Cut & Create Paper Mosaics. Review.

Cut & Create Paper Mosaics

Craft Mosaic-by-Number Artworks with Paper Tiles, Scissors, and  Glue

By Chiharu Rosenberg

Race Point Publishing, an imprint of the Quarto Group 2017

Paperback kit, £12.99 UK/$19.99 US/$25.99 CAN

ISBN 978-1-63106-284-1

Star rating: ****

This is an appealing and thoughtfully-designed new spin on the colouring book trend. It is much more hands-on – and has more of an immediate appeal for papercrafters.  It puts me in mind of the Colorforms toys  I so loved as a child. What you get is the components required  to assemble nine lush, nature-themed paper mosaics, designed by Chiharu Rosenberg, a mosaic artist born in Japan and a graduate of the Nihon University of Art. There are 9 pre-printed project templates on thick card, 35 sheets of solid-coloured and patterned paper, plus a detailed how-to book.

The project cards have a few key design elements printed full-colour, plus numbered outlines for the mosaic tiles. The accompanying paper sheets have custom-designed solid and plain designs with numbered mosaic tile shape outlines printed on the flip side. You cut out the tiles and glue-stick them onto the project card. The assembly process is meant to be methodical and calming. Complexity level is labelled – beginner, intermediate, advanced. All you need to supply are scissors (or craft knife), a glue stick, tweezers, envelopes for sorting the pieces – and some design time (ideally accompanied by restful music).

The upfront info – how to go about the process – is accessible and well thought out. The intro chat for each project is friendly and conversational.

The projects are Frog in Summer Rain, White Lilies, Flying Home (lovely birds-eye-view landscape),  Night Jungle (with hummingbird amidst foliage), Mermaid, Fox in the Forest (Klimt-like patterning), Little Egret, and Cherry Blossoms.

Cut & Create Paper Mosaics would make a super summer hol activity for an older child (just don’t undertake the projects in a breeze or fan-cooled room! :D). This is a fun idea which I have not seen elsewhere. It would be great to see further themed titles in a series.

Note: I was supplied with a review copy of this title.