Hello everybody!
I hope you're doing well.
Today, I would like to bring something new. I'm always worried about the leftover cardstock from my projects, I never want to waste cardstock. For this reason I have my drawers with all leftover pieces divided by colors in my craft room. I often have pieces that are large enough to cut shapes, but when I'm into a new project I always forget to use them.
This is why it occurred to me to cut small equal shapes to create something new. I think I was partly inspired by the paper artist Lisa Lloyd. She creates beautiful sculptures of figures and animals all strictly with paper. I often follow her on Instagram and seeing her images I have always found beautiful patterns that create the effect of snake scales, bird feathers, plants, flowers and much more. Her work is truly meticulous and her projects require many hours of work with stunning results!
So starting from this inspiration, I drew the small shapes without following a precise rule but only to see how it turned out once it was glued on the sheet.
(You will find the free download link of these shapes at the end of the post )
Once the shapes were cut, I divided them by type and colors in order to facilitate their use. Before starting to glue them, I also created some folds to give an idea of movement and make the shapes more 3-dimensional.
For the first art piece, I chose an abstract shape. I drew the lines on the paper and then continued to fill it by gluing the small shapes next to each other. The result is quite minimal also given the choice of color and I must say that I liked it as a first result.
Continuing with the abstract style, this time I have added more different shapes and colors. I have always drawn lines in an abstract way but that seemed to balance a composition and then continue to fill with pieces of different shapes and colors. As a new attempt, this time the result is a bit chaotic. I like the color combination but the shapes have not been placed following one direction and that's why this effect looks a little "messy", but on the other hand it almost resembles a piece of fabric or the texture of a carpet.
Trying something different from
abstract shapes, I drew geometric shapes and figures to try a different result. I made these figures in an 8x8 "space and with the pen tool I made the machine draw the figure and then change it with the blade and cut the 8x8" square thus maintaining a perfectly centered figure. (I will also make these designs available for free download)
First I did the twist. In this case, I used different shapes and colors and I also tried to follow a direction to give a more orderly effect to the shapes. The result is nice, maybe I would prefer a different color combination but the final aspect is still nice.
After the twist I made the flower and here I have to say that I really enjoyed it!
Once finished the drawings tests, I decided to try with an initial letter. I directly used one of the font that I had available and I had the machine do the drawing but in this case it's also possible to do a simple print of the image with your home printer. The result of this "S" in my opinion is so cool! The shape I chose and the shade of color reminds me a bit of a mermaid, a fish or a dragon :) is perhaps among the best results among those made so far and I can't wait to make new initials.
After these tests I still had some shapes of different colors already cut. Instead of throwing them away I opted for a simple figure by choosing this heart which in the end came out cute, simple and POP!
Regarding the technique, what seems important to me to say is that the process to cut these small shapes is not very fast, for a full 12x12" mat, it takes from 15 to 20 minutes if there are many shapes, but it is also true that after setting and positioning the shapes on the computer, the rest of the work is done by our beloved cutting machine.
I used my cutting machine pen to fold the shapes, glue and precision tweezers to place the small shapes next to each other easily and I must say that filling the spaces with the shapes is definitely the fun and enjoyable part of this technique. If you add some music and a drink, it can be definitely as a therapeutic and relaxing experience! Also suitable for the little ones.
These are the first attempts at a technique that I had never tried, I wanted to share immediately with you and I'm sure that the technique can be perfected and many different things can be done. Let me know in the comments what do you think, if you've seen something similar before, if you like it and if you have any ideas on what to create using this technique! If you then create something with the same technique, send me photos of your creations! I'd love to see it!
Here follows the video with the time-lapse of the process:
Hope you enjoyed the article!
For any question and information, leave a comment or contact me here
Xoxo,
Giuly
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