New Year 2022 will be held under the auspices of the Blue Water Tiger according to the Chinese calendar. All kinds of horoscopes promise that this year will be fateful for many, bringing many pleasant or not very changes. And let this animal enter into its own rights in the period from February 20 to February 10, since the date of the holiday according to the Chinese calendar changes from year to year, but long before December 31, you can decorate the windows of the house with beautiful tigers in the form of a Tiger.
Vytynanka - an overview of technology
Openwork silhouette cutting out of paper is familiar to absolutely everyone, even to those who have never heard the words "vytynanka" or "kirigami" in their life, because absolutely everyone cut out paper snowflakes. So, simple cutouts can be real works of art.
This technique of working with paper has been known for a long time, having become widespread in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and in the east. We have this kind of applied art got its name from the Ukrainian word "vytynaty" - to cut out. The Japanese name "kirigami" literally translates as "kiru" - to cut and "kami" - paper.
There are several types of protrusions:
- 2D or flat pictures that can be glued to windows or used in scrapbooking, for example, to create postcards or design notebooks;
- work with curved elements, only creating a 3D effect; they can be glued to fabric or cardboard in a contrasting color to get a three-dimensional picture;
- 3D crafts (boxes or books) that create a three-dimensional "paper reality" that can be viewed from all sides.
The founder of the latter direction is considered to be the Japanese architect Masahiro Chatani, who came up with a way to translate his architectural ideas on paper.
Required tools and materials for cutting
Inspired by the beautiful tiger-shaped protrusions and deciding to do the same with your own hands, you need to first prepare all the necessary tools and materials.
The first thing to talk about is the choice of material for cutting. Craftsmen who have been engaged in vytynanka for a long time use paper, cardboard, tracing paper and even foil as the basis for their work.
For beginners, it is better to opt for thick paper.
Cardboard will be difficult for a beginner to cut through, and office sheets and tracing paper can tear during work from one careless movement. White protrusions look impressive on the windows, but you can use other colors, for example, blue, because the symbol of 2022 is the Blue Water Tiger.
As for the tools, you will need a backing to work, which will protect the table from scratches and help to get smooth cutting lines on the workpiece. This can be a professional self-healing rug or very thick cardboard, a sheet of plywood, a glass or wooden cutting board.
In specialized stores you can find special tool kits for cut-out cutters. They usually include a backing and a set of special cutters with replaceable blades. A clerical knife, a medical scalpel, a mock knife can replace a professional tool, and large fragments can be cut off with paper scissors.
How to cut and the better to glue the vytynanki on the windows
Cutting technology is not complicated: the printed or drawn template must be placed on the substrate and with the help of a cutter, cut off all unnecessary along the contour. But since the Tiger's protruding tricks cannot be called easy crafts (you will have to work hard to cut stripes on the skin of this wild cat), the following tips for beginners will come in handy.
Cutting should be started from the smallest parts, gradually moving to the larger ones. The extra outer contour should be cut off last.
In order not to stain the work, you need to hold the workpiece at the places that will be cut off later.
You can glue the tiger-shaped tuck to the window using the following means:
- PVA glue or glue stick - it holds the paper well and will not be noticeable under it, but its traces from the window will have to be washed for a very long time;
- double-sided or ordinary scotch tape - it is able to hold even the heaviest handicraft of the Tiger, but you have to suffer by cutting it into small pieces, and then washing away traces from the stack with alcohol;
- soapy water, glass cleaner or toothpaste are only suitable for handicrafts made of thin materials, but their marks on the glass are easy to remove.
The classic vytynanka is made without glue, but if by chance a small part of the cutter comes off or was cut off, then it can be carefully glued into place.
Vytynanka Tiger: ready-made templates and interesting ideas
Having learned what vytynanka is, you definitely need to try your hand at this budget hobby, which will help you relax, relieve nervous tension and have a good time creating graceful openwork New Year's decorations for your home. Moreover, we have prepared beautiful tiger-shaped tuck templates, which you can download absolutely free of charge to use in your crafts.
