Start with a window
Paper cuts are used in home decoration and celebrations in China. A window lets light reveal the openings in a design. Choose a spot to display your work before cutting: it helps you decide its size and whether you want one large motif or a small group.
This guide focuses on Chinese New Year. Other communities celebrate lunar new years with their own traditions; the practices described here should not be taken as universal.
Choose the wish, then the pattern
Fu · Good Fortune
Printable template + interactive pattern
PDF · SVG
Abundance Fish
Printable template + interactive pattern
PDF · SVG
Festival Lantern
Printable template + interactive pattern
PDF · SVGThe fish is often associated with abundance through a sound association in Chinese. The Met’s Red lotus and fish is one example of a New Year image using this combination. Meanings depend on the whole composition.
A paper-cutting afternoon
Look and talk
Choose one motif and read its story together. Invite each person to name a wish of their own.
Try one fold
Use the heart symmetry exercise on scrap paper to practice turning the sheet and keeping a connection. It teaches the action without claiming to be a festival motif.
Make your piece
Use a beginner design in the digital studio, or a printable practice sheet for an open-sheet trial. Match the tools to the maker’s experience; adults handle knife work.
Share the wish
Flatten the finished work and place it against a contrasting surface. Add a short note explaining your choice. Use removable fixings appropriate to the display surface.
A note for teachers and group leaders
Print and trial-cut the exact sheet before preparing a group activity. The PDF collection contains practice artwork, not classroom-tested templates. Preserve the artwork credit when sharing it. Digital work can be exported as PNG or SVG without an account.
Find a patternA few good questions
Must every design be red?
Red is familiar in festive decoration, but paper cutting is not restricted to one color. Choose a color that gives your finished piece enough contrast.
Should I fold a Fu character?
Use the full upright design in this collection. Mirroring half of the character changes its strokes.
Do I need a zodiac design?
No. A flower, lantern, fish, or a wish-bearing character can be a starting point. Choose a motif for its meaning and the maker’s experience.