Springville Museum of Art 92nd Annual Spring Salon

I went out of my comfort zone and tried something new a few weeks ago. I entered a couple of pieces into the jurying process for the Springville Museum of Art 92nd Annual Spring Salon. Since I was a young, fabulous BYU Coed, I've had friends who have entered art into the show. Most of my artwork up until a few years ago has mostly been on the graphic design side of things, not really Spring Salon material, so I've never tried to enter anything. Lately though, I've been trying to stretch myself a little bit, to develop a style and to put a little more care into the pieces I cut. Yesterday they announced the accepted entries and I got in! I feel pretty honored. I submitted two pieces and got one in. I'm going to share the one that didn't get in now and the one that did get in after the opening night.

This is the piece that didn't get in. I called it "Gestohlen." I flip-flopped between a few different titles. I love the squirrel getting into the nest, he's my favorite. Of the two pieces, I love the flowers the best on this one, but the energy on the one that was accepted was far greater. The other piece was my favorite and I'm glad they chose it.

If you feel like swinging by, the opening reception is on Wednesday April 20, 2016 from 7:00-8:30 pm. I'll be there with my squad. They have asked that the artists be there to talk about their work, so if you're interested in seeing a variety of talent from the Utah area, head on down to Springville.

Template Tuesday - Thank You!

So, two weeks ago it was my birthday. In an attempt to get more attention, I shamelessly asked for a birthday gift of 1000 followers on Instagram.You guys delivered! Thank you so much! As of right now I'm up to 1044 followers. That's small potatoes to a few of you, but to me it's nice and cozy. I'm also so excited for all the new followers I've received from the Salt and Honey Market publicity for their upcoming Spring Market that I'll be participating in.

In response to your kindness, I made a little Thank You papercut. The size it currently sits at fits nicely on an A7 card (5" x 7"). I cut it out last night. It took about 3.5 episodes of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" to cut out, so I guess if you do cut this one out, you'd probably better be really thankful!

Here's what the template will look like. The shaded parts are the inside bits to cut out first. You might be tempted to cut out inside the Thank You part, but you're not supposed to. You can if you want though!

Anyway, thanks for being so great! I hope you enjoy these little templates! Here's your free Thank You papercut: Thank You

Cindy

Template Tuesday - Easter Lilies

I was working on a different piece for Easter that had Easter lilies in it and I thought that something with lilies would make a great Template Tuesday. So I did one!

This is definitely a more difficult piece if you're not comfortable with cutting thin lines. Just look at the whole thing as a bunch of lines. Try not to go over the borders. These are forgiving lines though, if you accidentally cut through one, the rest will still support it.

Here's the Easter Lilies Papercutting Template: Easter Lilies

©2016 Cindy Bean (www.bean-cutter.com) 

These templates are for personal use only. You can make them for your mom, you can make them for your aunt, you can make them for your family reunion, etc. Please don't sell these templates for your own personal gain. Don't ruin it for everyone else! Also, if you're going to sell art, maybe you should make it your own. You can do it, I promise! It's not good karma to pass off someone else's art as your own.

Freebie Friday - Sister Witches!

Today I am getting my gallbladder removed. Here are two ladies that look like they might have had a few stones in their lifetime, too. I like to call the one on the left, Ratty, and the one on the right, Batty. Two sisters who are oh so different in all the same ways. Does that make sense? It sounds cool.

Here is what the template looks like. It's not too hard, the trickiest part is not tearing the little twig lines. Have fun! Download: Sister Witches.

©2015 Cindy Bean (www.bean-cutter.com) 

These templates are for personal use only. You can make them for your mom, you can make them for your aunt, you can make them for your family reunion, etc. Please don't sell these free templates for your own personal gain. I put them out there as a service, don't make me get frustrated and stop doing them. Don't ruin it for everyone else! Also, if you're going to sell art, maybe you should make it your own. You can do it, I promise! It's not good karma to pass off someone else's art as your own. 

Throwback Thursday! - Zombies!

So, way back in October of 2011, my friend, George, was making these Vote Zombie t-shirts. It looks like the site is still active, I don't know if he's in charge of it or not. I'll find out. You're on the edge of your seat, I know. Anyway, I made him a zombie template to have fun with. He particularly liked the grandma zombie, if I remember correctly. Here are all five of them.

But this time around I have a little tutorial on what you can do with these templates. You can put them up in your window! Crazy zombies! The grandma one would look awesome on a sliding glass door.

First thing you do is print one of them out. I sized it to the size I wanted it and then when it came time to print, I clicked the "tile" button and it automatically printed everything out on different sheets. All I had to do was tape them together. I printed mine on 11x17 size paper.

Then, you tape that tiled zombie to your paper. I had a giant roll of black paper somewhere in my basement that I used. Marie Kondo would have thrown that away a long time ago. Not me! Anyway, you could use butcher paper. I think they still sell that somewhere, right? It's at all schools. Just go to a school and use theirs. I'm sure everyone would be fine with that.

Then you cut them out and tape them to your window.

I just used the business men zombies.

Here's what they look like from outside.

Spooky! Hide your brains!

This is what the template looks like and here's the download: Zombies! Have fun!

©2015 Cindy Bean (www.bean-cutter.com) 

These templates are for personal use only. You can make them for your mom, you can make them for your aunt, you can make them for your family reunion, etc. Please don't sell these free templates for your own personal gain. I put them out there as a service, don't make me get frustrated and stop doing them. Don't ruin it for everyone else! Also, if you're going to sell art, maybe you should make it your own. You can do it, I promise! It's not good karma to pass off someone else's art as your own. 

Template Tuesday - Steampunk Octopus

So, last Friday I posted a template and mentioned that I will be doing free templates on Fridays and ones for purchase on Tuesdays. Here is the first of those ones for purchase.

I've made files available in pdf and dxf formats in case you want to cut him out with your Silhouette or Cricut. Here's what the template will look like, only yours won't have the watermark!

 Purchase the original papercut or the template on my Etsy site: Steampunk Octopus

Freebie Friday - Death's-head Hawkmoth

Okay, I'm mixing it up a bit. From now on, the free templates provided will happen on Friday. I will still make templates on Tuesday, but they will be a little more ornate and available for purchase on my Etsy site.

That said, here's a free template! It's October already, guys. Can you believe it? Halloween will be upon us soon. Here's my first template this month, a Death's-Head Hawkmoth. Can you believe these suckers really exist? The first time I had ever heard of or seen one was when I was a teenager watching the movie Silence of the Lambs. That movie freaked my noodle right out. Anyways, these moths are just fascinating.

Here's what the template looks like. There are two difficult things about this cut. One, the skull in the center. I'd start with that first in case you mess up so you can just start over. I think if you mess up on the wings you can glue them but those eyeball and nose holes are tricky at the attachment points. The other part that is tricky is the wing lines. Be sure to cut from left to right (or right to left if you're left-handed) so that you can see how thick you are cutting. If you cut the opposite direction, your hand gets in the way.

Anyway, enjoy. Halloween is one of my most favorite holidays. Go get spooky! Here's the template: Death's-head Hawkmoth.

©2015 Cindy Bean (www.bean-cutter.com) 

These templates are for personal use only. You can make them for your mom, you can make them for your aunt, you can make them for your family reunion, etc. Please don't sell these free templates for your own personal gain. I put them out there as a service, don't make me get frustrated and stop doing them. Don't ruin it for everyone else! Also, if you're going to sell art, maybe you should make it your own. You can do it, I promise! It's not good karma to pass off someone else's art as your own. 

Maybe It Was Utah - Screenprint of Original Papercut

Hi! If you are local (Salt Lake City area) and you want to skip the shipping costs of this screenprint, purchase here! Then you can leave me your phone number or email and I will call or email you and arrange a time for you to pick one of these up. They will be available starting Friday, September 11, 2015.

If you are not local, you can still purchase one of these from my etsy shop:
ETSY

Template Tuesday - Go West

Friday is a day we here in Utah love, it's Pioneer Day. If you happen to be lucky enough to work at a company that gives you this day off, it's the best thing in the world. If you work for a stingy company in Utah that doesn't give you Pioneer Day off, you might want to think about changing jobs because you're going to feel nothing but resentment towards all the floats and historic outfits passing by your window.

In coordination with this week's Pioneer Day celebration, I thought I'd make a little papercut that anyone can enjoy. I was going to do a "West is Best" cut, but felt like that might ostracize some of you. This one probably ostracizes a lot of you, but oh well, you can't win them all!

To those who came before us, and to those with a pioneering spirit, here is this week's Template Tuesday:

This is a pretty simple one to cut out. I cut mine out of vinyl. I might put it on my car. Maybe. I don't have any bumper stickers on my car but this might make me bumper stick.

Here is the template to download: Go West

©2015 Cindy Bean (www.bean-cutter.com) 

These templates are for personal use only. You can make them for your mom, you can make them for your aunt, you can make them for your family reunion, etc. Please don't sell these free templates for your own personal gain. I put them out there as a service, don't make me get frustrated and stop doing them. Don't ruin it for everyone else! Also, if you're going to sell art, maybe you should make it your own. You can do it, I promise! It's not good karma to pass off someone else's art as your own. 

Template Tuesday - Explore

Here's a fun Template Tuesday that's a little more outdoorsy themed. I've been going on a few hikes with my kids and friends lately and felt like this template really captured the mood. Get out there! Go where there's no reception and breathe in the air. Reset your mind, body and soul!

Then come home and try making this template! Here's what the template looks like, it's pretty simple. I cut it out while the baby napped. Download Explore!

©2015 Cindy Bean (www.bean-cutter.com) 

These templates are for personal use only. You can make them for your mom, you can make them for your aunt, you can make them for your family reunion, etc. Please don't sell these free templates for your own personal gain. I put them out there as a service, don't make me get frustrated and stop doing them. Don't ruin it for everyone else! Also, if you're going to sell art, maybe you should make it your own. You can do it, I promise! It's not good karma to pass off someone else's art as your own. 

Starburst Wedding Invitation

These two are getting married today. I decided to make them a papercut as a gift. I never know if people want something handmade as a gift or if they are gonna be like, "that Cindy Bean is one cheap lady." I am really excited about this papercut though, it's opened a whole new world of options for me.

Wedding Papercut

A friend of mine is graduating from the ranks of singledom. I owe her a papercut because she bought one at a silent auction a while ago. Good thing I procrastinated making that!

Template Tuesday - Happy New Year!

So it's a Wednesday and not a Tuesday, give me a break! I just had a baby! I figured I should get one more thing posted on here before the end of the year. We sang the song that this papercut is inspired by in church on Sunday and I haven't been able to get it out of my head. It doesn't help that I've been drawing part of a verse of it since then either. Pretty soon I'll have a different earworm, but for now I'll just keep on humming Longfellow's poem. It's a pretty song and it could be worse! I hope, wherever you are, that you are comfortable, warm and content. Happy New Year!

Here's what the template will look like. The tricky part about this is to not get cocky about the thin lines. When you get cocky, then you slice through one. I know this from experience. The other tricky part is to not look at it and think it'll be easy because there aren't very many letters. Letters take forever for some reason!

Download the template here: Happy New Year!

©2014 Cindy Bean (www.bean-cutter.com) 

These templates are for personal use only. You can make them for your mom, you can make them for your aunt, you can make them for your family reunion, etc. Please don't sell these free templates for your own personal gain. I put them out there as a service, don't make me get frustrated and stop doing them. Don't ruin it for everyone else! Also, if you're going to sell art, maybe you should make it your own. You can do it, I promise! It's not good karma to pass off someone else's art as your own. 

Commissioned Piece - Team OHSU Race

A friend of mine works up in Portland for OHSU and recently asked me to design the t-shirt logo for the race they were going to be participating in (Race for the Cure). The design originally had the name of the race but they liked it enough to want to use it for other races they might be involved in, so they scrubbed that part. It was fun to work on and research. All those little running people to cut out really maxed out my skills.

Commissioned Piece - The Pond

A little while ago an old friend of mine commissioned a piece to go in the entryway of her home. The only prompt she gave me was bubbles, I can't remember why. I decided to do a little fish papercut for her with bubbles. The fish represent the family, two parents and four kids. Now all I have to do is mount it and mail it!

Here's a detail shot of how it looked like when I was just sketching it.

Commissioned Piece - L'chaim!

Sometimes I get to do papercuts for friends who've had my heart for a long time and you can tell a little more love goes into them. Mazel tov to Eve and Jared, may the bluebird of happiness sit in your heads forever.

Baby Statistics Papercut - Now on Sale!

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but the Beans are expecting! We are having a baby girl sometime at the end of October. To herald this announcement, I have started selling custom-made baby statistic papercuts here on my Etsy site! These would be perfect for the new little baby person in your life. If you could share this on your Pinterest board or your Facebook page or your blog, we, the Beans, including Baby Bean, would appreciate that very much!

Template Tuesday - Father's Day Fishing

Father's Day is coming up and with that we will hear a lot of sporting good and barbecue commercials. If you are at a loss for a gift to give that special Dad in your life, I can't help you. But if you need a helpful suggestion for a fun card to make, well today is your lucky day! Here's a simple little papercut card to give to the father figure you adore.

This is what the card looks in it's flat form.

Here's what the template looks like. The images are kind of small, you can change the size if you know how to do that sort of thing. I made them so you could cut them out and fit them on a 5.25" x 5.25" card (easily made with an 8.5" x 11" piece of cardstock). I also made a girl version for those who might want the card to be a bit more gender accurate.

Download the template here: Father's Day Fishing

©2014 Cindy Bean (www.bean-cutter.com) 

These templates are for personal use only. You can make them for your mom, you can make them for your aunt, you can make them for your family reunion, etc. Please don't sell these free templates for your own personal gain. I put them out there as a service, don't make me get frustrated and stop doing them. Don't ruin it for everyone else! Also, if you're going to sell art, maybe you should make it your own. You can do it, I promise! It's not good karma to pass off someone else's art as your own. 

The Peace of Wild Things

I just recently finished a papercut commission for Lauri Wooley (I wish you could tag people on the fan page, maybe you can and I just don't know how to do it). She was lovely to work with and very patient when I get forgetful. I made extra copies, one for her mom and her sister in honor of a very special woman in their lives. I am not too familiar with Wendell Berry poetry, but whenever I hear or read one of his poems, they make me think he was a pretty good guy. 

P.S. I'm losing my day job so am way freed up for commissions and am hoping this could by my J.K. Rowling push in life that I need.

Template Tuesday - He Is Risen

Two weekends ago, I spent almost the whole weekend on the couch listening to Conference. I enjoy it because I get to sit for basically 8 uninterrupted hours and draw. Sometimes I sleep though. For 4 of those hours I got in a few good drawings and now you all get to benefit from that. I was thinking of doing some Easter template Tuesdays and I did the one from last week that is more secular in nature. I was thinking of more bunnies and whatnot for the next piece and then realized that Easter is not really about bunnies and egg hunts, it's about the glorious fact that the Savior rose from the tomb and in doing so, saved us all from that same death. Easter is such a beautiful holiday, one of hope and reflection and new beginnings. I hope you all get to take the time to give thanks on this next Sunday for all the Lord has done for us and remember that He lives and because of that, so can we.

This is more of a time consuming template than anything else. Be careful around the little stems around the flowers and be patient around the stems in general. Other than that, cut out the inside parts first and then the outside and you'll be fine!

Download your free template here: He Is Risen. I was thinking I'd sell these for $35 each if anyone is interested, I'll put some up on my etsy.