How to Make Cardboard Cutouts

Cardboard cutouts are easy to make but are not cheap. To help cut the cost and still produce a high quality, you will need to have a large picture of yourself. You cannot get the high quality you will need if you use a digital camera; film is required.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 35-mm camera
• 35-mm film
• White panels (like dry erase boards)
• Scissors
• Cardboard (unbent, picture size)
• Hobby knife
• Rubber cement
• Rolling pin

1. Use a 35-mm film camera. Digital cameras will not be detailed enough to get resolution that you will need to enlarge the photo to the size that you need and still look realistic, so don't use them. Try using a disposable camera for this project if you do not own a 35-mm film camera.

2. Take a picture of yourself on an overcast day. Do not let the light come from your back but allow it to diffuse around you. For best results, add white panels around you on the ground that are tilted to reflect light toward you and reduce shadows. Make sure that you have a 1-foot ruler at your feet. Do not place the panels too close to your feet or it may obscure them, as will standing in grass.

3. Take your developed picture to a print shop that will print your image. Ask for a poster where the photo is life-sized. Point out the ruler at your feet that the print shop can use as a reference for calculating how much to enlarge the photo.

4. Cut out the image on the poster carefully with your scissors. Place the image onto the sheet of cardboard. Trace around the image, cutting into the cardboard with your hobby knife. Remove the image and make the cuts deeper.

5. Paint a coating of rubber cement onto the cardboard that was under the picture. Place the picture on the cardboard. Use a rolling pin to smooth out any wrinkles and press any bubbles in the glue to the outer edge of the cutout. Allow the glue to dry.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not get the glue on the picture or rolling pin while you roll the picture flat. Have a layer of cardboard underneath your work to help protect the surface that you are working on in case the hobby knife or scissors go through your work.
• Hobby knives and scissors should be used only under adult supervision by children who are mature enough to be able to handle the tools safely. If in doubt, have the adult do the work. Be aware of privacy and copyright laws that might apply to the subject of your picture. Make sure if it is another person that you have his permission in writing.

Resources

• Common Mistakes For Cutout Pictures