Paper Cutting Art -- Scherenschnitte

Very recently in one of my outings to a thrift shop, I spotted a little colorful book and became very excited to find it. Paper cutting is an artform that I love, but have not done very much work in since I was a teenager. The book I found is in the pictures in this blog. Can you believe it -- such a find for 39 cents!!

Scherenschnitte means "scissors cutting" and is the German and Swiss art of paper cutting. Wycinanki also means "scissors cutting" and is a Polish style of papercutting. In Turkey, the practice is called "ka 'ti" while the paper artists are called "katta." Kirie is the Japanese art of paper cutting, while Kirigami, also called Monkiri, involves cutting and folding paper.

Chinese Paper Cutting or Jianzhi (Chinese: 剪纸, jiǎn zhǐ) is the first type of papercutting design, since paper was invented by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty in China.

Chinese paper cutting is a unique artform and has existed for thousands of years with a long history featuring both national and regional themes. Paper began as a precious commodity in the Han Dynasty. Most of the people with access to paper for an entertainment cause such as art were usually nobles in royal palaces.


Today, papercuttings are chiefly decorative. They ornament walls, windows, doors, columns, mirrors, lamps and lanterns in homes and are also used on presents or are given as gifts themselves. Entrances are decorated with paper cut outs is supposed to bring good luck. Papercuttings used to be used as patterns, especially for embroidery and lacquer work.


In Chinese culture it can reflect many aspects of life such as prosperity, health, or harvest. Some cuttings represent stories about the happiness gained from the accomplishment of common goals.

There are two methods of manufacture: one use scissors, the other use knives. In the scissor method, several pieces of paper - up to eight - are fastened together. The motif is then cut with sharp, pointed scissors.

Knife cuttings are fashioned by putting several layers of paper on a relatively soft foundation consisting of a mixture of tallow and ashes. Following a pattern, the artist cuts the motif into the paper with a sharp knife which is usually held vertically. Skilled crafters can even cut out different drawings freely without stopping.