papercutting

Sometime last March, I attended a papercutting workshop conducted by Mansy Abesamis of Hey Kessy. It was really fun getting to try something new that’s somewhat connected to my current crafting obsession.

The class was held in vegetarian restaurant Pipino in Makati, and there were about 15-20 of us. It was great being among people who are also into creative projects – some are really into the arts, while others are crafting newbies who would like to add learn a new skill, just like me.

Mansy gave us some worksheets to practice on, before working on our own design. The workshop was fun, although practicing by myself at home, I find myself wishing there had been more tips on coming up with a design. This is the part that, as I will later discover, is really challenging, more than the cutting itself. Making sure that the design has enough to hold the piece together can be quite tricky, lest you end up with separate pieces. I don’t know, maybe it’s because I’m not much of an artist who can draw by hand. My final piece looked really kiddie next to the awesome creations of some of my classmates hehe.

My work is very easy to spot, yes? Hehe :)

Here are some of the other stuff I’ve done so far:

 

 

Clockwise from top left: 1) This is my current favorite phrase. Lettering is one of my favorite things to do. 2) A letter J for my friend Jeje, who recently celebrated her birthday. I was honestly had second thoughts about giving it to her, because it’s pretty amateurish hehe. But she loved it and I am so happy about that! 3) With a few drawings - of course I stuck to things I know well, like the tree and bahay kubo hehehe. 4) M is for Michael! 

I think I’m slowly figuring out my own style in papercuts, but I have to polish it a bit more. Whenever I check out the hashtag on Instagram, man I get so insecure with what expert cutters could do! Sobrang gaganda!

I certainly need moooore practice, but I trust I can figure it out. Let me get some new blades first :)