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!

[Mia]

Lovely. Can I please cut out one photo of the completed project and link to this tutorial from my blog?
Cheers
Mia

[anyberg]

WOW! This is adorable!!!! I can't wait to try this out....thanks for sharing the free templates.

[Erin]

I know a little girl who will just love this! (And I'll have to make one for me too!) Thank you!

[Tammy]

This is adorable! I'm linking to my blog so I don't lose it before I actually make it!

Tammy

[N.]

This is wonderful! I'm going to try it.

[cassie]

Hi, I love this tutorial so much I've linked to it on my site!

http://emptypurse.wordpress.com/

come on over and see! You'll find the link on the "how-to" links page :)

[Elisa Chavarri]

Thanks for the link to the tutorial Ellia, it's great :) I'm still amazed at how you cut all the little parts so perfectly.

[Desirée]

I love it!!!Thank you sooo much for that!It is so cute.
xoxo Desirée

[jenny bean]

You are amazing, so darn cute!

[xenakiddle]

I may have a hand at this one, Ellia.
I clicked on your tutorial link because it JUMPED out at me because it's your version of my Emma!

[D.Thuc]

This is Doan Thuc from Vietnam. Say hello to you.It is very nice of you to show this tutorial. I did one picture for myself.
Thank you so much

[Linda]

Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge. Your work is so inspiring. I will definitely be a frequent visitor or your blog and flickr site to check out your new creations!

[Aletha]

I am really excited that I found this blog. Even more excited that you offered this tutorial. I have just printed it out and will be making it for my niece for her birthday.

[roni]

thank u so much. did you share any other illustrations? it is so nice. I'll try it eventhough I'm not so good with glue. I mess everything around... any tips?

[Mandy]

Thank you for being so generous as to share this project. Not only was it fun, but it was a much needed break from my 2 year old daughter and 4 month old son. :) Do you think you will be offering any other projects? I would love to make something with a boy for my son's room.

[Zoe Goode]

This is so fantastic! Just the creative/artistic kick start I needed to get me sketching again. Thank you so much for the inspiration, you work is absolutly awesome! TFS x

[Tom Barrett]

Thanks for posting this!

[Viviana]

great tutorial!

[meggiecat]

Thanks for sharing this bit of insight into your work. Well done!

[Buy Viagra]

This an excellent way to the kids can develop their skills, for example they need to learn to manipulate materials and that is a perfect opportunity to get it.

[Coach Outlet]

I won't accept such sort of family though it is quite comfortable. I prefer the family with mom which is not rich but ample in my heart

[xanax]

Wow, nice post,there are many person searching about that now they will find enough resources by your post.Thank you for sharing to us.Please one more post about that..