When I was growing up, my Dad loved to build models. His specialty was race car models, and he was
a whiz at painting and putting together those teeny, tiny pieces to create
miniature works of art. I wasn’t as much
of a car fan as he was, but I knew I liked two things: spending time with my Dad,
and putting together models so in time I started building cars too. Later I branched out into painting tiny lead
figures for D&D (yes, I am a big geek) and building WWI model
airplanes. I credit my model building
days with providing a great foundation for writing (and following) directions
as an adult.
Nowadays, I don’t build models as often, but when I do, you can bet that there is a papercrafting component to them. I put together this cute miniature wooden jetliner using the new “Scoot” 6x6 paper pad in just an hour or so, and you can too! It’s a great project to do with kids, and might be a wonderful activity for your family during spring break.
First, select a wooden model. My jetliner model is made by Darice, and cost about $2. It is super, super simple to build, and only has a few parts. When I shop for a wooden or papier mache piece to alter, I look for something that has a lot of smooth, flat surfaces. The paper adheres well, and gives it a nice smooth finish. I lightly sand the surfaces and edges as the machining of the small wooden pieces often leaves them rough. You can paint the model pieces if you want to, or leave it natural. I painted my example with white acrylic paint before adhering the patterned paper.
When working with a large piece, I generally make a template for each of the surfaces I am going to cover and use that to cut out my pieces. For tiny projects like this one, I just cut the patterned paper to the approximate size of the model piece it was meant to cover, and trimmed it flush with the edges with a craft knife after adhering. For large pieces, I often use a Xyron machine, or a decoupage medium. For this tiny plane, I experimented with using a regular white craft glue, and spread it with a craft stick. I was surprised to find that my glue method worked great, and the drying time was slightly shorter than using the decoupage medium, and it dried perfectly flat.
After all my surfaces were covered, I followed the model instructions to build the simple plane. I ran into a bit of trouble with the tail section, because once the paper was added, it became too thick to fit together. I sanded the inside surfaces of the tail fin slot, and trimmed away some of the patterned paper and it fit together fine.
I decided that I wanted the finished piece to have a hook to hang it, and chose a small screw in cup hook. Before adding it to the model, I had to test the piece to find where the center of balance was. Once I had determined that, I simply added the cup hook and the piece was complete.
Have you ever tried your hand at altering an item? What is your favorite type of piece to decorate? We’d love to hear what you all like, and see your creations! Link us up in the comments, or post your project on our Facebook page.
