Lanterns

In the beginning of the year we got to make paper lanterns based off of a season of our choice. I choose winter, obviously from the naked trees, and based my lantern on how the trees lose their leaves and how intricate the winding branches look. In the beginning of starting my lantern, we were given fresh exact-o knifes, and as our 

teacher was explaining on how to carefully take the cap off of the blade, I ended up pulling the cap off and slicing my hand in one swift motion. I got about a two inch cut and needed stitches, but in the end my hand was alright. That was probably the most exciting part of my lantern process.

But I really loved cutting out the paper for this. How the blade moved gracefully over the paper and made a clean cut every time. Soon enough I would be left with an outline of trees and eventually it would look like a forest. Putting the tracing paper over it made the lantern come together. I really like how it looks when it's lit. It looks eerie and mysterious. Almost like the big bad wolf could be hiding within those trees.

I also had time to create another, smaller, lantern. There was the dilemma of which was to fold it since both sides looked good but in the end I chose the less appealing side to show because when it is lit up the inside looks amazing. This one is clearly mysterious and dark, something I was going for. I painted the tracing paper black to give even more of a shadow which made this lantern even better. The only thing I dislike would be how small and cylindrical it is. I wish it were as big as my other one.