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Is there a special technique for doing this?! I am trying so hard but they just don't look nice. I try to get close to the image and then I mess up and cut part of the image away, etc. Any helpful hints!
Splitcoast Dirty Dozen Alumni Creative Crew SU Design Team Alumni
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What kind of scissors are you using? I find that I only do well with a little pair of paper snips. Also, it works better if you stay just outside the line and turn the paper NOT the scissors. I also have a hobby blade or craft knife and use that sometimes if I don't seem to be doing well with the scissors. Good luck! It just takes some practice!
I agree with the others...especially just leaving a tiny border outside the image seems to work best, that way if you trim too much in one spot it's easy to even out, and you haven't lost any image.
__________________ Cher No longer stamping...on to bigger things.
get to know your exacto knife...(the special ones they sell at craft stores..) i use mine for those hard-to-reach areas as well as cutting out the centres of things (like windows etc...)
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I design for: Stampendous!, There She Goes, Technique Tuesday,
SRM Stickers and Deconstructed Sketches.
I love to cut out a lot of my images. Practice helps a lot of course, and also, working slowly! I use either my SU! paper snips (LOVE those) and also I recently got a pair of Martha Stewart detail scissors(they have a very short blade) and they work great around tiny areas.
Keep moving your paper instead of the scissors and this way you'll always be looking at your image whereas if you move your scissors around a lot you may cut through areas you don't want cut!
Happy cutting!! don't worry too much, you'll be fine! :mrgreen:
I agree with all the others. A scissors with thinner blades that cut straight is a must. I say 'that cut straight' because not all scissors do, I know because I have a scissor 'graveyard' at my house just trying to find one that cuts straight! I have found that the Marth Stewart ones are great to cut the image out of the stamped paper and then I use the Cutterbee ones (made by EK Success so probably like the ones SU sells) to cut the finer edges. Also, like everyone else had says, move the paper into the blades so that the edges will be smoother. If you move the scissors around the paper, you will get a choppy, chewed looking edge.
Good luck, with practice you will get better. I stamp a bunch of images and cut as I am 'watching' (listening) to the TV.
I find the easiest way to do this is heat emboss your image so that you have raised outlines that act as "speed bumps" if you will. I have a large pair of really crummy scissors that work just fine. I really should get a sharper pair at some point! I can get right close to the image because of the raised outlines I hope that this helps and good luck!
get to know your exacto knife...(the special ones they sell at craft stores..) i use mine for those hard-to-reach areas as well as cutting out the centres of things (like windows etc...)
If using an exacto knife I use #16 blades, NOT the standard #11 they come with. Jerry from Pop-ups by Plane Class swears by them and I am a disciple! Here's a link to his basic cutting Tutorial
For scissor cutting I use Cutterbees. If it's especially small places I cut close, but then go in again to do a final cut.
Is there a special technique for doing this?! I am trying so hard but they just don't look nice. I try to get close to the image and then I mess up and cut part of the image away, etc. Any helpful hints!
I use a pair of scissors with a short blade length (only 1.5" or 2" long) & they are straight & sharp. They are actually embroidery scissors. Just beautiful to use for this kind of work. It stops the temptation of trying to take to big a cut at one time. This is my other secret. I put my tape or JAC paper on (especially if it is a detailed fine image), use small cuts, move my paper (not the scissors) & finally I colour the edges with the edge of a gray Tombow (this means you don't get white edges showing on your card).
HTH
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The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us. - Amen! Fan Club Member
I know my favorite for fancy cutting is an not the usual choice, but I love using the SU craft and rubber scissors. I slide the paper carefully into them and find them very easy to control.
Cutting Out Stamped Images
