Ever since my son got to know the history and tales of Nutcrackers, he is gripped by the passion of collecting such figures. Due to budget concerns, he is searching the internet found the following short video which teaches people how to make cardboard Nutcrackers.
He decided to DIY one and stick on his bedroom door because he believes that it is the symbols of good luck and could fright away malevolent spirits.
He then started to prepare materials that the project needed weeks ago and spent almost the whole afternoon last weekend to complete a giant one. For us, it's just a decorative item made with stiff paper but for my son, he treats it as a protector of his privacy. bedroom.
It looks attractive but only can stick on wall or a door. Do not hesitate to click the link if you are looking for a free standing Nutcracker statue life size.
Supplies Needed
Stiff PaperAcrylic Paint (yellow, red, black and flesh color)
Masking tape
Art knives
Glue gun
Gold glitter
Gold braids
Gold tassels
Small cylinder bottle or any other tool that can make a circle
Step by Step Instructions
1. Cut the cardboard into different pieces base on the specific measurement.2. Join the top part, body, and leg pieces.
3. Make the “body” part as the standard dressing of this soldier.
4. Continue to make 2 “legs” by painting black color on “leg” shape cardboard.
5. Draw a line on the top part of the cardboard to divide the head and hat.
6. Paint the hat with black color while using flesh color to paint anther part as “face”.
7. Make red “arms” and put the epaulets (made with gold tassels and metallic threads) on the top part of the “arm”.
8. Join the “arms” to the "body".
9. Make the nose, eyes, brows, and mustache to complete the “face” part.
10. Decorate the hat with metallic threads if there is a balance.
In the video, the author gave the following measurements for each part:
head = 11 by 24 inches
body = 11 by 29 inches
leg = 5 by 23 inches
arm = 4 inches by 23 inches
However, it is hard to get a very long length stiff paper. Thus my son decided to make his own version by reducing the size of each part. He also did not apply gold glitter on the body because this kind of glitter always sticks to his hand after completing artworks.