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Before You Begin

The first tip before you begin is to find a comfortable position. Kirigami requires concentration, precision, and patience. A calm, well-lit, and uncluttered area, having your tools and supplies within easy reach, and knowing how much time you have are also important considerations if you want your session to be productive. Craft knives and cutters are very sharp tools. It’s easy to cut yourself if you are inattentive, so handle them with caution and don’t rush!

GETTING FAMILIAR WITH THE TOOLS

Kirigami starts with learning how to use the cutters, each of which has its use and advantage. You should know how to hold and use them correctly in order to achieve your desired result under the best possible conditions.

Correct posture for holding a craft knife

A craft knife is held like a pen. Keep your wrist loose and use light pressure to cut the paper. When you press too hard, you can damage the paper and tire out your hand much faster. The craft knife serves mostly for delicate, complex, and curved cuts.

Your free hand should hold the paper on the cutting board. Keep this hand out of the path of the knife at all times.

Correct posture for holding a utility knife

A utility knife is held like a knife, with the hand on top of the tool. It is very practical for cutting straight lines along a ruler and for cutting large, simple curves.

Knife Helpers

Utility and craft knives are used on a self-healing cutting board. This cutting board will greatly lengthen the lives of the blades, keep paper from slipping, make cutting easier, and protect your work surface.

A metal ruler will prove much more durable against knife cuts and is much more stable while making long cuts or cutting thick paper.

Knife Blades

When using knives, you will need to change the blades regularly—papercutting takes its toll, dulling a blade‘s cutting edge. When you feel like the blade is scraping or pulling the paper instead of cutting it cleanly, or when you feel you have to press harder than you should, it‘s time to change the blade. Sometimes you may find you need to change the blade every hour! The goal is simply to keep the act of cutting comfortable and easy.

There are also ultra-resistant zirconium blades that are quite expensive, but which dull much slower.

SAFETY TIPS

• Breaking off or changing a blade will be easier and safer if you use pliers. There’s no point in injuring yourself.

• Store your cutting tools carefully in a container, even used blades, which are still sharp.

• Wrap the blade of your scalpel in a piece of cloth and store it in a container or pouch.