Butterfly paper cutting pattern and cutting method tutorial

Butterfly paper cutting pattern and cutting method tutorial

Butterfly paper-cutting often means good luck and good fortune in traditional Chinese culture, so people like to apply butterfly patterns to paper-cutting creations. In the homes of newlyweds, we often see paper-cut works with butterflies as the main pattern, because the butterfly itself represents lightness and beauty, and therefore symbolizes the happiness and contentment of the couples life. Many people also say that butterfly paper-cuts are presented as works to the elderly because the word "die" in butterfly has the same pronunciation as "苋", and the word "苋" means the longevity and health of the elderly.

1. Preparation: Take a piece of colored paper and fold it twice, or take four pieces of colored paper and staple them with a stapler.

2. Tracing: When tracing with a pencil, pay attention to the movement of the butterfly and the arrangement of the patterns on its wings.

3. Cutting: There are many types of butterflies with different shapes, patterns, and colors. When cutting, pay attention to the gods rather than copying them truthfully. When cutting a butterfly, first cut off its body, then cut off a pair of large wings from the inside to the left and right, and then cut off the small wings at the back. The pattern of the butterfly wings can be customized by using dots, lines, zigzags, and floral patterns, but the directionality of the wings must be followed when cutting (see the paper-cut work "Butterfly"). Butterfly eyebrows are thin, even and smooth, with the ends exaggerated into two dots and bent into a beautiful Ruyi shape. The cuts are neat and no stubble is left. The eyes are mostly represented by two solid dots, and the legs should be short.

Paper-cut work "Butterfly"

There are many flowers that can be combined with butterflies. Almost any flower can form beautiful patterns with it. In addition, fruits and vegetables are also often combined with it, such as the traditional themes of "Butterfly Melon" and "Butterfly Love". Cabbage" and so on. In the combined picture, in order to highlight the butterfly, when cutting, the butterfly should be exaggerated to be larger, and the flowers, fruits, and vegetables should be smaller. The objective and actual proportions cannot be completely followed. Some fruits can also be cut. The open shape (such as the watermelon in the paper-cut work "Butterfly Melon") is a form commonly seen in folk paper-cutting; on the other hand, from the paper-cut folk custom of "Butterflies on Melons", this theme shows the marriage union, the butterfly represents the male, and the melon represents the female. The melon is cut to reveal the melon seeds, which means that the union of a man and a woman will produce children for the reproduction of offspring.

Paper-cut work "Butterfly Melon"