Paper cutting - A few things

Paper cutting is a wonderful hobby. Though it takes patience and concentration the end results are always pretty.
Here are a few things I learned during my successful (and not so successful ) attempts at this art....

Materials used:   

One of the things I love about paper cutting is that the materials needed are simple and easily available.

Paper to cut: 

You can use any paper ranging from computer paper to card stock paper. It's always better to start practicing on the not-so-pretty papers till you get accustomed to the knife.
If the paper chosen is thin(like computer paper) you need to be extra careful as even a small wrong cut may ruin the entire work. Thin paper is easy to cut but needs care during the process of cutting and while gluing it to the background paper.
If the paper chosen is thick(like card stock) more pressure is needed while cutting.

The image/design 

You can use your own designs but if you are not good with drawing you can always trace the picture you like.

Pen or pencil to draw:

A pen/pencil to draw the image.

Cutting knife:

Any small knife can be used for cutting. When I started cutting I used my small kitchen knife :-)
A X-Acto knife is the best method I have come across. The sharper the knife the better the cut.

The process:

• First draw/trace the image on the paper.  
• Decide the areas which are negative spaces and which need to be removed. If needed you can mark them so that you are not confused. You don't need to erase these as these will be on the other side of our art work.
• Start cutting and enjoy the process as it will be a while :-)
• Once finished carefully glue the piece to another paper which will be the background of our art work.

Voila!! You have created your wonderful piece of art!!!

Learnings:

• Make sure that when you draw the image it is continuous and there are no breaks in between.
• Use something like a self-healing mat or newspaper to protect your table/surface. 
• The knifes are usually pretty sharp and be careful not to cut yourself
• Always take breaks in between as this can take a toll on your wrists if done for extended periods of time.

Happy Paper cutting !!!!!