Sunday, August 14, 2016

Lots of cutting

I do get offered some lovely jobs to do and this one is for such a good cause and is being done with lot of lovely cutting and white on white.


I have to use 5 letters for each piece. There are to be five completed pieces. For each piece I have to cut 10 letters because of the nature of the stacking of the letters so that is 50 letters. Each letter is about 8cm high.



Then I have to trim half of those letters so they sit above the underlying letter letter nicely, which is like cutting 25 letters again. This isn't how they will sit, but I did enjoy the fanned look and for a moment, thought I might change the plan and do them this way!



Then I decided to make each piece unique by cutting small holes in each letter - so triangles and upside down triangles, circles, squares and diamonds. I think each letter has about ten of these small holes; so again for each piece there are about 50 small holes to be cut as well.

I think you get the picture!

I have been sensible and broken up my cutting up of letters, with drawing them, and in-between cutting doing other tasks to rest my finger.

But still, there's a lot of hand-cutting going on.

And I have collected so many trimmings - this isn't all of them by any stretch of the imagination. My recycled paper bag for pulping and paper making has been filled.






And still, there is attaching letters to paper to do (all the letters are now attached to each other) and then attaching paper to the frame.


I have commissioned the first box frame for hanging and I have to experiment this week to see if they will sit well or if I have to come up with some other 'brilliant' idea to present them.

Fingers, sore cutting ones and all, crossed!

Hopefully the finished pieces aren't too far away and I will be able to share more of them soon.

10 comments:

  1. chuckling because sometimes the jobs that look streamlined and simple become the ones we tear our hair out over.

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    1. So true Velma and like lots of my work - it look so simple...and then I remember!

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  2. I'm trying to work out all the letters you've been working on and what on earth they might be spelling out but I shall wait for 'the reveal'. I love the layered letters and cut outs but I feel for your poor hands Fiona. After trapping them in the press, and now this, you must be a devil for punishment!

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    1. Fortunately the sore hands are opposites so I am not over-damaging one; just adding another one! All shall be revealed I promise and I am happy with how they are turning out so far...fingers crossed for the frames/boxes...

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  3. Wonderful! Soak your hard working fingers in some epsom salts perhaps? Your work is lovely :)

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    1. Good idea Louise! I have been using arnica and the comfrey poultice to wrap my other hand, but epsom salts would be calming for both I think. Go well.

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  4. You are amazing, look forward to the reveal.

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    1. Thank you Penny...I hope to be able to reveal them soon!

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  5. These are amazing. Thank you for showing the progression. It's inspiring.

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I appreciate your thoughts and comments; thanks for taking the time.