How to Cut Out a Round Picture From Paper

Cut-out circular pictures can make great window decorations as well.

The history of paper crafting goes back to the advent of affordable paper in the middle of the 15th century, when everybody who was anybody kept a scrapbook full of memories and souvenirs. Today, the art of the scrapbook is still going strong. Collages can be found everywhere from the most exclusive art galleries to kindergarten classrooms. Decoupage weaves in and out of style every decade or so. All of these crafts often begin with the simple act of cutting a picture out of a larger piece of paper.

Things You'll Need

• Compass (optional)
• Circle template, such as a can or bowl lip (optional)
• Thumbtack (optional)
• String (optional)
• Scissors, box cutter or other sharp cutting tool

Instructions

1. Place your paper on your work surface, picture side up.

2. Draw a circular border. If the circular border is not already printed into the picture, draw one with the compass or trace around the lip of a can, bowl, cup or other round object that is the approximate size of your picture. Alternately, cut a piece of string to the approximate length of the radius of your desired circle. Tie one end to your thumbtack and the other to your pencil. Place the thumbtack into the center of your picture, and draw a circle by holding the string taut and moving the pencil around the picture.

3. Cut along the line (either drawn or inherent to the picture) very carefully with your box cutter or a pair of scissors.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're a perfectionist, or don't have adept small motor skills, there are machines for cutting circles out of paper. See the Resource for an example.

• If you are using the compass or thumbtack method for drawing a circle, and you don't wish to leave a hole or dent in the middle of your picture, you can cover the point with a pencil eraser; just be careful the paper doesn't slip as you're drawing.

• If your cutting implement is an especially sharp box cutter or similar object, you can skip the drawing in Step 3 and tie the string directly to the cutting implement.

• When using a compass or box cutter, make sure to have a piece of cardboard or wood underneath your paper so you don't scratch your work surface.

Resources

• YouTube: Martha Stewart Crafts Circle Cutter
• Safecutters Inc.: Box Cutters