How to Carve Styrofoam Animals
Styrofoam animals can be used in a variety of crafts from making school projects to colorful signs and museum displays. The styrofoam can be bought in different colors to suit your project or painted to create a realistic effect, but the most important part of this project is to carve the animal correctly to achieve a smooth, flawless finish.
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Things You'll Need
- Animal pattern/design
- Colored styrofoam sheets
- Electric knife
- Hot wire cutter
- Marker pen
- Craft glue
Instructions
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1
Trace the animal pattern of your choice onto a styrofoam sheet of an appropriate color using a marker pen.
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2
Carve out the basic outline of the animal pattern using the electric knife.
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3
Finish the edges using a hot wire cutter. Run the hot wire over any corners and rough edges created by the electric knife to create a smooth look.
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4
Draw a slightly larger outline of the animal pattern onto a styrofoam sheet of a contrasting color to the first.
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5
Carve out the larger animal shape as in steps 2 and 3.
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6
Apply a generous layer of craft glue to the back of the smaller animal carving and stick it to the larger carving to create a defined, three dimensional look.
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Tips & Warnings
To create three-dimensional animals, cut three sets of styrofoam pieces according to your pattern using the same method as above and glue them together side by side so that your animal looks more lifelike.
Refer to the manufacturer's instructions for safety guidelines when using the electric knife and hot wire cutter.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Animal Statue image by Dawn from Fotolia.com
