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Therefore I often will cut my image before I spend time coloring it. Especially if it is detailed and/or a lot of blending. Not as easy for sure, but I am done with cutting off their pretty colored heads!
There are a lot of stamps that I will not fussy cut because I know I will not be happy with the results. I'm sure with lots of practice my cutting skills would improve, but I haven't found a pair of scissors that I'm happy with yet. So I guess I'm looking for suggestions for the perfect pair of fussy cutting scissors.
I find it relaxing; I can let my mind wander (sometimes it doesn't make it back home!). And I use "long" scissors, the Fiskars spring scissors, so that my hand only has to do half of the work. One might think they can get into tight areas better with short blades, but I find the opposite to be true.
The secret is to move the paper, not the scissors. And never cut until your blades completely close: about 1/2" from the end, open the blades and continue to cut in a fluid motion.
Can you tell I watched the Carol Duvall Show?
__________________ Linda E
Caution: You are entering an artistic zone. This is not clutter - this is creating. These are not pajamas - it's my work uniform.
I love fussy cutting and am pretty confident when it comes to doing it.
I use Stampin Up's paper snips. They are small but have a longish blade and I love how the fine tip gets into tiny spots if you're REALLY into detail cutting.
I really hate fussy cutting, but everybody tells me I'm good at it and it usually turns out well in my opinion, which is a rare thing for the perfectionist in me! I've never thought of cutting the image out first, which is odd because that sounds exactly like something I would do! I like to use my little CTMH microtip scissors, for some reason I have better control over them than bigger scissors. Maybe something to do with my depth perception, I don't know.
I love fussy cutting and feel totally confident doing it. I am about to purchase SU's paper snips because I have heard such great things about them for fussy cutting. I do not buy framelits usually for my stamps because I prefer to save the money and cut them out myself. Maybe my cheapness has made me a better fussy cutter LOL!
evidently I am confident about cutting I guess, because I always color first. then usually if I need to cut it out it is during the design phase that I make that decision. ( sometimes like if you make a messy background I then stamp one for the background then paper piece my colored one over the top and skip cutting out really snarly pieces)
but, I also picked up one of those blue cutting tools ( will have to go check its name)(Lydia enabled me to buy it) that you do on a cut board rather than in the air with scissors and that works really good for small sliver parts like where a center piece has to come out ( like crossed legs or a crook of an arm that is bent towards the body on a person image)
I'm not a great fussy cutter, but I don't worry about it too much.
I color first and cut last, mostly because I don't like trying to color tiny pieces of paper.
I also like to fussy cut, and don't buy any of the dies to cut images out.
I use Cutterbee scissors, and like has been mentioned, I move the paper, not the scissors. I have gotten better the more I do it, which is true of any activity.
I leave a small margin when I cut, and don't attempt to cut on the lines. I also don't have a problem with leaving white space, and cutting sort of "freeform" around tiny things, like cat's whiskers, instead of trying to cut around each individual whisker.
Also, I think I am so lucky that I am not inclined to be a "perfectionist" where this hobby is concerned. If you can manage to let go of the idea that stuff we make needs to be "perfect" it is a lot more fun! To me, handmade means that it won't look like it was mass produced by a machine and bought in a store, but made with loving care by hand.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
I love fussy cutting and am very confident in doing so. I, too, feel relaxed in cutting. Scissors must be sharp and no wiggle in the blades to get a precise cut. I leave a small margin around my image which I also color first. (Dies leave a margin around the image, too.)
I have dabbled in all sorts of crafts during my lifetime. I remember using my mother's sewing scissors at a very young age and cutting my finger with them.
I enjoy it and feel pretty confident. I even fussy-cut a jellyfish on vellum earlier this year, though it was heat-embossed for extra stability: DTGD15StamperRobin Jelly FunI am one of those who doesn't like a white margin ( so almost the only matching stamps and dies I have are snowflakes), and cut right on the line. For little fiddly line details I stamp the image on my base as well. If I'm using dry media I usually colour first and cut after, but if I am.planning tobuse watercolour I usually cut first, because then I can colour the cut edge at the same time.
I use any small scissors that come to hand, and an Exacto knife for fine detail and bits that don't have any outer edge.
I love fussy cutting and like several other ladies have said, move the paper not the scissors and I never keep cutting until scissors are closed. Tricky bits are done with a blade. I ALWAYS use a sponge dauber and distress ink around the edges after cutting - use an ink in the same colour that you stamped with.
__________________ Susie
Please don't take your organs to heaven - heaven knows we need them here.
I'm fine with fussy cutting after I learned a little trick - draw an outline about a 1/8" from the edge of the image and then cut in-between the lines. The line helps me stay the same distance. After doing this for a while, I no longer need to draw the outline.
Well-this gives me hope. Someday I will be able to cut better! I have ok scissors, I think it is just a matter of having to get more practice. Or send it to one of you to do for me! -wanna support the relaxation of my peeps here! LOLOL
Circles are hard for me. Tips for that? I thought rounded embroidery scissors might help but they dont really.
Holy smokes Sabrina! That jellyfish is crazy cutting! Wow.
I learned many years ago when doing Paper Tole to move paper not scissors. I started off with small cuticle scissors which are curved for many years until they got dull. Have not found another pair that compares to date so usually use Cutterbee which I love for many things. I am not so good with leaving a halo which you don't do in paper tole, so better in cutting close to the edge. I must try technique posted above drawing an outline around image.
I also find it relaxing, but if I need a lot of images I will use a die to save my time and sanity. Then get hubby to crank the BS. Lol
I LOVE to fussy cut!!! I find it relaxing. BUT....I really want a Brother Scan and Cut 2.
My hand gets sore sometimes and it would be nice to be able to make a card when my hand hurts.
I'm kinda a 1 trick pony, almost all my cards have fussy cut images on them. I don't leave a border around my Images.
I think it would be great for mass producing cards. My hand hurt for a week after fussy cutting 50 Henrys from Henry says for my DIL's baby shower invites. Hope to have my Machine before my daughter gets pregnant so I wont have to fussy cut her invites... LOL
__________________ Bev
Organized People are just too lazy to hunt for things!!!
Last edited by bdeyes9; 10-12-2015 at 01:37 PM..
Reason: grammer
I love paper piecing (one of the few "techniques" I'll actually do, lol), so I've gotten fairly proficient with the scissors. I'm another one who stamps on the background and lops off the "fiddly" bits of the one I'm cutting, though, to glue over it...
As I sat at my craft table tonight fussy cutting a small butterfly, I thought: boy, I sure don't enjoy fussy cutting I get a lot of angles rather than curved lines even though I do "move the paper..."
I'm sure I would get better at it if I kept doing it but I think my paper poinsettia wreath from a few Christmases back burned me on the idea of fussy cutting anything in quantity. I enjoyed it for one season – it was gorgeous! And then the mice started nibbling on the petals while it was stored in my closet. Everyone's a critic.
I do some fussy cutting. Especially if its small and intricate, which I find my Silhouette struggles with that kind of stuff.
I have gotten better with practicing. I wear my glasses, try to remember to the keep the paper moving, and stick my tongue out ... I also use an exacto knife to do the ugly parts.
I color first, then cut. I'm going to cut something small and detailed only, so trying to color that after it's cut is harder than the fussy cutting.
As I said, sticking out the tongue has proven to improve my results.
Well-this gives me hope. Someday I will be able to cut better! I have ok scissors, I think it is just a matter of having to get more practice. Or send it to one of you to do for me! -wanna support the relaxation of my peeps here! LOLOL
Circles are hard for me. Tips for that? I thought rounded embroidery scissors might help but they dont really.
Holy smokes Sabrina! That jellyfish is crazy cutting! Wow.
Circles are impossible to cut! I use circle dies for any circle image.
In the case of that jellyfish, I think I was mad to even try it, LOL.
Circles, I think, are pretty hard; they were the first set of dies I got, followed by ovals. I used to use a Fiskars ShapeBoss to cut those if I really needed them before I got a Wizard . With those shapes, if you are cutting freehand I think the way to go is give yourself some wriggle room ( or is it wiggle??) by using deckle-edged scissors. Although strangely I found ovals more manageable.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wavejumper
Well-this gives me hope. Someday I will be able to cut better! I have ok scissors, I think it is just a matter of having to get more practice. Or send it to one of you to do for me! -wanna support the relaxation of my peeps here! LOLOL
Circles are hard for me. Tips for that? I thought rounded embroidery scissors might help but they dont really.
Holy smokes Sabrina! That jellyfish is crazy cutting! Wow.
Oh, I got circle dies, punches and hand punches right quick LOL. But there are times you have to do round parts and stuff and for me it might as well be a circle.
I dont cut from the postcard size. I trim that back. Then I take out large sections. Then I come back in and cut, and move the piece around. This was what I saw over and over on videos. But if you were doing a whale..that's pretty rounded.
I have exacto knives. I think I need to get that set out and leave it out. I used to be very comfortable with those. Do you use those on a glass panel? I have "self healing" and "cutting boards" for running the cutting wheel for fabric cutting but I am not sure if it can withstand xacto work? I'm thinking I have a glass trivet someone gave me for Christmas I could use.
But I think I am even worse with xacto and rounded edges.
In the case of that jellyfish, I think I was mad to even try it, LOL.
I think you were pretty mad too, LOL! A jellyfish of all things!!! Vellum is tricky, it's smooth like butter and I find it terribly easy to cut too far into it. I fussy cut some dog bones out of vellum recently and it felt like my scissors were sliding all over the place, even with the 'move the paper not the scissors' technique!
Sorry about the glare, it was a shaker card, lol. (Here's the blog post for the full card).
Oh, I got circle dies, punches and hand punches right quick LOL. But there are times you have to do round parts and stuff and for me it might as well be a circle.
I dont cut from the postcard size. I trim that back. Then I take out large sections. Then I come back in and cut, and move the piece around. This was what I saw over and over on videos. But if you were doing a whale..that's pretty rounded.
I have exacto knives. I think I need to get that set out and leave it out. I used to be very comfortable with those. Do you use those on a glass panel? I have "self healing" and "cutting boards" for running the cutting wheel for fabric cutting but I am not sure if it can withstand xacto work? I'm thinking I have a glass trivet someone gave me for Christmas I could use.
But I think I am even worse with xacto and rounded edges.
I'm pretty good with my hands, and also sew and crochet, but exacto knives just give me the willies! I revert to a terrified little nine year old girl who is afraid she will cut her finger if I pick one up.
__________________ Bugga in OK
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible." Dalai Lama
I know everyone says glass is best - but I just use a self-healing mat. If (big if!!) I remember and there isn't a whole pile of "stuff" on it, I turn it over to the side that I don't use the grid. But to be honest, while I'm quite happy to get up and down using my Big Shot and Wizard on the floor, getting out a glass mat every time I want to cut with a blade is just too much for me, I couldn't be bothered. My self-healing mats get pretty used up anyway with paint and ink and glue, and I'm happy to just get a new one every few years. And I buy blades every time I'm in a shop that sells them, so I don't worry about changing one out as soon as it's getting blunt.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wavejumper
Oh, I got circle dies, punches and hand punches right quick LOL. But there are times you have to do round parts and stuff and for me it might as well be a circle.
I dont cut from the postcard size. I trim that back. Then I take out large sections. Then I come back in and cut, and move the piece around. This was what I saw over and over on videos. But if you were doing a whale..that's pretty rounded.
I have exacto knives. I think I need to get that set out and leave it out. I used to be very comfortable with those. Do you use those on a glass panel? I have "self healing" and "cutting boards" for running the cutting wheel for fabric cutting but I am not sure if it can withstand xacto work? I'm thinking I have a glass trivet someone gave me for Christmas I could use.
But I think I am even worse with xacto and rounded edges.
move the paper not the scissors and I never keep cutting until scissors are closed. Tricky bits are done with a blade. I ALWAYS use a sponge dauber and distress ink around the edges after cutting - use an ink in the same colour that you stamped with.
This is exactly how I do it--except that I OFTEN (not always) ink around the edges. I do leave white space around super thin areas (whiskers, bathing suit ties, etc.) I've tried leaving the white border around images but it tends to highlight my mediocre cutting skills. So I get in close and ink over my mistakes. :rolleyes:
All my cutting is done on the inside half of my two-inch scissor blade, never to the tip. I use Cutterbees, because the blades are thinner than my Fiskars DuraSharp precision scissors. Though one day I may look into those Peragamo scissors.
It's good to know that the dies leave a white border around the stamped images. I have not bought any stamp/die sets. Knowing they leave a border makes me less inclined to add them to my wish list.
For interior parts, I use my Exacto finger knife. I find I have more control with it than with a standard Exacto knife. I use my blade on a cutting mat, though I do own a glass mat. I only drag that thing out when I'm cutting circles or ovals with my ancient (now retired) Curvy Cutter.
I'm pretty confident with fussy cutting, but don't do it that much anymore. Usually I use my KNK Zing to print my digi/scanned stamps - full sheet of them - then I colour all of them and fussy cut using my Zing. The laser alignment makes it perfect every time - whether I want a border or right on the lines. Most days now my eyes can't focus on things close up - I need longer arms (those of you over 50 like me will know what I'm talking about) so my Zing really is a blessing when I want to cut anything intricate that I use to be able to do with my scissors.
the tool that works magic on cutting insides is an Gyro-Cut
somewhere Lydia has a video using it that explains it. ( awesome worth every penny if you like to cut)
I looked up the Gyro Cut and Lydia's Youtube video. It appeared she was cutting out a magazine page, which would be very thin paper, and it was smooth cutting!
Does anyone know a good price? Amazon is 14.95, but replacement blades were over $11.
How confident/brave are you fussy cutting?
