Papercut Necklace

Cut it out and wear it to that glitzy premiere, safe in the knowledge that it’s strictly limited edition!

Posted by Making Stuff

About

This intricate necklace is an original pattern by artist rob ryan. With a little bit of patience and a steady hand, you can cut it out and wear it to that glitzy premiere, safe in the knowledge that it’s strictly limited edition!

Project by Rob Ryan from the book Making Stuff: An Alternative Craft Book.

About Rob
Rob is an east London based artist working primarily in intricate paper cut outs and illustration. Rob has been interested in drawing since he was a young boy. Every time his dad bought a new shirt, he would give Rob the white card that came inside it to cover with his scribbling. Rob is still doing the same thing; drawing and writing and trying to make sense of things.

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You Will Need (4 things)

  • Sharp scalpel Blade and handle. There are a few different sizes and shaped scalpel handles, try a size 3 (there should be a little number in a circle at the top of the handle). Fit the blade to the handle. A size 10A blade works well. Make sure the blade you get matches
  • A3 Cutting Board
  • A sheet of heavy-ish Paper
  • Spray Paint

Steps (6 steps, 60 minutes)

  1. 1

    If you want, you can cut out the necklace printed here. Alternatively, make a photocopy or trace the design onto a sheet of paper. Once you’ve got the necklace template transferred to the paper of your choice, stick it down onto your cutting board with a few strips of masking tape.

  2. 2

    Now you are ready to start! It is easiest to start with all the ‘holey’ bits. Cut out all the middle bits of the chains and the words. Cut out any more small bits that you can and remove the excess paper.

  3. 3

    Once you’ve done all of them, it’s just a matter of cutting all the way around the edge. If the blade feels like it’s dragging, change it for a new one. You should get through about eight blades for something this size. Don’t waste your time on blunt blades.

  4. 4

    Keep going. It will take a while, so you might want to put on some music you like. Take your time, and if you make a mistake, don’t panic. Stop, and join it back together with a bit of masking tape and then trim off the excess.

  5. 5

    Once you’ve got the whole thing cut out you could spray paint it in a colour you like. If your paper is coloured, this is not essential, but most people have a few unsightly bits of masking tape they want to cover up.

  6. 6

    To make the clasp work, gently fold the right hand heart in half and slide through the first chain link and then open out again.

    Tip
    + Wrap a bit of masking tape around the top of the blade to avoid cutting yourself. It is easy to cut yourself on the top of the blade and since you’re only using the tip of the blade to cut the paper, make the rest safe.