As for the cutter – I make most of my own cutters and it depends on the size as to how I do it. One of my favourite techniques with small and medium shapes is to cut strips from empty drink cans – these days the metal is quite thin – and therefore very sharp – so ideal for a cutter as it doesn’t need the edge thinning or sharpening – but mind your pinkies too – especially when holding it to cut with – if I’ve space I fold a bit of masking tape over the opposite ‘holding’ edge.

I find that I can just cut it with scissors (I keep a pair just for this job) into strips and then use pliers and other tools to form the strip into the shape I want. Drink can metal gets a bit flimsy for larger shapes, so I use sheet copper for those. Maybe draw the shape out first and use that as a guide (for size if nothing else) – and it helps to de-compile the shape in your mind and form it in stages. For example, I might form it into a circle first, then squish it into an oval, then modify the details from there – that helps keep it symmetrical. I keep a lump of Blutak on my bench and just dab the cutter into this periodically to see how the shape is coming along, it seems easier to assess the shape that way. But do mind your fingers on those sharp edges!