CORREGATED CARDBOARD LAYERS AND CUTTING

  A love of Graphics on a very low budget can be nicely met with boxes. Thanks to sturdy, corregated ones, the surface can be cut into 3 layers that remain strong for printing. Choose a medium to large size box with a smooth surface. Cut it into desired pieces and follow these steps for creating "ribs" that are printed, not eaten!

  A most useful cutting tool is a wallpaper knife which has segments of blades that can be broken off as they dull, followed by a sharper one. Stencil knives are also good cutters.

  The sketch on the cardboard can be outlined with black marker for visibility. Carefully cut on the lines through all "ribs" between the top and bottom paper layers, with short strokes or up-and-down sawing motions. Do not cut the bottom layer.

  Next, the top paper layer must be peeled off exposing the ribs below (left). Two layers are now seen: (1) the smooth, top surface, and (2) the ribs.

  The next step, left, is to scrape away the "fuzzies" leaving clean ribs, free of paper specs that would stick to the brayer and ink and cause unwanted white spots.(B)

And step 3 is to create the 3rd layer. It's simple. Just remove parts of the ribs, cutting down to the bottom paper layer as at (D). Also, "texture cutting" the ribs into rhythmic sections (C) creates "holes" that open to the bottom layer. There are 3 additional sections of this in the right image. Can you find them?

A little trick to use. Save the large pieces of peeled paper from the top layer. These can be reshaped and glued to the tops of ribs for new shapes or "fixes" if needed. These pieces should be large enough to begin and end on ribs for stability. The top 2 shapes within the right oval are two such additions.

THINGS TO REMEMBER

(1). Place a protective table cover under the cardboard as you cut. Those sharp knives can leave unwanted slices on tables.

(2). Creating the 3rd level can be done in two ways. Ribs can be "pushed down" below their normal height and pressed to the bottom layer. However, better craftsmanship would be to cut both sides of the rib at their bases and remove the scrap pieces.

(3). Do not press or lean heavily on the cardboard while cutting. Keep a "light touch".

(4). Don't skimp on the scraping--it means nice, clean sharp color printing. Again, keep a light touch here too. The knives are handy for scraping and so is fine sandpaper or small jeweler's files.

(5). For added stability, spray the cardboard before printing with clear acrylic or lacquer. This helps in the inking process..............coming up next! See link below.