beyond frustrating. And so this post is filled with a few of the things that I've been looking to in order to find that elusive inspiration.

1) Rob Ryan YouTube videos. I love Rob Ryan. He's an endless inspiration, not least because his work has been adapted to many mediums including ceramics, textiles and jewellery. In the handful of videos on YouTube he comes across as a genuinely nice, down-to-earth guy (phew!).

 Handmade Portraits: Rob Ryan.

2) Books. I am a huge bookworm so of course I would turn to books in my hour of need. 'Papercutting' compiled by Laura Heyenga is a good collection of temporary paper cut artists. I also have a few Rob Ryan books (naturally), but the book that has inspired me of late is 'The Crafter's Guide to Papercutting' by Emily Hogarth. 

L) Favourite papercutting books - R) Artwork cut from a Hogarth template

3) New kit. Recently I've picked up a few new bits of kit, including: Swann Morton no. 3 handle, 10a blades, bone folder, 160gsm card, and a metal ruler pinched from my dad's garage... As the saying goes a poor craftsman blames his tools, but the art of papercutting does require a few basic but essential tools.

Swann Morton no. 3 handle with 10a blade - artwork cut from Hogarth templates

4) Visiting craft fairs. It's really important to get away from your desk and see what other crafters have been busy creating... While craft fairs are a great excuse to eat cake, they are also invaluable for gathering ideas on how to present products and considering fair pricing. My favourite fair to date was the Summer Market at the Roundhouse.

L) Summer Market at the Roundhouse, Derby - R) Carla Dodsley ceramics at Bird in Borrowed Feathers mini market, Nottingham

5) Friends. Friends who already have very full lives, but are still pursuing further exciting ventures... If that's not the ultimate inspiration, I don't know what is.

Where do you find inspiration?

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