Kingdom Hearts Shadow Box

Hello everyone !

Here's my new Instructable, a paper cut shadow box of the game series Kingdom Hearts.

It is meant to decorate my living room, I chose this theme because it's a game that my boyfriend and I love very much. I created the depth using colors from the darkest to the lightest, in drawing it's called "atmospheric perspective".

I also made two other shadow boxes on different themes but you will see that at the end !

So let's begin !

Supplies

For my shadow box I used :

1. Colored paper (depends on what colors you want to use) at least 160 mgr so that the paper is rigid enough
2. Ruler
3. Pencil
4. Eraser
5. Cissors and scalpel
6. Multi-purpose white glue (but you can use some paper glue)
7. A flat brush for the glue
8. Cutting mat
9. Foam board (thickness you need)
10. A frame (made or bought, as you wish)

Step 1: Find References

So I knew I wanted to make Kingdom Hearts shadow box, I searched on Google for a silhouette image that I could use and I found a drawing made by Hyung86 (http://fav.me/db5u9lo).

I saw directly how I could cut the image out of colored paper.

Step 2: Create Layers

First of all, I roughly redrawn the image compared to what I wanted to cut out.

Next, I isolated each layer with a photo editing software.

Step 3: Resize Sheets

I bought large sheets so that I could cut the exact size I needed for my project.

Step 4: First Layer

Using the first layer made on the software, I redraw it on the first sheet of paper and then started cutting.

First I roughly cut as close as possible to the drawing and then I finished the details more precisely

Step 5: Second Layer

I drew the next layer below the first to see where the elements would be placed and then ... I cut !

Step 6: Third Layer

Same as the layer before : place, draw and cut.

Step 7: Fourth Layer

Again, same as before.

Tip : I noticed that the pencil was still visible in places after cutting, so don't hesitate to erase, especially on light colors.

Step 8: Fifth Layer

Step 9: Sixth Layer

Step 10: Cutting the Keyblade

This cut was quite difficult because it went over two colors and therefore had to overlap correctly.

Step 11: Cut Strips of Foam Board

In order to superimpose the sheets and create depth, I used the foam board cut into strips that I placed between the layers where I wanted to add some depth.

Step 12: Glue the First Layers

Now it's time to glue my foam strips with my papers.

First I glued the orange and red paper together because I didn't need depth between these two layers.

Tip : To apply glue more easily, I used a flat brush to "paint" my glue on the elements, I also put some glue in a bottlecap so it could be easier to take it.

Then I glued my foam board sticks to the spots where the top layer was placed so that it serves as a support to create the depth.

Step 13: Glue the Layers Above

Same as before, I glued my foam sticks to the spots where the layer above was placed.

Step 14: Glue Final Layers

I continued to glue my layers. For the last one, I had to glue two sticks together so that the paper was straight compared to the other layers.

And voilà, you can now see the depth. Now it's time to frame it.

Step 15: Frame

I previously bought a large frame but the frame border was a bit too large so I cut it to the dimensions I wanted.

Then I put my creation inside and closed the frame.

Step 16: Decorate Your Living Room

Aaaaaand finished !

I hung it on the wall with two other frames that I had already made.

One on the theme of Tomb Raider and another on the theme of God of War, the first game being one of my favorite games of all time, the second probably being my boyfriend's favorite game.

There was only one frame left to make on a game we both love.

Thank you for following my Instructable, I hope it was explained well enough !

(For the Tomb Raider one I used an image made by ReD8ull - http://fav.me/d8052ni

and for the God of War I used a fanart made by Ömer Tunç - https://www.artstation.com/mertun )