BEFORE YOU GET STARTED... MATERIALS & TOOLS

BEFORE YOU GET STARTED... MATERIALS & TOOLS You will need the following materials and craft tools to be able to make your diorama 5x sheets of A4 colored paper* 1x sheet of A4 white paper or card 1x cutting mat (minimum A4 size) 1x scalpel or craft knife (or scissors if you prefer) 1x pack of small adhesive foam pads 1x safety ruler 1x masking tape to hold templates to paper 1x paper circle cutter** 1x glue stick 1x box frame with internal dimensions that are 15cm x15cm * I like to work with a gradient of color to make up my 5 sheets of paper. For example you could choose shades from yellow to red with orange in between, or various shades of blue from light to dark. ** These can be purchased online or at larger art supply stores MAKERS OF THE ORIGINAL SWISS ARMY KNIFE ESTABLISHED 1884

STEP 1 Print and roughly cut the layers from the templates Choose from one of 3 design templates I have provided for you. They range in difficulty. If you are new to using a craft knife/scalpel with paper then I recommend you start with the easiest design. Print out the templates at 100% size. Mountains Easiest Seascape Intermediate Woodland Difficult Once you have your printed templates, the first thing to do is to roughly cut the layers out from the page, but leaving a bit of a gap so you are not actually cutting on the line of the layer shape or inside the layer shape. Your design will have either 4 or 5 layers plus a back panel square and a circular mount template. If your chosen design has some elements labeled 'Extras' then you do not need to cut these out individually at this stage. Leave them together.

STEP 2 Assign a colored paper to each layer in your design Once you have your templates roughly cut out you need to assign each layer to a particular colored paper sheet. Use a couple of bits of tape to attach each layer to your chosen colored paper. Note: Be economical with your use of paper here so attach your template near the edge of your sheets of colored paper rather than in the middle. You will need your white sheet of paper to make your circular mount later.

STEP 3 Cut your paper layers Now this is the bit where you need to work slowly and carefully so take your time. Using your craft knife, follow the outline of your layer shapes making sure to cut through both the printed template and your chosen colored paper beneath it. You will likely need to use your other hand to hold your paper layers down on your cutting matt securely, but always be careful not to hold those fingers close to the cutting blade.

STEP 4 Cut your circular mount and back panel With your white paper/card layer place your circular mount template on top and attach with a couple more pieces of tape or a clip. Take your circle cutter and place the point into the center of the circle. Set the radius of the circle cutter to meet with the outline of the circle on the template. Now you can carefully rotate your circle cutter from the center, applying pressure so the blade of the circle cutter cuts out a perfect circle. Once you have your circle use a ruler and your scalpel to cut the square frame around the circle so you now have a complete mount for your artwork. Similarly, with your chosen colored paper for your back panel, cut this square out too.

STEP 5 Layer up your design and cut any extras Once all of your colored paper layers have been cut you can arrange your design into its layers, starting with the back panel at the bottom, then layer 1, then layer 2 etc. Leave the white circular mount to one side for now. If your design has any 'extra' elements to cut then now is the time to cut these. These elements will be small so you may need to secure these templates to your white or colored paper with smaller pieces of tape. If you find these bits easier to cut with scissors then please do that rather than trying to do it all with a craft knife.

STEP 6 Attach foam pads to the back of each layer Now you are ready to begin attaching each layer together. To do this you will need to use adhesive foam pads which act as both a glue but also a spacer to create depth between the layers of your diorama. You will need to peel off the waxy backing to each of your foam pads to that you can stick the layers to each other. Make sure you don t stick your pads too close to the edge. You need to leave a border of at least 7mm. Start with the layer that will sit directly on top of the back panel and work your way up until the very top layer. Make sure your layers stay lined up correctly so it all fits within your box frame neatly. The 'extras' you can just attach using a dab of glue.

STEP 7 Fit your circular mount into your box frame Once you have finished layering up and fixing together your design, you can open up your box frame and take out any inner 'spacer' that is inside the frame. Pop your layered design into that spacer. Make sure the glass/perspex panel is clean and then place your circular mount inside the frame so it sits directly behind the glass panel. Then place the spacer back in.

STEP 8 Place your layered diorama into the box frame and enjoy! Now you should be able to lift your layered diorama and carefully place it into your box frame. It should fit snugly, but if any bits crumple up or seem a little out of alignment then you may need to trim a bit of excess off the edge of some of your paper layers using scissors. Once your layered diorama is in the frame, pop the wooden panel back on the frame and secure it. Your layered diorama is now complete for you to enjoy.

Mountains Easiest

Seascape Intermediate

Woodland Hardest