Cardboard Camera Creativity

Bored out of your mind? Looking for a challenge? Try creating something with cardboard! If you have corrugated cardboard laying around, you can turn it into a work of art! Let's get started!

Supplies

• Cardboard(preferably corrugated)
• Hot glue
• Utility knife
• Cutting board/something that you can cut on

Step 1: Create the Body of the Camera

We are going to start with the front face of the camera. Sketch a rectangle onto your cardboard and cut it out with a utility knife.

Step 2: Make the Hand Grip

Next, sketch three rectangles onto the cardboard. Each one should be the same shape, but gradually get bigger then the last so that it looks like the first picture above. Cut them out and glue them together starting with the largest on the bottom, then medium, and smallest on the top.

Step 3: Glue the Hand Grip

Now, take the hand grip and glue it to the left end of the large rectangle.

Step 4: Cut the Base of the Lens

Draw a large circle and cut it out. Make it the size that you want the lens to be.

Step 5: Cut a Button

Once the lens base is cut out, draw a small circle. The circle should be much smaller in proportion to the large circle, as seen in the first picture.

Step 6: Create a Mode Selector

Next, draw another circle that is a bit smaller then the previous circle, adding small notch to one side. Cut it out.

Step 7: Glue Circles to Make a Mode Selector

Glue the notched circle on top of the other small circle.

Step 8: Draw and Cut the Lens

Sketch two medium circles onto cardboard and cut them out. Their size should be a little less then half of the size of the base of the lens from step #4. These pieces will be the direct center of the lens.

Step 9: Cut the Lens Rings

Draw out two rings the same size as the base of the lens from step #4. Cut both of them out.

Step 10: Create the Small Lens Ring

Once you have cut both of your large rings, draw and cut out another lens ring that is small enough to fit inside the larger two rings.

Step 11: Make the Wide Ring Base for the Lens

After finishing the large rings and the small ring, pop the small ring into one of the larger rings. Now trace the two together so that you will have another base for the rings, but this one is a ring. When these two bases are glued together, it will help your rings to stand out more 3-dimensionally from the front face of the camera. Cut it out.

Step 12: Glue the Lens Bases to the Camera's Front Face

Glue the wide ring base from the previous step onto the large base circle from step #4. Glue both to the body of the camera so that the ring base is on the top. It should look like the picture above.

Step 13: Add the Lens

Next, take the two medium circles and glue them together. Then glue them in the empty circle located in the middle of the lens wide base ring.

Step 14: Stack Your Large Lenses

Once the center lens is placed, glue both of the large rings together. Then place it around the smaller ring and glue it onto the bases.

Step 15: Cut Out the Lens Protector

Since the basic lens is finished, you are now going to make a strip of cardboard to wrap around your rings acting as the lens protector. Draw out a strip of cardboard that is long enough to wrap around it. Cut it out.

Step 16: Form the Lens Protector

Now take the strip and pinch down the full length of the cardboard with your fingers. Flatten the corrugation of the cardboard so that it is as thin and pliable as possible. Wrap it around the outside of the lens and neatly glue it.

Step 17: Glue Your Button

Take the first button that you made, from step #7, and glue it to the bottom right side of the lens.

Step 18: Cut the Long Sides of Your Camera

Next, place your camera on cardboard. Measure and trace the long sides of the camera so that it is the width that you want. Cut them out with a utility knife.

Step 19: Glue the Long Sides to the Camera

After cutting out the long sides, glue them properly to the sides of the camera.

Step 20: Add the Short Sides of the Camera

Once you have finished gluing the long sides of the camera, measure and draw out the short sides of the camera. Make sure they are the same width as the long sides that were just cut out. Now cut the short sides out.

Step 21: Finish the Whole Body of the Camera

Next, measure another large rectangle the same size as the front face that you first cut out. Draw and cut the large rectangle out. Glue both the short sides from the previous step and the large rectangle to the back of the camera. Now you have the complete body of the camera!

Step 22: Create the Left Mode Dial

Cut out a small notched circle that is about the same size as the width of the camera. Glue it onto the left side of the top of the camera. Now draw a second circle that is the same size as the first, but don't add a notch. Cut out the second circle, then glue it to the top of the notched circle.

Step 23: Create the Right Mode Dial

Now, draw one circle that is the same size as the width of the camera. Then, draw another circle that is a bit smaller then the other, and add a notch. Cut them out and glue them together so that the bigger one is on the bottom.

Step 24: Create the View Finder of Your Camera

Now draw out four trapezoids that are all the same shape, but different size. The largest trapezoid has to be a small enough size to fit in between the two mode dials and be centered above the lens. Cut all of them out. Then draw and cut out a small rectangle.

Step 25: Glue the View Finder Base and Mode Dial

Glue your view finder pieces(trapezoids) onto the top of the camera centered over the lens. Then glue your other mode dial onto the right side of the view finder. It should look like the picture above.

Step 26: Add Dimension to the Camera

Next, draw a trapezium(A square with one corner that points out further then the other three corners). The trapezium should be about the same width as the top of the handle grip. After drawing it, cut it out. The trapezium should look similar to the second picture above.

Step 27: Create a Square

After you finish the trapezium, create a normal square that is the same size as the trapezium. The square will connect, and support the trapezium.These pieces will add dimension to the camera.

Step 28: Glue the Square and Trapezium Onto the Camera

Next, glue the trapezium onto the camera above the handle grip. Then glue the square on top of the camera so that it touches part of the trapezium.

Step 29: Make the Base for the Shutter Button

Draw a small rainbow shape onto cardboard. Make it small enough to fit on the trapezium. Cut it out. Then, glue the rainbow shape onto the trapezium so that your camera looks like the third picture above.

Step 30: Add the Shutter Button

Draw a small circle that will fit over the shutter button base(rainbow shape). Next, cut it out and glue it onto the base for the shutter button.

Step 31: Add the Smaller Buttons

Draw out two small circles that are the same size. Then draw two other small circles that are a tiny bit smaller and draw a ring around one of them. Cut all of them out. Glue the small circle with the ring and one of the larger circles onto the left side of the lens. Glue the other two on top of each other so that the larger one is on bottom. Then glue it onto the right side of the lens.

Step 32: Add Dimension Above the Lens

Draw a shape like a bridge. Make sure that it is big enough to fit over the lens. The shape should look similar to the first picture above. Cut it out and glue it over the top of the lens.

Step 33: Create Your Aperture

After you finish adding the shutter button, draw a rectangle with a lot of lines through it. Make enough lines so that it will cover the lens when they are over lapping like the picture above. Cut all of the strips out with a utility knife and glue them onto the lens so that they fan out from the middle lens. After you have glued them on, it should look like the second picture above.

Step 34: Create the Screen for the Camera

Trace the back of the camera. It should be a rectangle the same size as the body of the camera. Then draw a large square into it. Cut the outline of the body out, and the square drawn inside of it. It should look like the second picture above.

Step 35: Glue the Screen On

Now, glue the cut out screen onto the back of the camera.

Step 36: Create the Large Mode Button

Since you have finished attaching your screen, draw a small circle onto cardboard. Then cut it out and glue it on the right side of the back of the camera.

Step 37: Add the Smaller Mode Buttons

Sketch out three tiny circles for buttons. Cut them out and glue them around the large mode button.

Step 38: Create the Small Dials

Draw out two small rectangles and cut them out with a utility knife. Carefully cut little strips through the top layer of both of the rectangles. Glue one to the top right corner of the back of the camera, and the second one on the top of the handle grip on the front side.

Step 39: Create the View Finder

Draw and cut out a semicircle. It should match the size of the glued view finder pieces (trapezoids) as the third picture shows above.

Step 40: Glue Your View Finder Hole to Your Camera

Now glue the semicircle to the back of the view finder on top of the camera. Carefully cut the top layer of the semicircle piece that was glued to the view finder. But don't cut all the way to the edge. Glue and cut it so that it looks like the second picture above.

Step 41: Finished Your Camera!!

Congratulations! You have finished your whole camera! Even though it takes a lot of time and patience, it is a cool work of art! You could also spray paint it to add additional "Wow" to your piece, but I really liked the natural cardboard look.

Thank you for joining me in this instructable project! Hope you enjoyed this challenge!

Please vote!🙂