Fun paper cutting

Author: Zhu Weida, Wang Haiyan, et al.
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-07-01
Features: Paper-cutting is a folk art deeply rooted in the masses, with a history of over a thousand years. The materials and content of paper-cutting are rich, mostly filled with a sense of life and auspiciousness. Over the long term, through the continuous innovation of folk artists, the forms of paper-cutting have been ever-changing and diverse in style. There is the rough, bright, naive, and robust style of the North, as well as the exquisite, clever, delicate, and transparent style of the South. Each has its own strengths, and paper-cutting, with its simple decorative charm, has become a practical ornament for people to beautify their lives.
Paper-cutting is an artistic creation activity that uses scissors as a tool and paper as a material to cut paper into pictures. It can cultivate artistic taste, provide leisure and entertainment, and enhance the atmosphere at home. It can also develop children's intelligence, fostering their ability to think in images and hands-on skills from a young age. To make the paper-cutting activity more fun and attract the attention of a wider range of young children, the authors, based on traditional paper-cutting, conducted dedicated research and discovered a set of rules for folding and cutting, summarizing nine simple methods. They also explored and improved aspects of shaping paper-cutting images and techniques. This involves using concise and generalized concepts, fluid and expressive methods, and employing one or two folding and cutting techniques to complete more complex scenes. Alternatively, they use the method of layer cutting, where multiple sheets of paper are overlaid and cut at once to create the same posture, then modified, pieced together, and combined to transform the same posture into various poses. This not only shortens the time spent on paper-cutting but also protects children's eyesight, reasonably adapts to their activity mood, and ensures they experience neither fatigue nor boredom, thereby stabilizing their interest in paper-cutting.
This book is divided into three parts: Part 1, Basic Methods of Paper-Cutting; Part 2, Reference Examples of Paper-Cutting; Part 3, Appreciation of Paper-Cutting Works. The authors firmly believe that through the study of paper-cutting, children can not only gain a deeper understanding of this national culture but also develop their creative abilities to beautify their lives with hands-on skills, as well as cultivate patience and meticulous work habits. This will make their minds sharper and their hands more dexterous.
During the creation of this book, the authors received guidance and assistance from Zhu Yangci, former Deputy Editor and Head of the Art Editing Department of Shanghai Science and Technology Press. At this time of publication, they sincerely thank Mr. Zhu. Additionally, they extend their gratitude to the authors of some of the paper-cutting works referenced in the appreciation section of this book.