Hints and Tips for GREAT Papercraft (again)

I often get asked "How did I make ________ (insert Paperpoké model)?".  I would have to say that it is pretty much practice and patience.  I've been papercrafting for about 5 years, now - more so in the last 12 months than at any other point in time. And I really believe that you learn from making mistakes.  

I often rebuild models 2-3 times, just so the are just right for publishing on our website.  It's relatively easy to make a template from a model, but it's not so easy to make a good template that others can follow with ease, and that doesn't waste too much paper.

But making a good model is not simply about the work that papercrafter designers do, you also need the correct tools to create a good papercraft.  This is a fact that is often overlooked, but is actually crucial.  You really only need a few things to get great results:


1. Use decent paper - (NOT regular 80gsm printer paper) find some that is about 120gsm in weight

2. A good pair of sharp scissors
eg: Honey Bee non-stick precision Scissors store.scrapbook.com/ek-ekcb06.…

3. An used-up ball point pen or craft stylus to score fold lines with
eg: Pergamano small ball stylus www.pergamano.com/product/defa…

4. A little metal ruler - metal doesn't get damaged or dinted like plastic.

5. Decent acid-free paper glue - importantly it needs to be fast setting
eg: Power Pritt Multipurpose Extra Strong Gel www.prittworld.com/products/ad… or Aleene's Original Tacky Glue www.ilovetocreate.com/ProductD…

6. Tweezers - preferably non-stick

7. A tooth-pick (wooden cuticle stick) for getting into those hard to reach places

8. A scalpel which has replaceable blades
afod.files.wordpress.com/2009/…

9. A large self-healing cutting mat
www.theartistsdepot.com/images…

Pro-tip:

1. Score/emboss the fold lines of the template piece before you cut it out of the card stock. Otherwise you'll end up trying to keep fiddly pieces of paper still with one hand while trying to score/emboss with the other - it never end well.

2. If you chose to do a "lined" template, once you have embossed/scored and cut out the piece, DO NOT fold them.

Instead, just glue it as if it were flat and unscored. This way, you allow the paper to bend naturally along these lines, and the result is a much smoother build

3. The only exception to the above rule is if you have a fold that creates an angle that is <45º.

_______________ Solid Lines are for cutting

- - - - - - - - Dashed Lines are for Mountain Folds

— - — - — - — - Dashed/Dotted Lines are for Valley Folds