Drawing with Scissors
Some moments are elated, some somber. Each must be lived, Ella Richards
A creation by Ella Richards takes about seven weeks on average, and she estimates she finishes about 25 percent of what she starts. And for every finished work you see, there are two other versions that were early steps in a process she calls “scissors drawing.”
It works like this. Richards, trained as a painter, creates an ink drawing on a piece of paper. When she has a drawing she’s happy with, she draws it again (or, for less abstract pieces, traces an outline) on a black paper backdrop. Then with a pair of micro-scissors, Richards painstakingly cuts the drawing out and glues it to a soft piece of cotton paper often used for watercolors.
Let’s look at some other scissor artwork.
See
Richards has a way of capturing a figure in a rich but simple way.
People that we truly love touch our hearts before our minds, Ella Richards
“Cutting directly into color reminds me of a sculptor’s carving into stone.”
— Henri Matisse
Other artists incorporate scissors into their art, using them as a unique tool to express and share their stories.
Henri Matisse, The Sheaf, 1953
As he aged, Henri Matisse could not continue painting and took up paper cutting. Calling it “Drawing with scissors,” he produced some of his best-known artwork. His unwanted but quickly welcomed limitation was the key to an entirely new and innovative era of his art.
Chinese Paper Cuts
Chinese paper cutting, also known as jianzhi, is a popular folk art that originated in China. The art form's history may date back as far as the Warring States period (around 3 BC), when people used other thin materials like leaves, silk, and leather to carve negative-space patterns.
Victorian silhouettes
Victorian silhouettes were popular portraiture during the Victorian era (1837-1901). These shadow portraits were created by cutting a profile of a person’s head and shoulders from black paper and mounting it on a light-colored background, resulting in a striking monochrome image. Before the widespread availability of photography, silhouettes were an affordable way to capture a person's likeness. The art form originated in the 18th century and was named after French artist Etienne de Silhouette, who popularized an early technique of tracing and cutting profiles called "profil perdu." (Call Me Victorian)
Scherenschnitte (scissor cuts)
Scherenschnitte is an art form where silhouettes are cut from one piece of special black paper with scissors or knives with no 'hangers' -unattached pieces. Scissor cutting has a long history in German folk art; immigrants brought Scherenschnitte to North America in the 17th Century.
In the beginning, scherenschnitte were often used as decorative pieces for birth certificates, love letters, and marriage certificates. These tended to incorporate flowers, birds, and hearts. Since paper was originally expensive, old letters or newspapers were often used.
Scherenschnitte can also create a picture or tell a story. For the Germans, many of the picture cutouts were based on folk tales. These images usually featured people and activities, which shares a lot in common with the French tradition of silhouette cuts. Silhouettes, white images on black paper, were often inexpensive forms of art work. They were far less costly than paintings. (Quiet Valley)
Say
Paper cutting is an art with a long history. Its first origins date back to the 4th century after the invention of the paper by the Chinese.
Why do you think scissors continue to captivate artists like Richards, even in an age dominated by advanced technology?
Do
Watch Matisse cutting shapes for a collage. Look at his focus!
Watch an artist cutting a silhouette
The first time a child opens a snowflake they created themselves, it is MAGIC! Take a few minutes and relive that magic by cutting one for yourself today!
About Ella Richards
Hometown: New York, NY
I don't think art needs to be concealed, elite, or require an explanation. Art is in and is appreciated by every person on the planet. I want my art to touch peoples’ hearts, to make them curious, and to ignite conversations. Life is busy and it sure goes fast. Everything day we dream about something big. Focusing on the big things we overlook the modest and quiet moments which are truly important. Life is not measured by time but by the seemingly insignificant everyday moments which begin and end in a instant. I try to savor these little moments through my art.
Two colors and simple lines give me to ability to create my art. My tools are simple, black paper, watercolor paper, micro-scissors, and a glue pen. My process begins with an original drawing which I cut out of black paper using a scissors. Sometimes a piece will be intricate a single cut which takes a month to cut and sometimes the image is a collage of black assembled cut outs assembled into the image.
Why not draw with paper? My tiny cuticle scissors is my brush and black paper is my ink. My original drawings are cut out then glued to watercolor paper. I like the minimalist contrast of black and white. My subjects come from my life in NYC and my travels across the country for art shows.
Email: ellacuts@gmail.com
Website: www.scissorsdrawings.com
Instagram: @scissordrawings_artdiary
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Thank you for another fascinating post! Best wishes as you go back to school.
Thank you for this post. I fondly remember sitting for my kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Kyle, while she drew my silhouette...she cut them out for Christmas presents for our parents. It is still here in a box, and I hope my children will want to keep it