Paper cuts

I saw this post today on design*sponge about the paper cut cards of Kinsey Hamilton and the birds in a cage caught my eye immediately, so I ventured over to her etsy store to find out what might be available for purchase (I haven't bought anything yet...but I'm thinking about it!). My favorite of the bunch is this forest scene:


But I also love the intricate geometric patterns that make up much of her work.


This triggered a few reminders--for instance, that I'd been meaning to buy this book, a collection of the paper cuttings of Hans Christian Andersen, the famed author of Fairy Tales, who apparently was also well versed in the art of cutting out beautifully elaborate and complicated images.


And how could I forget about the paper cuts of Jad Fair, who played in Half Japanese, one of the best bands ever (it's a fact). His work reflects his drawing style, and is quite different from those previously discussed, depicting monsters, robots, aliens, and the like. I love it.


Papercutting is an art I've been meaning to try, though I fear I don't have a steady enough hand to exercise the degree of precision that's necessary to enact that kind of detail. Then again, I've made some decent stencils in my day, so I just might go out and buy some fresh xacto blades and take the plunge.