For me its harder when they're dry. I pluck big and medium sized leaves by hand within minutes of cutting my plants down, then I follow it up with scissors to shape the buds. I'm actually harvesting right now as I write this. Just taking a quick break. I think this year I'll leave the shaping till after my buds have cured for about a week. I won't do it to all my buds, just a few branches to see how it turned out. I've shaped a nug here and there after the curing process and as long as the RH is around 65%-70% it's pretty easy and straight forward. It's when RH drops below 45% and the buds become crispy that it's a real pain in the ass (for me at least).
Make no mistake, the whole harvesting process is a bitch. The only fun I get from it is when I peel a layer of hash of my fingers, roll it into a ball, and smoke it while it still has that leafy taste. With bud, I have to cure it first otherwise it's to harsh, but with hash, the fresher the better.