Working on a “Sail in the Clouds” papercut
📌 I turned this artwork into a PDF template, so you can make it as well:
Sailing in the Clouds - Template
Art challenge
Recently, I saw a post on Instagram about a two-week “Sweet Summer” art challenge featuring four prompts: clouds, summer day, pool day, and flowers.
I love doing art challenges like these because they provide a theme to follow while giving me the freedom to express myself in any way I like. For example, I rarely include water themes in my art. Although I love spending time by the lake or seaside, I somehow struggle to translate that into my artwork. But with a clear prompt like "pool day," I felt encouraged to break out of my comfort zone and create something new and focus on something I wouldn't normally create.
The first prompt in the challenge was "clouds." Instead of rushing to sketch, I paused and thought about how I could turn this challenge into a cohesive series. I love the idea of artworks that belong together. Although I couldn't come up with a character to feature in all four prompts, I settled on a plan: two pieces would depict landscapes, and two would feature cats.
I’d like to show you how I approach the papercut process—from where I start, to my thought process while sketching and cutting, and finally, how I paint the artwork black.
Moreover, I want to turn these and other artworks from this challenge into templates, so I’d also show you how I trace my final artwork.
Sketch first
Everything starts with a sketch—actually, lots of drafts and sketches. Usually, it's not just one sketch that works best, but a combination of elements from multiple sketches that, when combined, look good and interesting.
As part of my art journey, I'm focusing on creating more pieces with movement or a story behind them. I want viewers to see a context or narrative that brings the characters in the artwork to life. In this piece, I aimed to capture the movement of waves and clouds. I used sailboats as the centerpiece, positioning them to appear as if they are moving closer and closer to the forefront of the artwork.
Early in my papercutting journey, I used to work only with an outline version of the sketch. However, I soon learned that having a detailed drawing helps avoid mistakes later and keeps the artwork cleaner. This is because all the decisions about contrast and composition are made before you start cutting paper.
Now, after tracing my sketch onto a clean sheet of paper, I add details to all the elements, transforming it from a simple sketch into a proper drawing.
Drawing for papercut
Knowing that this drawing will eventually become a papercut, I keep a few key things in mind while sketching and making a detailed drawing.
Paper size. First, I consider the final size of the papercut. I’m currently drawing on A5-sized paper, but the finished papercut will cut out of a full sheet of A4. I often make my artworks too complicated, which can make the papercut overly detailed. While detailed designs can be nice, in this case, I want the papercut to be detailed but still simple. By drawing on A5 and then scaling the artwork to fit A4, the composition will stay balanced, and the details will be big enough to cut easily.
Connections. Next, I pay attention to how the elements connect to each other. Since I’m cutting from a single sheet of paper, I need to make sure all parts of the papercut are connected to each other, with nothing "floating in the air".
Balance. Lastly, I focus on balance. In the sketch, you can see that many branches are "connected" to the mountains, water and waves are sometimes separated into "triangles," and clouds overlap each other. These connections are intentional to ensure that when the papercut is complete and held vertically, the artwork doesn’t sag under its own weight and keeps its shape. Large cut areas, both vertical and horizontal, can pull the rest of the artwork down. While this isn’t much of an issue if the artwork is framed, I prefer to avoid it nonetheless.
If you’d like to learn more about drawing for papercut artworks, I have a short YouTube video explaining the process.
Making a print copy
When the sketch is ready, I take a photo of it. This is the moment when I can make any final adjustments to contrast or shape (I use the Procreate app on my iPad). Once I'm happy with how the drawing looks like, I decrease the opacity of the sketch, scale it to the size of the paper I want to use for the papercut, and print it on my home printer.
The main reason for doing this is to have a backup. If something goes wrong—like accidentally cutting the wrong line or making another mistake—I can simply print my sketch again, reducing the risk of errors.
Often, I make some last-minute pencil adjustments at this stage. I connect more elements, add minor details (for example, adding more windows to the boats), and outline borders with a ruler.
I usually use 120gsm paper for my papercuts. I talk a bit more about paper, tools, and materials here.
Before cutting
Before starting to cut, I make sure I have a new, sharp blade. A fresh blade ensures cleaner lines and makes the cutting process easier, as there is less resistance between the knife and the paper, so your hand will get less tired.
I use #11 blades, and I buy them in boxes of a hundred. For artwork of this complexity, I usually change the blade 5 to 6 times. I try to time the blade changes for the more detailed, intricate elements. In this example, that would be the boat windows, which are probably the smallest elements in this artwork. In the case of a portrait, it could be the face of the character, or more specifically, the eyes.
Please make sure to store your old blades safely. While they might not be suited for the intricate work of papercutting anymore, they are still extremely sharp and can be quite dangerous. I store mine in a small plastic box with a lid.
Time to cut
Having a detailed drawing made and refined upfront makes the whole cutting process very relaxing. You don’t have to think which lines to make, how to connect elements, or whether the final result would look fine. You’ve already decided all of those things in the drawing phase.
Nevertheless, the drawing and the papercut usually differ quite a bit. I find that the drawing has usually softer thinner lines, more shadows - even if unintentional - and less sharp lines. With papercutting the lines are usually turning more precise, contrast is higher, and quite often elements turn our to be just a bit bigger.
I usually start cutting the most important area first. In this artwork, that’s the lake with the boats.
Notice how I cut from top to bottom. I don’t cut random lines; I make sure to finish one area before moving to the next one. And I always finish the cut - and remove the paper - before going to the next one. This way, I always have enough paper around the cut. Very thin cuts can drag and damage the paper, so I ensure there’s always enough paper on at least one side of the cut to avoid this mistake.
Neat and Tidy
Tiny cuts create lots of tiny paper pieces that often end up on the floor. To avoid spreading these paper scraps all over the house, I store them in a small dish. You can see in the video that every time I make a cut, I drop the paper into the "paper leftover dish."
A major benefit of keeping your cutting mat free of leftover paper is that it helps avoid making cutting mistakes. If a tiny paper scrap gets under your artwork and you unknowingly cut over it, your blade might jump ever so slightly, causing an error by cutting a thin line next to where you were actually planning to cut. Keeping your cutting mat and artwork clean while working helps prevent such situations.
Next steps
After the main elements are ready, I move on to the details. When working on the background and supporting elements, I usually focus on detailed areas first (here that would be plants) and then move to the larger elements (in this case, sky with clouds). The reason is that if I want to add more details at the last moment—which I often do—I can easily do so because I would still have paper to work with. If I’ve already cut those elements out, I won't have any material left to add more details or make any adjustments.
Note that I still haven’t cut the sails on the sailboats. While cutting the waves around the boats, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to keep the sails white (by cutting the paper out) or black (by leaving the paper; the papercut will be painted black when finished). I will leave this decision for later, probably until the very end of the papercutting process, when I can see how all the elements come together.
A small tip: if you’re in a similar situation and unsure whether to cut an element or not, you can take a photo of your artwork and edit it in Photoshop or Procreate. For papercuts like this, it’s usually a question of contrast, so the editing is usually quick and simple.
My artworks often feature lots of flowers, trees, or other plants. I heavily rely on botanical patterns as a background or as supporting elements. Because of their nature, they can be any size and shape, making it easy to draw them to fit your design best.
I find this part - working with background details - to be the most repetitive and time-consuming. But also the most relaxing. This is an extremely forgiving area when it comes to mistakes, as it doesn’t need to be as precise as the main element of the artwork.
For these sections, I usually turn on a YouTube art blog in the background or listen to an audiobook.
An important note: make sure you let your hands rest. I'm not sure of the correct medical term, so please do your own research. The point is, papercutting, like any small intricate craft, puts a lot of strain on your hands and wrists. Using a precision knife for a long time will tire your hand. Make sure to take regular breaks. It’s very important.
Moving to larger elements
When all the tiny details are complete, I move on to the larger elements. However, I always do a final composition check first. Sometimes seeing your artwork at this stage reveals new perspectives, and you might decide to add more elements here and there. By leaving the larger elements for last, I ensure that I still have enough paper to incorporate any additional details I desire.
In this particular case, I didn't add any extra leaves or waves. However, I did add a few extra connections between the clouds to make the cuts smaller. While working on the details, I realized some cuts were too large compared to other areas of the papercut. So I divided some of the larger cuts by adding more clouds in between. This doesn’t really influence the layout much, but it makes the picture more well-balanced.
Correcting mistakes
Mistakes are inevitable in papercutting. The knife might slip, damaging a line, a delicate cut might snag on the mat as you turn the paper, or you might accidentally cut a connection you didn’t notice.
If a mistake occurs early in the process, I usually start anew. For example, if I would have cut the boats incorrectly, I would just reprint a copy of my sketch and begin cutting a new version.
However, in this case, I made a mistake pretty late in the process. I accidentally cut through the cloud, disconnecting it, and in a pretty central place as well... When such mistakes happen, sometimes you can cut out the piece entirely and pretend it wasn’t part of the design. This would work well with elements like leaves or waves. But I cannot do so here: it would be too obvious that something is missing.
In these situations, my solution is simple and straightforward: I use regular transparent tape to reattach the pieces.
When drawing and then cutting, I strive to remain conscious of the subject I am trying to depict. I aim to cut the waves and clouds as thin as possible to convey their lightness through the papercut.
I also add some movement to the plants. Instead of having all the plants grow in the same direction, I draw and then cut them in a slightly chaotic manner, mimicking how they would naturally sway in the wind. This approach makes the picture more dynamic.
I focus on these details during the sketching and drawing phase, but I also keep them in mind while cutting to ensure the final papercut aligns with my vision.
Final touches
When everything is cut, I add some final touches here and there. I check if anything needs adjustments, such as making the clouds even thinner or the leaves just a bit smaller. I might also add extra minor details to the boats or stars.
This is also the time to check for any straight lines that might need extra alignment. In my case, these are the sails of the boats. While cutting waves around the boats, the sails seemed to be quite straight. But now that everything is ready, I can see that they aren't perfectly straight: there is some variation because of how I cut the waves.
I can easily fix this with the help of a ruler.
In the end, I decided to keep the sails as they are. While drawing, I was considering cutting them and making them outlined, but this way, they draw more attention and serve as a centerpiece. I was concerned that if I cut them out, the boats would become less prominent and might get lost among the waves. Keeping the sails "visually heavier" feels better for the overall composition.
White > Black
At this stage, the cutting part is done, and the papercut itself is pretty much ready.
However, I prefer my papercuts to be in black rather then white. I like the contrast black colour creates and how this way the artwork resembles a linocut or an ink drawing.
Note: If you like your papercuts to stay white - that’s totally fine. But make sure you account for this while sketching and drawing for your papercut.
I use water-based acrylic paint and cover my papercut from both sides at least with two coats of paint, letting the artwork dry between each coat. To ensure it dries properly, I place it on a clean sheet of paper. I paint my papercuts outside to allow the paint fumes to dissipate easily.
Sometimes I get a question why I don’t cut directly on black paper, as painting the papercut might seem a bit redundant. Why not cut on black paper straight away? While cutting on dark (or coloured) paper is an option, and I occasionally do so for simpler designs, it's not always practical. Drawing and printing on dark paper is challenging because the lines are less visible. My papercuts often feature intricate lines and connections, so having a clearly visible, detailed drawing during the cutting process makes the cutting part much easier. And more precise.
Additionally, painting the papercut at the end covers all pencil lines and tape marks (if any were used). Removing pencil lines from a delicate paper artwork is difficult without causing damage due to the thinness of the lines. Covering them with paint effectively hides them, maintaining the clean look of the artwork.
Ta-da!
It usually takes about 2-4 hours for a papercut to dry, but after that the artwork is ready.
I still need to buy a frame for it: I am thinking an A3 size with an off-white background would work best.
📌 I turned this artwork into a PDF template, so you can make it as well:
Sailing in the Clouds - Template
Extra: Tracing for a vector file
I try to make it a habit of tracing my artworks once they are ready.
Having a vector file allows me to use it for a poster or a postcard print. If I want to - I can make another papercut easier, since I will have very precise lines to follow. I can also use this file for Cricut / Silhouette cutting machines or laser cutter to replicate my work. And of course this is how I make my printable templates.
I an now writing a separate post about how I trace my papercuts on the example of this artwork. It should be ready very soon! 🤞
Hi friend,
If you’d like to read more about papercutting and stay up to date with my art journey - you can sign up to my newsletter 🌊 ⛵
- Marina