Learn a centuries-old craft, the art of decorative paper cutting. Create complex, cheerful designs with nothing more than paper and scissors.
Intricate cut-paper designs are surprisingly simple to make yet beautiful to behold. In this centuries-old folk art, paper is folded, a stylized motif is cut, and the paper is opened up and spread flat to reveal an intricate design. Each design is a symmetrical mirror image of the cut: multiple cuts produce multiple images. Subject matter traditionally reflects the countryside: birds, trees, flowers, leaves, garlands and small animals. The cutouts show a fine and joyous sense of design. The birds, plants and trees are all decorative rather than realistic, and they show the individual style and ideas of each craftsperson.
Learn this craft and create unique and beautiful works of art to grace your walls. Or make a fabulous set of stationary by gluing cut paper designs onto the front of blank note cards.
Supplies
Colored origami paper
White origami paper
Scissors
Spray adhesive
A century ago in Poland, folk paper cutouts or wycinanki (pronounced vie-chee-non-key) were cut freehand with the best tools available, sheep shears! Even with these unwieldy tools, the lace-like designs were astonishing. The intricate designs were used as wall decorations to achieve a cheerful appearance. The occasion of Easter was used as an excuse to take down the old designs and replace them with new ones.
Many different regional styles were developed. The Kurpie (koor-py-eh) designs are cut from a single color, glossy paper. There are two main types, the Leluja (le-lu-ya), which is cut from a piece of paper folded lengthwise, and the Gwiazdy (g-vee-azda, meaning circular star), a circular design. Leluja designs usually include a central-treelike form and one or more pairs of birds. Gwiazdy designs, cut from a round piece of paper, are folded to make patterns that repeat 8, 16 or even 32 times. They are often incredibly intricate and lace-like.
Another, more elegant style, the colorful Lowicz, is made from layers of elaborate, symmetrical paper cutouts, and often expressed themes or told stories. Basic shapes of birds such as peacocks or flowers are first cut out and opened up. Then different colored smaller shapes are cut out and glued one on top of the other, each added color smaller than the preceding one. The colors used are blended visually, giving richness and dimension to the art form. The wycinanki which told stories are called Kodry.
Make Leluja wycinanki
Fold a piece of paper in half lengthwise, colored side in. Draw one half of the design (birds, tress, etc.) on the folded paper so that once the design is cut out and the paper opened up, it will form a symmetrical design. The design is enhanced with fanciful flower and leaf shapes and even some purely geometric patterns. The decorative edge to the tree form doesn’t have to be drawn beforehand; it is usually cut into the edge after the basic shape has been cut out.
The entire design must be one connected piece, so the penciled outline should be one continuous line that never crosses over itself or cuts across the fold. Shade in the part that needs to be cut away to be sure that the design consist of only one piece, keeping the fold intact. To create a frame when the cutting is finished, glue the final piece to white paper or another color to contrasts with the wycinanki.
Make a Gwiazdy wycinanki
The designs are cut from a round piece of paper. To make a round sheet of paper, place a plate or bowl over a piece of paper and trace the outline. Cut out the circle. Fold the circle in half, colored side in, 3 or 4 times. Draw a design on the pie-shaped piece and cut away parts that are not elements of the design.
The basic roundness of the edge should be maintained, without turning it into star-like points. Glue the finished Gwiazdy to a large square of white paper, leaving a margin around the edges.
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