Faceted Papercraft - Curvaceous Edition + Bonus

(Thanks to everyone who voted for this project in the Papercraft contest! It feels good to be able to share with the instructables ecosystem!)

WARNING! : THE REPETITIVE HAND MOTIONS REQUIRED FOR THIS PROJECT MAY CAUSE CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME AND MAY CAUSE SEVERE HEADACHES OR STRAIN YOUR EYES. REQUIRES MODERATE TO STRENOUS CONCENTRATION. CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE ATTEMPTING!

(just kidding!- I guess you can get a little headache if you over do it!) Ever wanted to do papercraft using cardstock but mom said no or you live 'off the grid' where cardstock is not available ? Well this project has you covered. Ordinary printing paper reinforced with newspapers was used to do this project. Note this is NOT a replacement for cardstock - which, among other media is definitely a better and more structurally stable way to do papercaft. This instuctable is based on the critically acclaimed "create faceted paper objects" instructable by Krummrey

https://www.instructables.com/id/Create-faceted-pap...

If you want to learn how to create your own papercraft navigate to the above link

The female model being made here towers in at 1.5 meters (about 5 feet) when printed on A4 paper and has four levels of complexity/detail.

1. The face - most detailed section with lots of small pieces and requires more or less the same dexterity need to play Beethoven's "Fur Elise" to put together.

2. The bust - has a lot of detail and parts to put together.

3. The fingers - not as detailed as the face but still fairly detailed.

4. The rest - least detailed section. The rest of the body has a relatively lower level of detail and fewer larger pieces to be glued together.

If you just want to build the model without following the steps below here is the link to the PDF:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zectg3r8bmwa98i/PROJECT_...

(Please don't share the PDF without the link to where it came from, thank you!)

It is meant to be printed on A4, but you can print it on A3 and the model will be about 75% larger.

If its your first papercraft project or you feel you need a little practice or 'warming up' you can work on this wall mountable unicorn before moving on to the main Project

***BONUS***

Here is a bonus link to a wall mountable papercraft unicorn.If you're looking to add a little flair to your office wall or break the monotony of your bedroom wall or add something extra to the rainbows and stars on your kids bedroom wall or even decorate your local kindergarten - this Unicorn is the perfect thing for you! It is made of 100% paper and can be printed on cardstock or ordinary printing paper.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/my1vhmn2u6sh950/PROJECT_...

(Please don't share the PDF without the link to where it came from, thank you!)

The PDF for this project contains over a hundred pages - as such it will probably take a considerable amount of time to assemble, your patience and endurance will be tested. Working at a rate of roughly 12 hours a day, it took me 20 days to fully assemble. Thats not counting the time spent creating the 3D model and posing it in blender. Its only my second papercraft project so a seasoned papercrafter might take a lot less time than I did.

Anyway, Without further ado - lets get to it.

(For questions or feedback leave a comment below or on twitter @PaperSynesthete

Basically I was gluing the pieces together in such a way that the printed lines and the edge numbers were within the model and not visible on the outside. I was working from the ground up - starting with the legs and then working my way up to the head. This makes it easier to stand the model while working on it. I used a non toxic water based glue for joining the pieces together. Where necessary I reinforced some areas with tape from inside the model such that it was not visible from the outside. Many sources would recommend that you start from intricate to coarse - but I recommend you start from coarse to intricate as in so doing you will get the hang of the gluing process so that when you move to the finer details you will be better able to handle the intricacy. Having the PDF open will be a big help as you can use the search facility to find the location of the corresponding piece or edge that you need to cut out and glue.

Assuming that you have managed to assemble the legs and glue both the left and right legs together next step will be to find a way to mount the legs on a platform.Inorder to have some stability- I used some stailess steel rods and embeded them within the feet. Two were placed in the right foot, two in the left. Two of the wires go through the heels of the model are taped to the base where the model is to stand. Two are embeded in the area under the foot where the toes end. A longer stiffer wire is embeded from inbetween

the models legs to the base where the model stands. This wire is taped to the insides of the model to give extra strength. These steel reinforcements were necessary as the flimsy 80g/m2

paper I used was not particularly strong enough to support the structure on its own and needed 'help'. I'm sure for those of you who will make this model using cardstock or

other stronger media, minimal supporting structures if any would be needed.

At this stage you will notice the model is a bit hollow and if you touch it indelicately 'dents' will be left in the model. To combat this , while at the same time putting some old newspapers to good use, I stuffed the model with crumbled up newspapers. Cloth could be used instead of newspapers I suppose - in which case its a great use for old t shirts, old socks e.t.c. Though I only used cloth for stuffing the waist. Thats because I designed the model with an extremely small waist and an extremely 'generous' hip-line - as such extra support was required at the waist if the model was to stand upright. There are however, other methods to give a papercraft model of this magnitude structural integrity. These include the use of fibreglass resin, liquid glass, wood glue e.t.c

By now its all a matter of building up and joining the pieces together and internally reinforcing some areas with tape where necessary. As the model gets higher you will need to be fixing areas that need fixing and adjusting your supporting structures accordingly.Keep on going. Piece by piece. Edge by edge. Don't worry if you lose track of what you're doing - in the end it will magically fit together. This is where the PDF comes in handy, search for the edge number you require and your PDF reader will show you the page and the position of the edge you need in no time.

The most challenging part to this instructable is assembling the face. It has a lot of small pieces to cut out and glue together. Personally i was overwhelmed by the amount of detail in the eyes, lips and ears that I ended up improvising those areas without using the PDF guideline. I also had to improvise the apex of the bust. The bust is not as detailed as the face - but it is fairly detailed. For structural support the bust is stuffed with newspapers also and reinforced with tape in some areas.

After loads more cutting, gluing and improvising - all will be done. I sprayed the model with a clear lacquer to give it a fine glossy glaze. I think clear acrylic would have a similar effect - I haven't tried it out. All that's left is to find a nice place to show off your model. Congratulations - You've made it!

1. In the interests of adding further to the project - painting in facial structures such as the eyes, eyelids, eyebrows, lipstick and adding some mascara would be a good aesthetic advancement.

2. Adding non visible support structures for making the model stand upright.Looking into the possibility of adding a metal endoskeleton within the model also would be great and would also open up possibilities like having movable joints and being able to change the models pose.

3. Adding things like fibreglass resin, liquid glass or other similar chemical paraphernalia to strengthen the model. Adding a spray-on chemical like clear acrylic, lacquer or a similar product to produce a glossy, highly polished, lustrous surface without yellowing the paper.(Any information on products that can achieve this will be greatly appreciated....)

4. The next model I want to work on is that of "Nyotengu" from the 'Dead or Alive' series. To stay true to the 'Dead or Alive' philosophy I want to add two water balloons or a similar prop within the model to produce that signature 'Dead or Alive' jiggle effect. I'm considering modeling her in her losing pose or in that winning pose of hers where she says "My deception...rules...all of creation"

5. Researching on making "Photorealistic Models" or "sculpture-realistic models" rather - with high polygon counts. Whats the highest number of polygons/pieces (e.g. of a human face) that can be manipulated and built by hand using traditional pepakura methods? A hundred thousand? A million?

6. Actually it is my hope that someone out there will be able to do all the above and even more before i do :)