Saturday, October 17, 2009

Hansel and Gretel

Here is this month's fairy tale. I wanted to cut a tale that could be related to Halloween. I always thought that Hansel and Gretel was a little creepy. What could be scarier than a witch that wants to fatten up a child in a cage in order to eat him for dinner? Here Hansel and Gretel are wandering in the dark woods after being left behind by their father and stepmother. I layered three different paper cuts and put tracing paper between each layer to give it a feeling of distance. That way I could make the woods feel more dense and menacing without losing the main figures in the foreground.

Things I Learned from Hansel and Gretel:
  1. Don't ever use bread crumbs to mark a path.
  2. Eating candy off someone's house can lead to bad things.
  3. Don't accept hospitality from hungry witches.
  4. If you are a witch, you should never trust children to tell you the truth.

3 comments:

Singtatter said...

Hi Melissa, I'm Ellen from Singapore. I just started on paper-cutting middle of this year and in my first swap, I received your ATC "At The Ball". I love it!

This Hansel & Gretel took my breath away. Most impressive and realistic effect how you layered them. How big is this paper-cutting ?

I also love the idea of the name incorporated in the skirt of a maiden. I make a lot of gifts for friends and colleagues. Think this might be a good change from my usual tatted name! Would you mind if I copy the diagram of the maiden ?

Melissa said...

Ellen, I'm glad that you liked my ATC. I received your birds, and it is beautiful. The Hansel and Gretel cut is 9 in. x 7 in. Feel free to use the name in the skirt idea for your gifts. They are fun to cut.

Carole M. said...

Hi Melissa,

I love your Hansel and Gretel paper-cut! Great idea layering with wax paper between; gives a great perspective.