Layered Cut Paper Illustration

For each "art-piece," you will need:

• X-Acto Knife - Sharp blades!
• Scissors. The sharper, the better.
• A self-healing cutting board. You can opt not to use this, but please use a hard surface that will not get damaged by the X-Acto knife.
• White Bristol or other heavy weight - 100lb or heavier acid-free paper
• Colored paper of your choice, preferably acid free to prevent discoloration of the white paper
• Sheet of 1/8" foam core.
• Pencil
• Two sided tape, again -- acid-free
• "Shadowbox" Frame of desired size
• Optional - straight edge

Step 1. First, using your scissors or massive eye beam lasers, cut out two sheets of  Bristol paper that are of equal size. These must readily fit into the shadowbox frame. 

Step 2. On one sheet of the Bristol paper, using your pencil or blood pricked finger, draw what you would like to see in your "art-piece" (obvious? Maybe...). It can be the top or bottom layer, the order of the sketching really doesn't matter, so stop sweating, already, OK?

Step 3. Using your X-acto knife or those handy eye beam lasers, cut along the edges of your drawing. Be sure NOT to cut out those items which you would like to remain in your "art-piece."

Step 4. Either while you're cutting out the pieces or at the very end, carefully remove those items which should NOT be in the "art-piece".

Step 4a. Try not to bend anything when removing the not-in-this-art-piece sections. Do as I say, not as I do!

Step 4b. When all not-to-be-included sections are out, turn the piece over and admire your handiwork!

Step 5. Using place the newly cutout version, backside up (the part with the pencil remains), place it atop the second piece of Bristol paper. LIGHTLY trace around your existing elements. This will aid you when you're drawing on the background, so that you don't hide items behind a tree, for instance.

Step 6. Repeat Step 2 on the background image or foreground image if your initial image will be the background. That's not confusing, is it? Once you're done drawing, test-drive the image placement using the initial cutout portion. Adjust the drawing as necessary.

Step 7. Repeat Steps 3 & 4 on the second sheet. Place the two pieces atop each other and invert to admire your handiwork, again.

Step 8. Color! Test drive your piece atop the colored construction paper that you've handily pulled from your stash. You just never know what will feel *right* for this particular "art-piece." Test with the frame that you will be using, too.

Background color comparisons.
Not bad.	Too much like a cardboard jungle.	Just too dark.
Kind of  pale, but really not bad.	Ouch. Too bright.	Not bad.
With frame Color comparisons.
Pleasing, really.	Not really popping.	Me likey.

Step 9. Using your laser beam eyes or your scissors, cut out the colored background to be the same size as your initial Bristol papers.

Step 10. Using the X-Acto knife, cut some foam core into strips that are approximately the length and height of your Bristol papers. These will be hidden behind the papers, so, really, don't get all anal about the strips being straight. You've got better things to do with your time, right? The important thing is that the strips are thinner than the edges of your borders, so that they do, in fact, remain hidden.

Step 11. Using your double sided tape, attach the foam core strips to the wrong side (side with the pencil remains) of the bottom layer of Bristol paper. More than likely, you'll need to cut your tape down to size.

On any elements that are going to need additional support, cut a small chunk of foam core and attach to the back. (See the strip on the tree? Yeah, like that.)

Step 12. Remove the covering on the tape and attach to your colored paper, being careful to match up the edges.

Step 12a.Got it matched up? Good, firmly press these pieces together.

Step 13. Repeat step 12 on the top level Bristol paper, only this time, you're attaching it to the bottom Bristol and colored paper.

NOTE: for additional support on anything on the top layer, you'll need to double the height of the supporting foam core so that it will properly attach to the colored backing? See below. See? You see what I mean? If you're adding support for something that will lie atop the bottom Bristol, you'll only need one layer for the foam core chunk. Make sense? Good.

Step 13a. Gently, yet firmly, press the top layer to the bottom layers. It's like making a cake. Capice?

Step 14. Admire your handiwork, then place it in the frame.

Voila! A final art-piece!