Tuesday, March 20, 2018

My Beatrix Potter Artist Trading Card

Here is my Artist Trading Card made from this month's kit.  Enjoy and get inspired!  I will try and make another one before the end of the month and post it here.  Below you will find a wonderful technique called "Fussy Cutting".  If you haven't tried this before then you are in for a fun new technique in cutting. 


Can you tell I love fussy cutting?  Fussy cutting is cutting out intricate paper details by hand.  Here are 5 steps if you haven't tried this technique before:  

1.  Choose a sharp pair of micro-tip scissors.  The smaller the tip, the easier it will be to snip out those tight corners when cutting out your image.  

2.  Start by roughly cutting out the image you wish to fussy cut, so you can easily handle the image as you cut out the details. 

3.  Place your paper near the fulcrum of the scissors, not the tip.  This will allow you to better maneuverability and result in clean-cut edges of your images.

4.  Make long, show cuts rather than quick snips.  Quick snips will result in choppy edges, so if you encounter some tight corners that won't allow you to make long, slow cuts, then go back later and snip those pieces out using the tip of your scissors.  

5.  Big hint, turn your paper, not your scissors, as you cut around the edges of your image.  This will lessen the urge to snip.  If you practice, practice, practice you will become a pro at this.
I like to take a fine tip Sharpie, either in black or gray, and carefully outline the edges of my fussy cutted image so they "pop" off the paper that the image is glued to.  3D dots are great to use too.  Here is a link to the store if you are interested in purchasing a pair of micro scissors that are perfect for fussy cutting.


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