Make a Paper Sculpture
Create a three-dimensional paper sculpture by folding, cutting, and assembling paper pieces, exploring balance, shape, and decoration using child-safe glue and scissors.
Step-by-step guide to make a paper sculpture
Paper Folding Techniques for 50 Forms Relief Sculpture Lesson - Art With Trista
Step 1
Gather all the materials and put them on a clean table so everything is easy to reach.
Step 2
Clear a flat workspace and lay the cardboard base down where you will build your sculpture.
Step 3
Draw a simple plan of your sculpture showing where pieces will stand and which shapes you want.
Step 4
Fold one sheet of paper into an accordion by making even 1 inch folds to create a column piece.
Step 5
Cut 3 to 6 shapes from other sheets such as circles squares and long strips to use as arms platforms or decorative pieces.
Step 6
Fold a small 1 centimeter edge on each shape to make a glue tab for attaching pieces.
Step 7
Glue the accordion column and other shapes together by attaching their tabs so they form a 3D structure.
Step 8
Tape or glue the bottom of your structure to the scrap cardboard base so it stands upright.
Step 9
Place the sculpture on a flat surface to test its balance and see if it stands by itself.
Step 10
Add small folded paper weights or move pieces around to the side that tips until the sculpture balances.
Step 11
Decorate your sculpture with coloring materials stickers and small decorations to add color and texture.
Step 12
Let the glue fully dry and tidy up scraps when you are finished.
Step 13
Ask an adult to help you share photos of your finished paper sculpture on DIY.org so others can see your creation.
Final steps
You're almost there! Complete all the steps, bring your creation to life, post it, and conquer the challenge!
Help!?
What can we use instead of the scrap cardboard base or glue if we don't have them?
Use a flattened cereal box or the back of a used notebook as the cardboard base and substitute double-sided tape or a glue stick to attach the accordion column and 1 cm glue tabs.
My sculpture keeps tipping or the accordion column flops—what should I try?
Make your 1-inch accordion folds as even as possible, press and hold the 1 cm glue tabs until the glue sets, attach small folded paper weights to the side that tips, or tape a wider area of the bottom to the cardboard base to improve balance as described in the testing step.
How can I adapt this activity for different ages?
For younger children, pre-fold the accordion and pre-cut larger shapes so they can glue tabs and decorate, while older kids can draw a more detailed plan, cut smaller shapes, and glue multiple accordion columns together to build a taller, more complex 3D structure.
How can we enhance or personalize the sculpture after building it?
Decorate the sculpture's accordion column and shapes with paint, markers, stickers, or small glued-on decorations, add moving arms by attaching long strips with brads, and follow the final step to ask an adult to help share photos on DIY.org.
Watch videos on how to make a paper sculpture
Basic Techniques for Paper Sculpture
4 Videos
Basic Techniques for Paper Sculpture
Paper sculpture techniques (Kids art lab)
Paper Sculpture | Paper Kirigami Figures | Pop up Paper Sculpture tutorial
How to Make a Paper Sculpture | Tate Kids
Facts about paper crafts for kids
✂️ Kirigami combines folding and cutting to make pop-up and sculptural paper forms.
⚖️ Paper sculptors pay attention to balance and the center of gravity — tiny changes can make a structure tip or stand steady.
📝 Most paper can be folded only 7–8 times by hand, so artists stack, layer, and join pieces for bigger works.
🧩 Some paper sculptures are built from hundreds or even thousands of interlocking pieces.
🕊️ Traditional origami uses no glue or cuts — a single sheet is transformed by folding alone.
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