How to Cut a Heart-Shaped Scherenschnitte Valentine
Scherenschnitte is the traditional art of paper cutting from Germany. This is a classic art form practiced in many cultures. Sweethearts have acknowledged their affection throughout the ages by snipping paper hearts as a symbol of their love. Practice this art of many ages and create a special design for someone you care about.
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Things You'll Need
- 1 sheet white paper, such as plain notebook paper
- Pencil
- Manicure scissors
- 1 sheet red paper
Instructions
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1
Fold a piece of white paper in half. On one half of the paper, draw half a heart shape on the fold. Make certain that the inside of the heart, the widest part, is on the folded edge.
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2
Draw a parallel line next to the line you just drew, so there are two half-heart-shaped lines with some space between them. This will be the outside border of your design.
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3
Draw a design, such as a tulip, on half of the folded paper inside the half-heart.
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4
Connect this tulip shape to the border with a few more lines of your choice. There are no right or wrong lines. These lines are meant to link the tulip design to the border so they need to cross over each other at a few spots.
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5
Draw lines parallel to these connecting lines. This will give the lines some width, so when you are cutting, you leave them intact.
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6
Puncture the area inside the biggest negative space in your design with manicure scissors. This is the space that would be the background if this were a simple drawing. Snip out this area from the half-heart.
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Continue cutting out the background spaces, progressing to the smallest spaces, until it has all been removed.
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8
Open the paper heart and gently flatten it. The side with the pencil marks should be facing down.
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9
Place very small dabs of glue onto only a few of the widest spots of the cutout. Be certain that the glue is placed on the back side, which is the one with the pencil marks.
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10
Lay the cutout on the red background paper and gently press to adhere it.
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Tips & Warnings
You also can add detail by puncturing wide parts of the design with a needle to make small holes. This is an old method of creating additional texture on the design.
