Wednesday, February 02, 2011

I Especially Heart Black Cats...

February’s Sketchbook Challenge is “Opposites.” I knew right away that I wanted to try making a cut paper collage using the Japanese positive and negative design concept of Notan. This was so much fun – kinda like cutting out Valentine hearts as a kid. For this simple, symmetrical design, I used a 3½“ piece of black paper folded in half diagonally, then cut the cat and heart shapes on one side. It’s amazing how much space a 3½” square takes up when all the cutout pieces are glued into their correct positions. And it’s interesting to see the design that’s revealed by the negative space. The second image is the design repeated and flipped in Photoshop. I think it has an Art Nouveau look to it. I will definitely be revisiting this process.



3 comments:

McMGrad89 said...

This is great. I would love to use this for teaching reflections to my elementary students!

Conni said...

Thanks, McMGrad89! I tried to leave a comment on your blog but it didn't work. Just wanted to thank you for your visit and kind words. If you do a search on "Notan," you will find quite a few beautiful and sophisticated designs done by elementary school children!

Eggs In My Pocket said...

This is cute. The one on the turquoise looks elegant! blessings,Kathleen