Scherenschnitte (Scissor Cuts) Stamping

What could be lovelier than a well crafted silhouette?  Images void of detailed facial expression, or the feathers of a bird.  Images cut with such detail the outline alone is all you need to understand what the paper cuts artist is trying to convey.

More than likely you once created a Scherenschnitte yourself.  Your teacher once offered a sheet of paper and scissors, instructing you to fold and cut, creating a lacy snowflake.  What about those accordion paper dolls?  While the projects you created were not very elaborate (like the example below from Sharyn Sowell ), you were still creating your very first Scherenschnitte project.

While we can't all be master Paper Cut artist like Mrs. Sowell, we can certainly try our hand at this beautiful craft.  I've recently created a video for Splitcoaststampers entitled, "Scherenschnitte (Scissor Cuts) Stamping".  The video takes a shortcut to create a version of Schereneschnitte using my rubberstamping and basic crafting supplies.  Here are a few of samples.

The technique is simple really.  The bird and branches shown above (from the Touch of Nature stamp set) was simply inked in black, stamped on the paper and then filled in completely with a black marker.  Don't limit yourself to a "silhouette" stamp.  Any basic rubber stamp you have should work fine with this technique.

Here's what the rubber stamp image looked like before it was filled.

Don't limit yourself to just black cardstock.  Artist today will use colorful paper to create silhouettes. 

Here I've removed the eyes from the owl for a little more detail.

The second option is to emboss your image onto black cardstock and cut it out.  You can view the entire How-to video below or on my YouTube Channel.  Try your hand at this technique.  Use your completed project to grace the pages of your stationary, wedding invitations, scrapbook art or a beautiful framed piece of artwork for your home.