Unicorn Paper Craft Shadowbox

Did you ever want to take your two dimensional artwork and turn it into a three dimensional design? This technique will describe how to create a 3D design from your 2D artwork only using paper and creating multiple layers!

Step 1: Items Needed:

·

8 x 10 shadowbox frame

· 7 pieces of 8 x 10 colored hard stock paper

o 1 – Dark Blue

o 1 – Dark Green

o 1 – Light Green

o 1 – Turquoise

o 1 – Light Turquoise

o 1 – Light Blue

o 1 – White

· Transfer tracing paper

· Pencil

· 1 packet foam adhesive circles (needs to be sticky on both sides)

· Glue stick

· Cutting board (You don’t want to damage a table!)

· X-Actoâ knife

Step 2: Lay Out Your Work

a) Place a piece of dark blue hard stock paper on your cutting board. You want to work from the darkest color to the lightest color when building up the layers.

b) Place a piece of transfer tracing paper on the colored paper.

c) Place your artwork on top of the transfer tracing paper.

Step 3: Trace Your Artwork Onto the Transfer Tracing Paper.

a) Use the dark blue paper and trace the sky.

b) Make sure you extend your trace to the bottom of the entire image. This will be your reference point when lining up all the layers.

c) Use the dark green paper and trace the mountain line.

d) Use the light green paper and trace the tree line. You also want to trace the figure’s shadow that is shown on the ground.

e) Use the turquoise paper and trace the ground that the figure is standing on.

f) Use the light turquoise paper and trace the legs in shadow, the entire mane, the head, the body, and the tail, and the tail fluff.

g) To get a layered effect, use the light blue paper and trace the horn, the head, the body, and the tail fluff.

h) Use the white paper and trace the highlights of the mane, the tail fluff, and the moon.

Step 4: Cut Out the Different Colored Shapes.

a) Carefully use the X-Acto knife to cut out the different shapes that you traced.

b) Arrange the colored shapes on a sheet of paper in layers to recreate the original image.

Step 5: Apply the Foam Adhesive Circles to the Colored Shapes and Assemble the Layers.

· Apply layers of foam adhesive circles to each colored layer of the image. Depending on where each shape will be placed determines the number of foam circles to put on top of one another for support.

· Layer 1: Moon and mountain

o Stick the mountain line shape to the sky making sure to align it to the bottom of the image.

o Stick the moon to the sky.

· Layer 2: Tree line

o Stick the tree line on top of the mountain line.

· Layer 3: Ground and shadow

o Stick the ground on top of the tree line.

o Use the glue stick and glue the shadow to the ground.

· Layer 4: Unicorn’s mane and legs in shadow

o Apply at least 3 foam circles (place them on top of each other) to the mane and top of the legs in shadow and stick them to the background. The bottom of the legs will be glued the shadow that glued to the ground.

· Layer 5: Unicorn’s mane, body, head, top legs, and tail fluff

o Glue the white mane highlights and white tail fluff to the image.

o Apply 1 layer of foam circles to the body, head, and top legs and stick these parts on top of the legs in shadow and mane.

o Apply 4 foam circles (place them on top of each other) to the tail fluff for support and stick the tail fluff to the background.

Step 6: Place the Finished Product Into Shadowbox.

· Secure the back of the display.

· Place your shadow box for all to see!

Step 7: Other Creations

Other examples of shadowbox paper craft I have created.