But, even with all that experience, it’s not a real easy thing to do! And, to top it off, an accident usually means either great damage to your artwork - or to your fingers! So, we have to try hard to do a really good job. And the right cutting tools really help. Here are a couple of our favorites (more will follow next month):

Fiskars Softouch Spring-Action Scissors:
We used to make some great “paper-painted” candle containers to sell in our Santa Fe Gallery (we will teach you how in a future issue). We made a template stencil to fit the candle holders exactly (which were double Old-Fashioned glasses). But, if the patterns weren't cut out correctly, they wouldn't fit the glass. We would trace the template onto the paper and cut out the shape - very carefully. Not so hard - we got it right most of the time.

Then, one day, a man comes in who is opening three brew pubs in Mexico, and he wants one of our votives for every table in every restaurant - plus extras. It amounted to a lot of money so we wanted to do it, and a lot of cutting - so we had to find a way not to cripple our hands.

That was when we made the acquaintance of these scissors. Whoever came up with this design was a genius and I hope she’s a billionaire by now.

Firstly, they are for use with either hand - lefty or righty doesn't matter here.

Secondly, they are padded so you don’t get blisters no matter how many “whatevers” you have to cut out. Your thumb is not jammed in a loop, and, best of all, you are using a completely different hand movement (all four fingers moving against the thumb), so your hand does not get tired and sore.

The blades are as nice and sharp as any paper scissors, and this whole tool seems longer and more powerful in your hand. Maybe it’s because of the grip. I will tell you though, that the gears do need a little WD40 every now and again to keep the movement feeling smooth.

I have seen these scissors for sale just about everywhere, but the best price I have found is at the offcie supply stores and Walmart - around $12.

Kai Scissors:
When unmounted rubber stamps started to become not only accepted, but actually popular, I was really excited for a number of reasons. I had been “unmounting” my mounted stamps for a long time - because I like to stamp images on surfaces that aren't flat. I had also thought often of going into the rubber stamp business because I had been an illustrator for years and had lots of material, - but I always got stopped by the expensive and labor intensive mounting process. (God bless those people who do that for us!)

So “Yippee!” for unmounted rubber - exept that cutting the stuff up can be a nightmare. All my scissors in the studio just didn't like it, and furthermore, they refused to do it!

Then, through the wonderful web community (hereafter known as the WWC), I heard about Kai Scissors - and I quickly “got me some”.

These scissors are incredible for cutting rubber. I use mine for nothing else - just in case they could get “hurt”. The blades are very sharp and they meet each other all the way to their tips - no space. So, the result is that you cut through your rubber sheets as if they were butter. These scissors come in sizes so you can get tiny ones to cut into detailed areas too. I have a big and little pair. I am now so devoted that if anyone even looks at my Kai scissors with desire in their eye, my heart palpitates.

I got mine from Non-Sequitur.com, where, by the way, they also sell some great unmounted rubber sheets. Here is a link directly to their Kai Scissors page:
Kai Scissors.