Tools

The nice thing about paper crafting is that you don't need a lot of tools. Obviously, you will need a design on paper. In most cases you will download the design in pdf format and print it on paper yourself.
I will talk about paper and printing later, for now I assume that you have a printed model.

A flat surface to work on comes in quite handy. Use a table, I would suggest. If you care about the table top, you can put a cutting pad on it. These pads are not expensive and the nice thing is that they 'repair' themselves if you cut into it.

 

(The pad is square, it's my camera that makes it funny)

Now I can hear you think 'I don't need that, I'm going to use scissors'. Don't! Scissors are too thick and they obscure your view so you can't see where you are cutting. And it's very difficult to stop scissoring at the right moment, so you will be cutting into your model. But feel free to be hardheaded and experience scissoring yourself.

Instead of scissors use a knife like this

Cheap, sharp and easy to replace if they get blunt. It takes a bit getting used to hold it, as you have to put your index finger on the top, so you can push it a bit.

If you prefer holding your knife like a pencil, you can use a X-acto knife like this.

Very sharp and good for cutting small circles, but a bit more expensive.

'Score after you cut, but before you fold'. This is not about playing poker, but about modelling paper. 'Scoring' is tracing the folding lines with a blunt point. If you don't score, the folds will be as straight as a drunken sailor's walk.

For scoring I use a knife that I made blunt on purpose. It's the orange thing in the picture at the bottom of this page. But you can use a dried out roller ballpoint or the back side of your knife too.

After scoring and folding is where the glue steps in. I could probably write a blog about glue alone, but I will restrict myself. I tried out quite a few glue types, but I stuck (lol) with the transparent, multi-purpose glue that comes in tubes. In the old days it was called Velpon, but there will be many brand varieties around the world. For the Dutchies: 'Hema lijm'.

My advice is not to use the opaque white paper or wood glue. It takes ages to dry.

And then there are the handy extras. Very personal choice, so I will just tell you what I use it for and you can make up your mind what to use or not.

Scissors
Surprise! After telling you not to use scissors, I have to admit I do use them once in a while. Mostly for long straight stretches at the edge.

A round tube-like thingy
Great if you have to make cylinder shaped things. Just wrap it around the round tube-like thingy and you will have the perfect tube, without folds.

Pliers
I couldn't live without them. To hold tiny parts when putting glue on, but mostly for pressing glued pieces together. Take pliers with a shap point.

Scoring knife
I blunted it trying to cut a stone in half and now it's perfect. Pointed, but not sharp.

Clamps
I think these are  originally meant to hold tablecloths on tables in stormy weather, but they are great for pressing glued pieces together. Saves you from cramp and waiting: just clamp it and put it aside.

Hedgehog spine
It has a very very fine pointy end on one side and a little less sharp point on the other side. It's tough and very smooth. I use it to punch holes and to apply glue. A nice but not very necessary tool, a toothpick or sateh-skewer will be fine too.

Needle in a lump of modelling clay
The clay is just to hold the needle and keep it from wandering into painfull places. The needle is to make holes (duh) and to unblock the exit of the glue tube.
Needles are good if you have to make a valley fold, where you have to score the back side of the paper. Since there are no lines at the back side, you can make small holes from front to back to indicate where the folding lines are. Nice needle.

That's it. Of course you need food, drinks, music and sleep too. But that's up to you.

Have zen!