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Articles by Chris A. Paschke, CPF GCF

"Handling Papercuts"

July 2001

Papercuts... no pun intended. I am not referring to the painful sliced finger from a freshly beveled cut window mat. Rather, I'm talking about the beautiful folk art that has existed for centuries around the world. These intricate and delicate artworks have been both a joy to view, a source of history, and an enjoyable pastime yet also a bane for many custom framers.

For more information, please visit China Cutting kit.

Papercutting, a craft or folk art, involves a design that balances positive and negative space to create artistic delicacy and openness while ensuring the piece remains intact post-cutting. The essential tools are a piece of thin paper and either scissors or a blade. Despite the simplicity of these materials, papercutting has evolved into a highly popular art form globally, from Europe and Asia to here in the States. This time-intensive skill involves using very thin, sometimes multi-layered sheets and demands meticulous care when handling (photo 1).

Photo 1: White Bamboo
This is a small, white papercut from tissue-thin mulberry or hosho paper that I purchased in Chinatown, San Francisco about 20 years ago for $2.00. It remains in good shape after years of being handled during teaching classes.

History of Chinese Paper Cutting

Papercutting is one of the oldest and most enduring art activities in China, known as chien chih. The earliest examples date back to the Han dynasty (206 B.C. to A.D. 220), when gold and silver foils were used instead of paper. It is a folk art in China with numerous regional differences. Before the advent of transportation and communications, many areas were isolated, and people relied on local resources to decorate their homes and share history and traditions (photo 2). Cutting techniques have remained somewhat constant for centuries.

Photo 2: Blue Sheep
A single-color example from Shaanxi province. Since this piece was used for pasting into a window, the white cutaway space is rather large to allow more light through.

Papercuts decorated walls, windows, and lanterns and depicted the aspirations of families in life and death. They served as decorations and storytelling tools. One of the most significant annual events in a Chinese family is the celebration of the New Year. Families often place cuttings throughout their homes to appease the gods and ensure health and prosperity, integrating the concept of Feng Shui.

Shaanxi Province of Central China

The images from the Shaanxi province of central China were single-color and often illustrated subjects connected to everyday life (photo 2). Farmers wanted strong sheep, and this desire manifested in forceful papercutting techniques, while still allowing for creative interpretations of stylized hair, leaf-shaped ears, and a lack of three-dimensionality.

The red family (photo 3) was designed for wall decoration, representing the organic growth of children from their parents, symbolizing the interconnection of all nature.

Photo 3: Red Family
This image shows the ideal family, two sons, and a daughter, designed to be used on a wall. The daughter, perhaps still unborn, is in the middle, while the boys grow like apples from either side of the parental tree.

Hebei Province of Northeast China

In northeastern China's Hebei province, papercutting featured vivid colors and multiple layers to tell stories, often used in windows. These images used both metallic foils and thin dyed papers, which could be light-sensitive, leading to frequent replacements, particularly for those in sunny windows.

Consider the time it takes for the sun to discolor tissue paper. It can be assumed papercutting was an enjoyable pastime, frequently replaced. When framing these treasures, it's likely the visible light fading the paper more than UV rays, so coated and UV glazing may not deter fading as much as hoped.

The detailed and brightly colored papercut of goldfish and lotus in photo 4, is a wish fulfillment symbol for fertility in a new marriage, cut with much openness to allow sunlight to flood through windows.

Photo 4: Fish Bowl and Lotus
This window papercut of fish and lotus is a wish fulfillment symbol hoping for fertility in a new marriage.

Some papercuts narrate stories passed down for generations. As mentioned, history was once recorded this way due to limited communication. Only scholars could read or write, so these traditional methods helped pass on history to new generations and travelers.

In this ancient story (photo 5), passersby saw an old man fishing from a rock, wondering why he held his rod three feet above the water. He replied it was to attract the emperor's attention during his visit. The ploy worked, and he was made prime minister.

Photo 5: Fisherman
This ancient story, passed down through generations, features an old man fishing from a rock to attract the emperor's attention. Note the delicate water threading creation.

Papercutting Around the Globe

China wasn't the only country with an ancient tradition of papercutting. In Japan, it’s called monkiri, with similar stories to those in China. As mentioned in my article on Scrolls (PFM April and May 2001), Japanese houses have thin walls that don't support much weight, making papercuts an ideal lightweight decorative option.

In Germany and Switzerland, it's known as scherenschnitte. The intricate scherenschnitte patterns I’ve admired took hundreds of hours of detailed cutting with tiny scissors. In Poland, it's called wycinanki, and in Dutch culture, it’s knippen. Many cultures embrace this traditional form. In Jewish traditions, it’s part of religious artwork and holiday celebrations. I remember learning to cut snowflakes from folded paper in kindergarten.

Time Consuming Craft

In China, I saw many craftspeople at work. Whether they were given patterns to copy or trace, the craft continues. While many Asian papercuts target the tourist trade, produced inexpensively and perhaps mass-produced by machines, artisans still uphold the old methods and traditions, keeping such craft in the forefront.

The young man in photo 6 uses traditional methods to cut a bowl of goldfish, a prosperity symbol, needing three days for this design. Seen in a Shanghai shop selling framed and unframed papercuts, most in primary colors, these pieces ranged from 5"x7" to 20"x30", with the most popular 11"x14" ones selling for about $18.00 USD.

Photo 6: Papercutting Demonstration
This young man works for three days on this papercut bowl of goldfish. Fish symbolize prosperity with their gold color representing wealth.

In the close-up detail (photo 7), the pattern is stapled to the red paper, and he uses a knife similar to a #11 Xacto™ knife. Framed pieces were pressed against the glass in a narrow frame, sold for about $25USD.

Photo 7: Detail of Hand Cutting
Notice the pattern overlay on top of the red paper beneath. He cuts using a straight-edged knife, commonly found worldwide.

Mounting Options

In the United States, these small fragile treasures, despite their low cost, may hold significant sentimental or family value, requiring proper care in framing. True, the papers used may not be archival or neutral pH, but like any heirloom, they should be framed non-invasively to preserve the papercut itself.

Contact us to discuss your requirements of China Flux Cored Wire. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.

While in China last summer, these crafts were seen everywhere, sold packaged for tourists, likely bulk cut with lasers to mass-produce them at a price of 4-6 pieces of 5"x7" images, often multi-layered for as little as $5.00 USD. Not an expensive investment in Asian artistry, but a keepsake reminiscent of a $5,000 trip to the Orient one summer.

Right or Wrong

In my book, The Mounting and Laminating Handbook, I discussed two options for mounting these delicate images: a wet glue approach and spray adhesive. While spray is not preservation-friendly and non-reversible, the improved applications over time lean towards non-invasive Mylar-D encapsulation.

I won't stress the right or wrong mounting approach, just basic information and outcomes. Each framer and their client will make their judgment call.

Spray Application

Delicate problem mountings may suit spray mounting techniques. The intricacies of papercuts with their multiple openings make traditional wet, pressure-sensitive, and dry mounting techniques less suitable due to visible adhesive and potential damage.

Direct spraying isn't possible due to the paper's delicate and thin nature. Care is needed to avoid adhesive puddling or running under the cuts. It's best to mist the spray adhesive from above, letting it settle onto the back, supported by an accordion-folded piece of rigid paper stock to keep the art out of the adhesive. Handle with great care, respecting its delicate nature. The fragile papercuts can tear even in a cold vacuum frame or mechanical press compression.

Size and prepare materials. Select a heat-reactivating spray, such as Vac-U-Mount™., Good Glue Spray™., or Sure Mount Spray™. Place the papercut face-down on an accordion-folded support, using release paper to prevent bonding during adhesive application. Avoid absorbent paper for support.

After applying adhesive mist, let it dry completely and lose tackiness. Place on mat board backing, cover with clean release paper, and press with a small tacking iron to reactivate and hold it in place. Do not place in a vacuum frame or press, as any air shift can damage the delicate paper cuts.

Wet Glue Application

A better alternative is small dots of acid-free PVA or cooked rice starch, methylcellulose, or wheat paste. Depending on the cut paper's weight and detail, the dots should be small, avoiding saturation. Apply necessary dots to hold the cutting in position without paper stress.

Encapsulation

The most preservation-friendly and non-intrusive mounting method is suspending the papercut between two clear polyester sheets (Mylar-D). Static electricity centers the papercut between edge-sealed sheets with neutral pressure-sensitive tape, compressing air. The tape edges can be hidden behind a window mat and colored background.

Papercutting in the 21st Century

The papercut in photo 8 was mechanically produced using computer technology with a laser cutter and pre-adhesived decorative paper, in this case, black Strathmore charcoal paper. Made five years ago, it showcased a new adhesive's potential. It is backed with a low-temperature dry adhesive, ready for mounting to the underlying Kinwashi paper in the photo with light heat.

Photo 8: Computer Papercut
This piece of black Strathmore charcoal paper was laser cut using contemporary Roland and Epson computer equipment, produced in Connecticut about five years ago. Even traditional crafts take a turn for the 21st century. It is backed with dry adhesive and ready to be mounted to the underlying Kinwashi paper.

These laser-cut images could be produced on any thickness or texture of paper, altering tradition. Even ancient crafts aren't safe from 21st-century technology.

The Final Cut

A package of four Chinese papercuts may sell as a tourist attraction for $5.00 USD, but the German grandmother using cuticle-type scissors to create intricate scherenschnitte produces a priceless 16"x20" family heirloom. Creating these masterpieces takes as much time as intricate needlepoint. European papercuts I've seen, far from commercial, would impress with their extraordinary detail.

What makes these crafts special? Their value lies in their cultural significance, what they represent, and the sentiment they hold. A customer's cherished snowflake cutout, made by their kindergartner, may be priceless. We should treat them all as the priceless possessions they are.

END
Copyright © 2001 Chris A Paschke

For more articles on mounting basics look under the mounting section in Articles by Subject.
Additional information on all types of mounting is found in:
The Mounting and Laminating Handbook, Second Edition, 2002,
The Mounting And Laminating Handbook, Third Edition, 2008 and
Creative Mounting, Wrapping, And Laminating, 2000 will teach you everything you need to know about getting the most from your dry mount equipment and materials as an innovative frame designer.

All books are available from Designs Ink Publishing through this website.

Chris A Paschke, CPF GCF
Designs Ink
Designs Ink Publishing
785 Tucker Road, Suite G-183
Tehachapi, CA 93561
P 661-821-2188
chris@designsinkart.com

Paper is synonymous with China and its once grand stature as the world leader in technological advances. Along with this progress, the country developed a cultural subset devoted solely to transforming objects into something beautiful. This practice, also known as an art form, spread throughout China, involving many different entities such as pottery and others. Paper, however, soon came to be one of the most widespread and widely accepted forms of decorative art. In this article, we will touch on the reasons for which this occurred, as well as the methods by which paper is cut and the purpose of this activity in Chinese culture.

Chinese paper cutting began thousands of years ago soon after Cai Lun invented the papermaking process in AD 105. Cai Lun, who today is little known outside of Asia, guarded women’s living areas outside of the oriental court until he was eventually promoted to the designation of Shang Fang Si, which refers to the one that is responsible for manufacturing tools and weapons. While participating in this role, Cai Lun concluded that mixing tree bark, hemp, and other materials would create a paper that is strong, lightweight, and rather inexpensive. With this papermaking process, Cai Lun became an extraordinarily wealthy aristocrat. After his death in AD 121, paper spread throughout China and the world allowing literature and literacy to spread much more quickly than it had before with other writing materials.

Paper cutting developed sometime after Cai Lun’s death, but it is not known when exactly. The oldest surviving paper cutout is a symmetrical circle from the sixth century, but the art form may have existed prior to then. In its early years, paper was a precious article of trade, and those who had access to it for purposes other than writing were generally of the upper class – royal nobles that lived in palaces. Beginning in the seventh century, paper cutting began entering mainstream culture as a decorative art form during Chinese holidays. Thereafter, it spread to the rest of the world in the fourteenth century; China moved on to other art forms, and paper cutting dwindled until it became virtually nonexistent. Sometime in the 1980s, however, The Republic of China tried to revive the art, spawning a market for professional paper cutters.

The methods by which professionals and hobbyists alike cut paper varies based upon their preference and skill level. There are two main ways by which paper can be effectively cut into a plethora of shapes and complex designs. The first, and somewhat obvious way is by using sharp, pointed scissors to carefully cut the design into many layers of paper that are clipped together. The other way to cut paper is to use a knife. This method is performed with several sheets of paper that are resting on a underpinning of animal fat and ashes. The paper artist places a sharp knife in a vertical position and repeatedly slices a pattern into the paper quickly and without stopping. This technique can allow highly skilled artists to create several paper cutouts in a shorter time frame and with greater accuracy than scissors.

In China, paper cutting has developed into a decorative market. Paper cut designs adorn all parts of a traditional home, from walls to windows, doors to mirrors, and even lamps and lanterns. Sometimes they are used to embellish gifts or are given as a gift themselves. It is common belief that entrances that are decorated with cutouts will bring good luck to those that reside within. Also, paper cuttings were once used as patterns for embroidery and other handiwork.

China’s technological advances brought along new forms of art such as pottery, but paper cutting quickly became the most widespread due to its strength, minimal weight, and low cost. Paper cutouts are also incredibly beautiful; their designs range from the simple, such as a circle, to the exotic, such as a stackable three-dimensional lantern. Paper can be cut either by scissors or knife, depending upon the artist’s preference. Paper cutouts are used mainly as decorations in homes, or as gifts to those that you cherish. Paper cutting is the world’s chief art form – it has risen from the earth to help us spread knowledge and good will to people everywhere.

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