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Why Representation Matters

| Cynthia De La Torre
That’s me when I was around 4 years old.

When I was a little girl, I absolutely loved books. I loved the magical stories they told and the beautiful illustrations that helped me feel like I was part of those magical worlds. As a child, I even tried writing and illustrating a few books of my own.

However, I soon discovered that there was an undeniable pattern in the picture books that were available – none of the characters looked like me (or any person of color, for that matter).

At the time, I didn’t realize the huge impact that had on me. But looking back, I clearly remember thinking that only white people were special. I thought only their stories were valuable and important enough to share. And, worst of all, I thought that people of color didn’t make any significant contributions and that’s why we didn’t have books about people like ourselves.

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My Process – Cut Paper Art Illustrations

| Cynthia De La Torre

I’m always fascinated by how artists work and how they are able to make their creations. So, I wanted to share my process. Especially because, when I first discovered paper art, a little over 2.5 years ago, I found it hard to figure out how paper artists made their amazing 3D creations. I couldn’t find any type of tutorials or information on their process. If you are interested in making cut paper art, I hope my blog gives you a bit of a starting point.

A Bit of Background Info

2017 Drawlloween Piece

I fell into paper art unexpectedly. I was participating in an Instagram Challenge in 2017, called Drawlloween. I felt like something was missing from my art pieces, so I decided to cut out my illustrations and assemble them like a little diorama.

 

2018 Lightbox

After that, I was hooked – especially when I began adding lights. Eventually my art evolved from lightboxes to more polished looking illustrations. It took a lot of practice and experimentation to get my work to look more professional, but that’s part of what I love – learning and evolving.

2019 Illustration
2020 Illustration

Below are the techniques that have helped me yield the best results. I’m sure they’ll change. But as of mid 2020, this is how I create my cut paper art illustrations. And even though the number of steps might seem daunting, the more I create, the faster each step becomes.

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