Thistles paper cut and free template

More thistles...

I dug through my stash of Origami paper and found a luscious dark purple, so here's another Thistle paper cut.
I'm really craving grasses and wildflowers because of all the snow we have been having lately. 

© Susan Small 2014

This was quick and fun to cut out. Here's a free template you can use to cut your own thistles. If you arrange the thistles like my finished example, the image will be about 5x7". You can print out the template from here. 

© Susan Small 2014

New Foxes Cut Paper Silhouette

© Sue Small 2014

more foxes….

I have been trying out some lighter weight papers instead of my usual card stock; it is so much easier to cut.
This fox and kits scene was done with my favorite #10 Exacto blade and Hygloss silhouette paper.

New paper cuttings

Summer 2013 --  This year we decided to enlarge the garden, so that's keeping me busy. I'm also working on a few more paper cuttings, and putting some items into my Etsy shop.

doe and fawn papercut

Belted Galloway papercut

Thistle papercut

defiant

A couple of weeks ago I made my annual trek to the NH Highland Games at Loon Mountain and spent a wonderful day with my son, watching the sheepdog trials and listening to Celtic music. The sheepdog competition is held on a ski slope, so the animals get quite a workout.

Defiant  -    cut paper collage

..... there always seems to be one sheep that decides to challenge the dog and stands its ground...then the border collie sets to work, creeping closer, giving the "eye" until the sheep finally turns to join the rest of the flock.

Weekly illustration challenge

Recently I started participating in Illustration Friday. 

A new topic is provided on Fridays, so participants have the weekend to figure out what to do.  It's fun to go back and see what everyone came up with! There are some amazing ideas out there. 

 Here's my first 3 submissions: 

"Burst"
Cut paper illustration

"Identical"
Pen, Ink and colored pencil

"Imagination"
Cut paper illustration