cut paper illustration: tutorial

cute doll template

Necessary tools:
"Cute" templates (see directions)
paper- assorted colors & patterns
scissors
glue stick

Helpful tools:
x-acto® knife
hot glue gun
glue stick
tweezers
cutting mat
hole punch
paper shaper scissors

Directions:
 
parts 1 template                                                             parts 2 template

1. Download all three "cute" template pages ( i titled them doll template, parts 1 template, and parts 2 template). Two are your guides for cutting and the third is how the illustration will look (it comes in handy later).

2. Gather up your tools and paper. Choose what colors you'd like for the illustration. You need colors for the hair, skin, clothes, eyes, doll, and background.

3. Put color paper UNDER the template. For instance, when cutting the hair, you want the brown paper underneath the hair template part. Using scissors or an x-acto® knife, cut through both the template and the color paper. Do this for every piece on both pages, saving all the color pieces, and discarding the template part.

4. With your pieces cut, it's time to glue. It's like putting a paper doll together. Use a glue stick for smaller areas, and if you'd like, use a hot glue gun for larger areas, such as the head and hair. When you are done, you should have a paper girl fully clothed. Use colored pencils to add eyelashes and other details.

5. Glue the paper girl onto a background; it can be simple background or an elaborate scene. My format was 8x10 but you can choose a larger size. Glue the letters onto the page as well and allow to dry. If the paper buckles from the glue, place the entire illustration under some heavy books (yep, it does the trick).

Congratulations! You completed your cut paper illustration! I hope the directions were easy to understand and follow. Feel free to re-design and embellish, the girl and/or her clothes. You are welcome to make as many as "cute" illustrations as you want,  however, please do not sell (follow the creative commons copyright, please). This is for your own personal delight. If you want to show off your finished pieces, you are welcome to post here (http://www.flickr.com/groups/cutpaper/).

*please comment or email me what you think of the directions... this is my first tutorial and i tried hard to make it simple enough... anyhow, your feedback will be much appreciated!

Comments

[Blake]

fun tutorial!

[Retta]

This is a great tutorial! Thank you for sharing it!

[Anastasia]

cool!! thanks for sharing - I might give it a go when I find the time.......so sweet!!

[roz]

HOw wonderful that you created this. I love getting a sneak peak into your world and how you create it. Very similar to how I work with felt!
BTW Very CUTE, CUTE PICTURE!

[roz]

oops...next time I'll slow down and spell check myself. PEEK!

[shoofly]

wow, ellia! this is awesome! and so darn cute!

[Madeline]

Ellia!! I just did this! I had to try it and the second i read it, i broke out my supplies and tried it. It was so fun! Thank you so much for sharing this. ^_^

[bubbles company]

thank to share...is a great work...

[samantha]

Thanks Ellia - your a wonderful soul for sharing this. I still don't know if I can do it, bt I will try.

[Julie]

Fantastic tutorial!!!!!!!! Thank you!

[Joanne]

great tutorial - you make it look so easy and your precision is no doubt a gift!Definately will give it a go

[minijubilee]

ELLIA! GREAT TUTORIAL!!! LOVE IT!
;)
i still can't get over how much detail and work goes into each illustration. WOWEEE.

[jen]

Wow ellia thank you for sharing this fun project with us!

[Laurence]

This is very neat! great tutorial!! thanks

[Raesha]

I can't wait to try this! I think I will do it my sweet Miss S's colors and frame it to go in her room. Thanks so much for the awesome tutorial! You rock!

[gkgirl]

this is too too too cute!
thanks for sharing it!
:)
i can't wait to do it...
if only i had a printer...
heehee
i'll figure something out
:)

[Nina]

Wow how neat that you did this :) :)

[mary ann]

how fun!!! i think i'll have to give it a whirl!

[Rebecca]

Wow! Adorable! And I would have absolutely no idea how to do something like that wihtout your awesome tutorial. Thanks!

[Christine Lim Simpson]

Love it, dear!

[Lindsey]

Thank you, thank you, thank you... You are such a star for sharing your lovely paper illustrations :)

[risa]

hola elia! thank you so much for this tutorial! jordan (my husband) keeps yelling at me that i need to start using an exacto for my collages, and now you've totally inspired me. gracias! and no, we are not back in the states for good. we have one more year in ecuador but are just visiting for the summer.

[gracia]

I love the look of that template... happy creating!
cheers, gracia

[Laura Daniel]

Thank you, thank you, for the templates. I just LOVE your work. It is so fun and colorful. You are so talented. It gives me inspiration.

[dawbis]

oh wow, this is really great! i think it is so interesting how differently we work. i wish i were more precise! you are very talented <3 and i love your work!