Cut It Out!

While confined to a sickbed, Matisse cut pieces of paper for use in the development of his paintings; and Picasso cut paper for his collage work, as have many other artists. Paper cutting can be done with many different tools. Some are new and some we have used since kindergarten, but all are useful for a variety of applications. The following paragraphs will review the old stand-bys and look at what's new in this "cutting edge" market.

Since scissors are one of our oldest paper-cutting tools, it is only fitting that we look at what is available and what you might expect to achieve by using some of the newer models. Left- and right-hand models have been available for years as have blunt-tipped, soft-grip handles. Did you know that there are neat scissors especially designed for the handicapped? These scissors spring open for the next cut and are convenient, too, for older folks.

Specialty "edgers" make cutting shapes with fancy borders really easy. Each closing of the blades cuts repeat designs in long patterns and most have large loop handles for either right- or left-hand use. Around a dozen different shapes are available. Also, there are corner edgers that decorate just the corners of cards, papers, pages, photos and more. These shapes can be reversed so that each pair of scissors yields up to four patterns.

One fast, easy, and inexpensive paper cutter is the break-off blade knife. This comes in several sizes and each has a long, segmented blade whose tip can be renewed by simply snapping off the used portion. This means that there is always a sharp, clean cutting blade ready for any project. Originally designed for the wallpapering industry, this small sized knife packs a lot of punch and is very cost-effective--from one dollar to around eight dollars for a heavy-duty model. Utility cutters--such as utility knives, X-Acto and other craft knives--are good for cutting heavy-duty materials.

Rotary cutters, handles with round blades, are much safer to use than straight blades and do a great job on light- to medium-weight papers, cloth, felt and leather. Most have a soft contoured handle that affords a good grip while cutting. There are also some traditional looking styles with round cutters that are simply pushed through the paper, etc., rather than the familiar open-and-close method.

Tabletop paper cutters are most useful for cutting oversized sheets. They perform very well with light- to moderate-weight material and come in either a scissor action or rolling blade cutter style. Mini trimmers are great for small works or photos, and larger desktop models can cut up to forty-inch lengths.

Familiar old scissors, new designer cutters or large tabletop models--There is a perfect cutter for every project. Explore the wonders of hand-decorated papers yourself. It is fun, inexpensive and really cool!

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 14 No. 8 -- June 2004