Make a Life-size Cardboard 3D Self Portrait

by lockershop in Craft > Cardboard

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Make a Life-size Cardboard 3D Self Portrait

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I created this 3D model face just after seeing a sculptural exhibition based on faces. I made this at home and it is very easy because it doesn't require many materials. In the instructable I will try to teach you how to make your own self portrait in cardboard by using a variety of different techniques and textures. you can mount it at home on your wall or use as a table decoration. You can choose to make your model as realistic or as cartoonish as you like.It has taught me a number of different cardboard joining techniques which I have shared with you.

The great thing is you can make this almost for free because all the material, cardboard is so easy to find.

approximate time to construct : 2 hours

materials needed:

cardboard  preferable the thin sort , for easy folding, but any will work and you can have any color depending on what skin tone you would like. If you don't like the color  you chose you can always paint over it but this does ruin the authentic cardboard feel of the piece.

glue gun and glue sticks for gun, about 4 (you can also use duct tape instead of a glue gun but you may find it tricky to do the fiddly bits)


Here above are images of my finished product. I included a number of accessories such as a tie and a hat which you don't have to include but I will explain how to make in the instructable. I also included a second face on the right of the main face to get a Picasso / cubist  type feeling to my sculpture.

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Firstly you have to make the basic shapes. Here is a template I have made that you can copy and paste onto Microsoft word and change the size to your preferred size. I thought giving you a template was best because it means you can choose how big or small your sculpture can be... you could make one as big as a car if you had enough cardboard.

you must
1) stick this sheet onto cardboard
2)cut out shapes in cardboard

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once you have cut and stuck your template pieces onto cardboard it is time for the fun bit.

1) stick the rigid part of your hair strip onto forehead 2 and if you have curly hair curve the pieces by running your finger nail down them. 
2)stick forehead 1 onto the bottom of forehead 2 to make a curved scalp

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Now stick the cheeks to the inside of your just stuck forehead 1 and then stick on the eyes (pupils and irises stick on top of each other before sticking)

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Next place the main head and nose on top of cheeks while creasing the bridge of nose as shown.

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stick the upper jaw underneath the cheek plate and if you would like to stick teeth at the bottom of the upper jaw

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Add details such as eyelids and eye brows to their respective positions as shown on picture.

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Now add lower jaw to the underneath of upper jaw to get finalized face.

carefully peel off paper and add accessories if you would like:
 
1) tie: cut out the shape of a tie and draw on stripes then stick to a cylinder stuck to lower jaw which acts like a collar
2) for the hat you simple make 6 more forehead pieces and in the same way as before construct a dome then you can just cut out and add the peak



YOUR FINISHED PORTRAIT : )