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CHAPTER TWO

Preparation of Paper Quilling

This chapter covers the preparation that must be understood before the creation of paper quilling works, including materials, tools, techniques, and basic elements. Paper is the carrier of quilling art, and thus the most important material. The texture, color, and width of the strips are key to the success of the work. The creation of Chinese style paper quilling does not rely heavily on special tools; some simple tools can be used to make the production process more efficient. “Ten Basic Techniques” is the summary of the techniques used in the creation of Chinese paper quilling art, which can help you get on the path to creation as soon as possible. The introduction of basic elements will enable you to learn how to make the basic elements of Chinese style paper quilling systematically.

Fig. 14 Happiness on the Plum Tree

In traditional Chinese auspicious patterns, magpies flying to the top of plum trees are often depicted as an emblem of “happiness on the eyebrow” (referring to the expression of joy captured in eyebrows wrinkled in a smile. “Magpie” is homophonic with “happiness” and “plum” is homophonic with “eyebrow.”) In this work, the artist depicts two magpies resting on the double Chinese character xi (happiness) amidst the plum blossoms. The overall picture is ingenious in composition, bright in color, and joyful in style.

Fig. 15 Good Fortune and Peace

In traditional Chinese culture’s focus on auspiciousness, the elephant symbolizes auspiciousness, and an ear of grain embodies prosperity. In this work, the author creates an adorable elephant carrying a large stack of grain on its back. The brocade pattern on the elephant includes the Chinese character “auspice,” which embodies good wishes for one’s life.

1. Materials

With the popularity of the art of paper quilling, you can easily get specialized strips of paper quilling at brick-and-mortar or online stores. In fact, you can also select paper of various textures and colors according to your preferences and cut it into strips. It should be noted that the selected paper should have certain plasticity and elasticity, with moderate thickness, or it may weaken the artistic expression of paper quilling.

The width of paper strips used for different paper quilling works also varies. Most of the works in this book use 5-mm-wide strips, which are moderate and fit for most Chinese style paper quilling works. In addition, in some works, the authors use 1.5-mm and 3-mm-wide strips to make smaller elements to present the details better. In large-scale works, we can also choose 1-cm-wide or even wider strips to match the scale of the work, enabling it to stand out.

In terms of the selection of the background paper, there is no definite stipulation in Chinese style paper quilling. You can select it based on personal preference. White watercolor paper is mostly used in the works introduced in this book.

2. Tools

The tools for Chinese style paper quilling are simple and flexible. In addition to those introduced below, you can exercise your imagination to locate the tools in daily life for your creative work.

Curved-tip tweezers are used to accurately grip, place, and fix smaller elements.

Scissors are used to trim the excess part of the strips.

Small bamboo knife frequently used in this book is actually a tea knife, which is for loosening up Pu’er or other tea cakes. It is small, portable and safe, suitable for smoothing and scraping the paper strips. You can also find a similar handy tool at home.

Slotted tool is the most commonly used tool for traditional Western-style paper quilling. It is used especially for scrolling strips. Its front end has a slot, into which the strip is inserted and shaped by rotating the tool. You can also use the thick end of the tool to scroll the paper.

Needle tool (or toothpick) is dipped in glue and applies glue to the strip precisely to make the work neat and tidy.

Cutter is used to cut paper and strips.

Glue is used to fix the strips and the elements of the work onto the background paper.