Cutting square and angular holes: corners first, then sides

Learn how to cut square and angular holes

Cutting towards the corners and then along the sides is a great way to cut a neat square or angular hole in paper.

This option is fiddlier but you will keep your paper crisp and free from fold marks.

Paper or card
Pencil
Putty *
Scissors

*(You could use something similar - it just needs to be something squishy that won't leave a mark on your paper)

If you want perfectly straight sides make sure you have a ruler. If you are worried about making a mistake when drawing, you'll need a rubber too.

For a quick overview, check out the video: Cut different types of holes
To work at your own pace, follow the slideshow instructions below:

Skip image gallery

Image caption,
Decide how big you want your hole to be and choose your paper
Image caption,
Draw your square hole on a piece of paper
If you want perfectly straight sides use a ruler when drawing it.
Image caption,
Put a bit of putty under your piece of paper in the middle of the square hole
Image caption,
Poke your pencil through the middle of the square hole into the putty underneath
Give it a wiggle to make the hole a little bigger.
Image caption,
Put your open scissors into the poked hole and cut towards a corner in a straight line
It doesn't matter which corner you start with.
Image caption,
Stop when you reach the corner, with your scissors half closed
This keeps the end of the cut neat. Sometimes you can tear the paper if you snip the scissors fully shut.
Image caption,
Repeat
Cut from the centre out to each corner of your hole shape.
Image caption,
Place your open scissors in a corner and turn the paper so your scissors face the next side
Take your time and be gentle as you turn the paper and scissors to avoid the corner tearing.
Image caption,
Cut along the line, then stop at the next corner
Remember to stop with your scissors half closed to keep your corner neat.
Image caption,
Do the same to each side and corner until you have cut the full hole out
Finished! ...What will you use it for?

You can use the same technique to cut out angular shapes too:

A star shape on paper with cuts made from the centre to each corner — Image caption,
Cut from the middle hole out to each corner or point

Scissors cut into a star shape — Image caption,
Cut along the pencil line, bit by bit

A star hole cut out of paper — Image caption,
Finished!

Artwork examples

A frame made from a cutting a square hole in card — Image caption,
A simple square hole makes a bold frame for a painting

A 2D mobile phone made from paper — Image caption,
You can also trim the paper around a hole to create a frame. Frames make the work inside them really stand out, like in this piece, which uses both rectangular and zigzag frames

A 2D paper representation of a bus scene — Image caption,
Holes of different sizes add depth in this 2D bus scene

Fancy a challenge?

You can even layer card frames to create dramatic 3D scenes.

Learn how to create one with our guide: Make a 3D tunnel book from card

Are the corners difficult to cut neatly?

The corners can be difficult to get into, especially with very thin paper and thick card.

Tip:Cut toward each side in a curve.

Scissors cut into a square corner on paper, moving in a swirling motion from the centre — Image caption,
Once you have cut towards each corner, put your scissors on one of the cuts and cut in a curve towards the nearest pencil line

Scissors cut along a pencil line on paper. Fingers hold the paper. — Image caption,
When you reach the pencil line cut along it

Scissors stop at the corner of a drawn square on paper — Image caption,
Stop at the corner

A square on a piece of paper. Most of it is cut out, with little triangles remaining — Image caption,
Repeat this on all other sides

Pink dots trace along the side of a square as scissors cut along it — Image caption,
Next, put your scissors inside the hole but pointing in the opposite direction from before. Cut off the last triangular bits remaining, a side at a time.

A piece of paper with a square hole cut out of it — Image caption,
Finished!

Learning recap

You can create angular holes by cutting folded paper or by cutting the corners, then sides - one is quicker and the other is neater.
If cutting your shape is difficult try cutting in chunks.
You can layer holes to create exciting 3D scenes.

Cut square and angular holes: cut to the corners