Papercutting Starter Kit

The #11 (the classic hobby blade, a sharp triangle) makes precise, fine cuts — the point pierces and the edge slices, ideal for the detailed lines of papercutting. A heavier blade tears the fine connections. A craft knife with replaceable #11 blades (changed often — a dull blade tears) is the papercutter's tool.

It protects the table AND gives the blade the right "give" — a hard surface dulls the blade and skids; a self-healing cutting mat lets the blade cut cleanly and seals the cut. The mat is the surface that makes precise cutting possible. A gridded mat also provides the measurement and alignment.

A medium cardstock (65-110 lb) — heavy enough to hold its shape and the fine connections, light enough to cut cleanly with the #11 blade. Too light (printer paper) tears and flops; too heavy (chipboard) fights the blade. A smooth, evenly-made cardstock (no grain direction issues) is the papercutter's paper.

The uncut paper is the "ground" that connects all the cut shapes — the design is planned so every cut shape attaches to the sheet at least at one point (a single thread of paper holds the whole). A design with a fully-isolated shape (a floating dot) fails — the dot falls out. The art is planning the connections so the image reads and the paper holds.