DIY Paper man

Another day, another DIY project! Well the other day I was rummaging through a desk in my room (I seem to have gotten into the habit of doing that) and I found an old paper craft book which incidentally belonged to my brother. It had a lot of lovely shapes in it, so I thought I would try it some day. I must admit, paper art is not the easiest thing for me, since one has to be very careful and gentle with the paper, two qualities I certainly do not possess when it comes to craft projects. But after a few trials, I did get it right, so I share the technique with you.

What you will need: Craft paper (I used white since it was readily available at home in bulk, but choose any color), A Scale, Paints, Brushes, Water bowl, Glue, Paper cutter, Scissors.

Cut the paper into a fairly large square. It will become much smaller after all the folds. It is pretty confusing to explain the technique in words so I have illustrated it below.

If you have trouble while making it, don't fret. Take a fresh paper and start from the beginning.

Once I made the final body and head (it took me a while), I glued the open spaces between the paper. This isn't really needed as the structure is quite stable, but I wanted it to be more firm as I wanted to continue to paint it. I chose stripes, like shown in the book, but I chose to paint it green and white. It is always a good idea to pencil in the pattern before painting, because personally I get absent-minded and end up making mistakes, which I suspect many people do.

It is also a good idea to paint the back of the puppet. It looks less messy that way. Once the little guy is fully painted and dry, it is time to decide where to keep him! If you feel like making him do some acrobatics, it's quite simple.

Just use some old rope that may be lying around and a single hoop (like a singular earring that has lost her mate). Put the rope through the hoop so you have something to hang it by. Make holes in the arms of the puppet and knot the rope into it. Your hanging paper man is now ready!

You can keep him anywhere you feel he'll be at home. I for one think think he enjoys the curtains, with all the sunlight streaming in.