Make a Paper Sculpture in an Hour

As an art teacher, we go through a lot of paper. Paper comes in standard sizes and yet, I tend to not use the paper in its standard size. Therefore the paper is cut on the paper cutter into different sizes and shapes. Many strips of paper are left behind. I don’t know about you but art teachers struggle with throwing things away. So I have a box of colorful strips of paper and another box of white paper strips. What am I to do with these paper scraps? Make a paper sculpture in an hour.

From 2 Dimensional to 3 Dimensional

When the art lesson turns from the flat two dimensional outcome to the three dimensional artwork, students become just a little more lite up. They dive in and play. It is exciting for them and for the art teacher. Because the students start to make their own choices and break away from the cookie cutter artwork. So let’s make paper sculptures.

Make a Paper Sculpture in an Hour

Have your box of paper strips ready to go. These strips should vary in length and width. Provide the students with scissors and glue sticks. Explain that the group will start to together. Everyone will complete some paper folding and manipulation first. Then they will be able to work independently to glue the pieces together and to add to the development of the paper sculpture. They will make a paper sculpture in an hour.

Making Looped Raindrops for a Sculpture in an Hour

While handing out the paper strips tell the students to choose two narrow strips of paper that are different lengths. After everyone has their strips of paper, you will demonstrate putting glue on one short side of the strip of paper. Point out that the paper strip is actually a narrow rectangle and really a straight line too. Now you will take the other end of the paper strip and bring it to the side with the glue so that they glue together. This will form a raindrop shape or a loop. Do the same thing with the other strip of paper, so they have two.

Once they have two, They glue the two together in some fun way. One option is to sit the smaller one inside of the larger one. Or they could glue the smaller one on the outside of the larger one.

Making an Archway

Next you will get another narrow strip of paper and tell the students to do so as well. This time lay the paper horizontally. Students lay their paper horizontally. You fold the sides over little bit toward the center of the paper. It will look like a single staple or the top of a football goal post. Students follow the directions to do the same. You will put glue on one folded piece of the paper. Think of the paper having to two feet on either side and you are putting glue on the bottom of the foot. Then overlap the other foot on the other side to glue them together. It is like having the one foot step on top of the other. This will make a curved archway, which reminds me of the mouse doorway in Tom and Jerry cartoons.

The Accordion Fold or the Zigzag

Now most students are familiar with the accordion fold because they probably have made a paper fan in the past. By folding the paper like an accordion, students are making a zigzag line, which I refer to in terms of the letters of the alphabet like letters: Z, W, and M. However, students who have not made an accordion fold will mess this up. So it is still important to take your time teaching it. Those who mess it up are those that keep folding the paper in the same direction and do not flip or turn their paper to fold. The accordion fold is very fun and used in other art projects that you can find online. It has a lot of movement to if depending on the size of the paper.

Make a Paper Sculpture in an Hour with Tabs and Fringe Fraying

Have students pick up a wider strip of paper. With scissors demonstrate how to cut along the longer side of the paper. Cut into the paper but not all the way across. Cut toward the other long side but stop just short of it so that nothing is cut off. Take the scissors out and cut again the same way close to the pervious cut. Do this again and again. Students may pull the edges out and fold them out or crinkle the frayed edges. Fringe the paper with wider spaces and then there will be wider tabs that you can glue them down in some way.

Use Cones and Curls

Further exploration with manipulating the paper will lead to more exciting paper sculptures. You have a pencil or crayon and a strip of paper to start. Place the drawing tool on the shirt end, so the set up looks like a lower case letter “t”. Take the short end of the paper at the top of the drawing tool and pull it over the drawing tool. Then pinch the crayon or pencil with the paper on either side and roll the two together toward you. Keep everything together tightly as you roll. Then take the drawing tool out and the paper will be curly.

To make a cone to add to your paper sculpture made in an hour, you will need a circle. Any size circle will do. Then fold the paper in half like a taco. Then fold it in half again like a pizza slice. Open the circle. Cut one fold to the middle of the letter “x” that was formed when the paper was folded. Then place glue on one side of the cut on the paper. Then overlap the flaps formed on either side of the cut and develop a cone with tape or glue. Here is a YouTube video titled making paper funnel. It will show you a slightly different way to make a cone. The presenter cuts a section out of the circle, but you do only need to make the one cut and overlap.

Develop more

Now students will figure out how to manipulate that paper in other ways. This is always exciting and good. So let them do so and encourage them to experiment with the paper. They will figure out how to make squares, circles, cylinders, and more.

Putting it all Together

Once students have all of their paper manipulated, they will glue it together. Now the teacher, you, decide if you want to model and teach all of the paper techniques. You may want to teach half and let the students make a sculpture with those techniques one hour. Then in another hour or 40 minutes class teach another set of paper folding and cutting techniques. So the classes will have an opportunity to make two paper sculptures. Giving the students time to play and plan may extend the paper sculpture in a hour to a two day project. In addition, students may want their sculptures to dangle or to sit. Also providing time for discussion is always a great concluding activity. Ask questions like what do you like about your sculpture? How was it challenging and how did you overcome the challenge? Why did you put your paper pieces together like you did? Why is the artwork a sculpture?

If you give make a paper sculpture an hour a try, please leave a comment. What was successful? What was not? How could be changed or improved. I would enjoy reading your comments.

Here is another sculpture project that may be something to try

Art-Based Gift that could be a Mess