I’m fascinated by other cultures. I love to learn about traditional festivals, clothing, food, and—of course—crafts! I blame being a military brat. When I was a kid, my family packed up and moved every three years. I’ve lived in five different states and one foreign country, which has given me a bit of wanderlust. World travel is something I aspire to do someday, perhaps when I retire. But in the meantime, I will satisfy my globe-trotting urges by celebrating foreign culture! Today’s Goodie Bag will cover some international paper crafts… and maybe some tutorial links!
Kirigami
You’ve probably heard of Origami, the Japanese art of folding paper, but have you heard of Kirigami, which is folding and cutting? Think of how you made snowflakes from paper as a child. That’s an example of Kirigami. When using the Inspiration, it’s so easy to make cuts designs and then fold them in to shapes—a lot of our projects would probably qualify as Kirigami. I wish I had seen the work of Marc Hagan-Guirey before Halloween. Check out his crazy ‘Horrorgami’ projects!
Tatebanko
Another Japanese tradition, this is creating scenic dioramas from paper. This ‘lost art’ is making a resurgence. Tatebanko would be easy to create with the Inspiration’s Print and Cut capability. There are several well-known artists making waves with paper dioramas, but my favorite is probably Jayme McGowan. Her whimsical scenes make me feel like I’m inside a children’s book.
Papel Picado
Translated as punched or perforated paper, Papel Picado is a Mexican paper art traditionally done with a hammer and chisel. Banners made with Papel Picado are used for all kinds of holidays, festivals, and religious events. The traditional method is to trace a pattern on to tissue paper; make a stack of papers; then hammer the design through them all at once so the design is repeated on every sheet. You can’t cut more than one sheet of paper at the same time with the Inspiration, but you can create identical pieces and hang them up on a banner, no hammering required! Check out the wonderful work of Marcelino Bautista Sifuentes.
Scherenschnitte
The German craft ‘scherenschnitte’ is cutting one single sheet of paper to create bold, silhouetted or geometric works of art. This kind of art is traditionally done with scissors, but could easily be done with the Inspiration. Some examples I found intricate and breathtaking were from artist Pamela Dalton.
There is also a traditional folding pattern for German Paper Stars, called ‘Froebelsterne’, and I found a tutorial for you!
Wycinanki
Polish sheepherders started Wycinanki by cutting designs out of tree bark and hanging them in their homes for decoration. This morphed in to paper art utilizing a multitude of techniques, including punching, tearing, layering, and more. There are two styles too! Designs from the Kurpie region are all one color, and designs in the Lowicz style are multi-colored and layered. Enjoy the art of Malgorzata Belkiewicz and her Kurpie-style cut outs.
Tea Bag Folding
Another craft that originated in Holland is Tea Bag Folding. It’s similar to Origami and Iris Folding in that it’s all paper folding, and no cutting. But unlike Origami, which traditionally uses one sheet of paper, Tea Bag Folding uses many pieces of paper to achieve a pattern effect, much like Iris Folding. Rather than printing patterned paper and cutting it in to individual squares, you can use your Inspiration’s Print and Cut feature to cut the squares for you, saving a bit of work!
Feel the need to fold? Try a basic tea bag kite fold!
Iris Folding
Iris Folding involves folding many strips of paper over a template to create a spiral design that resembles the blades inside a camera’s lens, or the ‘iris’ of the camera. Using the Inspiration in Iris Folding would be a great technique—you could cut an interesting design in the center of the Iris, and fold the paper around it. Another great technique is to use metallic paper or foil, like artist Patti Isaacs.
Want to try it for yourself? Here’s a simple template and tutorial.
Thank you, Amanda for the information on paper crafts from different countries. I’ve done Tea Bag Folding and Iris Folding, and probably a form of Tatebanko in elementary school when I created a shoe box diorama about dinosaurs.
If I am not mistaken Kirigami is the original name used for “pop up” card techniques.