In this tutorial I’ll demonstrate how to cut mosaic tiles with tile nippers, which is really the most basic form. It takes a little practice, but there’s very little you can’t cut by hand in this way.

The Basics
	Hold the nippers in your hand as close to the end as comfortable – you get better leverage that way & it’s easier on your hands. They don’t need to open fully – only as much as to fit the tile in between the jaws. To cut you’ll use a snapping motion (not squeezing) for best results.
	The secret to using tile nippers is practice, practice, practice. If you can find some scrap mosaic tile to practice on – do so! Try cutting some shapes, or something you intend to use in your mosaic.
	Position your nippers against your tile as shown. Notice how the direction of the jaws is away from drawn line, and that I’m using less than half the jaws to make the cut. Clasp sharply and the tile should break away from the drawn line. You’ll get the hang of it pretty quickly.
Accurate shapes
	The simplest way ot get an accurate shape is to actually draw it on the tile with a Nikko or paint pen and then cut away the waste (using small cuts).If you’re to cut several or more of the same shape, consider drawing a template on cardboard and reusing it to trace on other tiles.
	To further neaten your shapes up, use a tile file at an angle to smooth edges & straighten up lines.
Lines
	The first step to cutting consistent lines is to cut some of your random pieces into smaller workable pieces about twice the thickness you want to cut ( i.e. if you want to cut 7.5mm lines, then cut your working piece about 15mm thick – aiming for tesserae size of approximately 15mm x 7.5mm)
	Then cut your pieces crossways to get your lines. Notice I’m using straight edged jaw nippers here – I prefer them for a job like this, but curved jaw nippers work too.
	To achieve an even thickness of your lines, try placing them in position or in a line as shown, and making small nips to make your line neat. It’s a good idea to figure out what length you need and cutting out just enough to cover. It’s a tricky job – you don’t want to be cutting more than you need to!

Taking your time and precutting your lines & shapes with care will really show through on your final artwork