Daniel's Whimsical Adventure

Here are some sketches for a Daniel story I’m working on at the moment. I try to make the sketches as detailed as possible because I need to work out how all the elements physically connect to each other. Otherwise the silk cut might fall to pieces during the cutting process. That’s why paper cuts are full of decorative elements whose sole purpose is to hold everything together. I’ll probably cut it in black silk.
It tells the story of a young Daniel wafting carefree, blown by gentle breezes.










Unaware of where he’s going he finds himself caught in a tree and is dragged into it.

Sucked upward into the tree Daniel finds himself trapped in the tree’s core. He’s scratched and scraped but not down…just yet. His past life as a badger has left something in him and he manages to break out.

Daniel escapes the core and heads towards the light. Once free, he clambers into the open and enjoys his freedom once again. He climbs upwards to get closer to the sky, waiting to be carried away on a thermal of soft warm air.

Found this pic in a recent article in the Taipei Times about Din Tai Fung (see my homage to the restaurant below). There seem to be many ways to spell it. The restaurant produces about 15 million steamed dumplings annually and now the restaurant uses a computer to ensure the dumplings are steamed to perfection. It is one of the top 10 restaurants in the world according to the New York Times.

Click here for the full article

PHOTO courtesy of AFP

Silk paper cut hommage to a great restaurant!

There’s a restaurant in Taipei that has to be the best dumpling restaurant in Taiwan. Not only for the food but also the noisy, chaotic atmosphere and the fact that you can see the many cooks preparing food in the steamy kitchens. The dumplings are cooked in baskets piled high on steamers. When done waiters carry these stacks of baskets around the restaurant delivering them to the customers. The restaurant also does a great noodle soup with coils of pale noodles and a spicy soup full of shredded egg and meat.

In this silk paper cutting called ‘Ding Tai Fung’, four dancing boys pay homage to the food and atmosphere of this place. The four boys are reacting to different things they see that hopefully emphasizes the noisy hubbub of the restaurant. On their heads they balance stacks of baskets and in their hands they hold bowls of noodle soup, the steam of which rises and envelopes them.

Just writing this is making me feel hungry!

Ever wondered what a paper cutter does with all the bits? Probably not, but never mind. I bought a plate made of bamboo and stuck on the silk bits left over from the cutting process. Just like decoupage. I let the scraps dictate the shapes made on the plate and what was once destined for the bin now has a new lease of life. The problem I have now is that I've got tubs of scraps and can't use them up fast enough!

Daniel #2

I cut Daniel in four different colours of silk. The gold version is below. I then took the whole process a step further and glued three of the layers of silk together, but slightly offset from one another to create a blurry image with a greater sense of depth.

Daniel

This is Daniel. He’s part of the new direction I’m working with my cuts which I suppose is story telling. Anyhow Daniel is a central character in the story so far. Daniel was in a past life a badger who’s now been reincarnated as a boy who just seems to get lost all the time. However, the echoes of his badger past always stop him getting into too much trouble.

I cut Daniel in 4 colors. Here he is in gold silk. In this cut he is caught amongst some fierce looking branches in a rather foreboding forest. He’s being grabbed and torn at on all sides. Daniel’s torso is full of energy and he has heart. He’s a passionate boy, don’t you know. He’s also very careful with his hair, which again is an echo of his badger past. Badgers are well known for the distinctive black and white stripes on their heads.

This is the first cut I’ve also added writing too, which now is much easier to do than in past failed attempts. Maybe it’s because I have a greater understanding of the engineering needed to keep a silk cut together.

The Badger Awakes!

Welcome!

Well this is a first attempt at my own blog to try and wake the world up as to what this silk and paper cutter is up too.

As soon as I get over my badger like shyness I hope to be posting regularly.

See You SoonTim a.k.a. Brock