A Little Heart Papercut Art
You may remember folding pieces of paper into scalene triangles, making expert cuts along the edges, and revealing one-of-a-kind paper snowflakes. Artist Grace Hart took this art form to the next level and is now a papercutting artist who puts her heart, soul, and a lot of patience into every piece she creates. She uses our 300 Series Drawing paper for her artwork because of its soft white color and suitable weight at 70lb. (114gsm). She uses an Excel knife and goes through plenty of blades. Before she begins cutting, she sketches her designs in reverse on paper.
Grace quickly fell in love with papercutting the first time her mom introduced her to this ancient art form. To her it’s timeless, therapeutic and relaxing. She loves the simplicity of taking a piece of paper and turning it into something beautiful.
The practice of papercutting as an art form has been around for centuries. The oldest known and surviving paper cut out is a symmetrical circle from the 6th century, found in Xinjiang, China. The process of papermaking was invented in China in 105 AD by a man named Ts’ai Lun, so it seems fitting that the oldest surviving paper cut out comes from the same country (click here to see more on the history of paper and papermaking). Through the Song and Tang Dynasties, papercutting continued to be a popular form of decorative art in Asia. By the ninth century, papercutting appeared in Western Asia. It wasn’t until the 16th century that it made its way to Turkey and the rest of Europe shortly after. Different regions throughout the world have created their own unique papercutting art forms and traditions for various ceremonies, holidays, weddings, and other purposes.
Grace continues to practice this beautiful art form with contemporary designs inspired by the people and surroundings in her daily life. Check out her Etsy store and follow her on Instagram to see more.
