My first real taste of “cut & paste”analog typography a few days ago:

My word was obviously stitch. To illustrate the word, I wanted to show elements of it weaving together. The straight lines come together for a cross-hatching jam session. However, the bold T doesn’t really help. It’s unnecessary and doesn’t make much sense. I think I was trying too hard to get my point across. This is what I have the most trouble with; being too in-your-face about information. I need to pull it back a bit and let the image do the talking without me saying, “Hey! Lookie here! I made it bold for you in case you didn’t get it the first time!”

Aside from that tender morsel of wisdom, the most important thing I learned: Don’t be too rough with laser paper. The toner will flake off and ruin your life. And your craftsmanship. But mostly your life.