Local Gander// Workshop
Papercutting with Emma Daniels
Baker & Barista, Ipswich
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I was lucky enough to claim one of the last places on Emma Daniels' latest papercutting workshop thanks to a last minute cancellation, something I'd wanted to try after being given a Paper Panda beginners' kit for for Christmas. And for just £20 for all the materials, Emma's helpful advice and homemade cake and coffee from the Baker & Barista girls, this was a really fun and frivolous way to spend a Thursday evening.
Surprisingly, I didn't bring down the median age too much at the age of 24; it was lovely to see women of all ages getting involved in this up-and-coming artistic style. And there's so much talent - take a look at the picture below of all our designs together, which make a great impact I think.
Emma started us on worksheets that she'd kindly prepared for us beforehand, to get us used to the blades (although I did manage to cut myself, just one) and how to connect different aspects of the papercut so areas don't run loose. I was slightly apprehensive when I realised quite how inferior my skills were to my illustrator friend, who apparently had also never tried papercutting on a big scale before. But the practice helped to get us all up to a similar standard, and there were certainly no duff papercuts at the end!
The variety of designs was brilliant - I designed a forest scene, while others chose the Eiffel Tower, flowers, elves, cupcakes and even biscuits. As Emma pointed out, these workshops are the perfect place to create something special for a wedding gift or an usual greetings card.
I'll definitely be along to the next one (unfortunately June's workshop is already fully booked), but, now I'm more familiar with the skill, I'll be designing my template beforehand to create in the company of fellow papercutters, with Emma on hand for advice. Not only are these workshops a perfect outlet for creativity and passion, but they're a great chance to meet new people and try out something new for entertainment on a weekday evening.
TIP: Practice, practice, practice (and patience) makes perfect. Make sure you try out Emma's worksheets before designing to get used to connecting negative and positive images. And I've found that the size of your elements should be inversely proportionate to your skill and familiarity with papercutting - tiny flower elements and miniature hearts are pretty ambitious shapes for beginners! This is where patience comes in: never try to tear away the waste paper before having a clean cut, or you'll tear your design. Never a good outcome when you've spent hours designing and cutting...
Visit Emma Daniels' Facebook page here or follow her on Twitter or Instagram to see her beautiful work and find out about upcoming workshops and exhibitions.
Emma's upcoming summer workshops at Baker & Barista are on 19th June (fully booked), 17th July and 28th August.
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M o r e P h o t o s
The last image ("When I look at the stars...") is Emma's work and not mine - I wish!
Like this? You might like Baker & Barista, Ipswich and Carley's Yard, Framlingham