Create Your Own Paper Sculpture

MATERIALS YOU’LL NEED:

scissors

tweezers

white glue

heavy paper for sculptured letters (1-ply Bristol, card stock, or non-fade construction paper)

mounting board, at least 7 inches by 9 inches (2-ply Bristol, illustration board, or foam core. We recommend foam core, but foam core should be cut with a utility knife, and you will need adult assitance to cut the foam core.)

scraps of paper or card stock for decoration and texture

OPTIONAL ITEMS:

hole punchers of various shapes and sizes

scissors with varlous deckle edges

handmade, marbled, or corrugated paper

dowel or smooth pen or pencil for curving paper

DIRECTIONS:

1 Download the template from babaganewz.com and print it onto heavy paper. (Or print it onto regular paper and trace it onto heavier paper.) Cut out the letters. Turn the letters so they are right-side up. Arrange to your liking on the table.

2 Create interesting textures and colors for your letters. Here are a few suggestions, but feel free to experiment!

Punch or cut out different shapes from colored paper and glue them onto the letters. Make the letters 3-D by stacking and gluing one shape onto another.

Cut or tear thin strips of paper and arrange in a pattern across a letter. Experiment with deckle-edged scissors, handmade paper, or corrugated paper. Glue down the strips and trim off excess.

Cut out the same letter in different colors. Either punch shapes in each and glue together, revealing the colors beneath each layer, or offset each one slightly to create dimension.

Use a dowel or a pen or pencil to shape or curve the letters.

Try an all-white-on-white sculpture and see the shadows that develop!

3 Cut a piece of 2-ply Bristol, illustration board, or foam core for your mounting board. Make it slightly larger than your design. Add texture and color to your background.

4 Cut small rectangular support pieces from heavy stock or foam core for the back of each letter-cutting one for each section of the letter to ensure stability. Make sure the supports are small enough to be covered by the letters. To create different heights for letters, stack and glue support pieces. Glue each stack together, then glue it to the back of the letter. You may want to use the tweezers to pick up the small pieces used for the supports.

5 Turn the letters over (right-side up) and arrange on the mounting board. Remove one letter at a time with tweezers, put a small amount of glue on the back of the support pieces, and carefully set the letter in place.

Voila! You have a paper sculpture! Keep it away from excessive light, heat, and moisture.