I'm not a professional just a hobbist, and I've been looking into patchwork cutters. Are they easy to use, self explainatory or do you have to purchase the books to use them? Do you cut them out and paint them? How do you get the 3-D look? Any information on this subject would be helpful

Lots of patience, I think. Not so much with the less intricate ones.

http://www.partyanimalonline.co.uk/info/techniques/patchwork.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwlyoG4mAGI&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lU7o33HzjCA&feature=related