ART IN 3-D, A TUTORIAL

I’ve been helping my mom move, and in the process have helped her decide where to hang the numerous photos, prints, and paintings. One little set of butterflies reminded me of the hours we’d spent indulging in the craft that produced them. They were worth reproducing, as well as introducing to others, so I went home and made a pair for myself.

You’ll need very little to make your own:


• Two wooden drapery rings
• Paper with a repeating pattern
• Silicone adhesive/sealer
• Clear stiff plastic, or a background paper you like
• A snippet of ribbon in a coordinating color

What you’re going to do is create shaped layers that will simulate a 3-dimensional object, so first choose a picture you have at least three copies of that will fit inside a drapery ring. Wrapping paper is great for that, or you can use three identical note cards.

Cut one image out in its entirety. It’s the bottommost picture you’ll use. Figure out what’s going to stick out farther than the first picture and cut that out. Your last picture, you’ll cut so that only the parts that stick out the most remain.



(I cheated. I wanted to my butterfly to be a little bigger, so I used an extra set of wings. You can ignore that step, or copy it, your choice!)

Trace a circle that’s a little smaller than the outside dimension of your drapery ring on a sheet of clear plastic, and cut out. (The lid from a box of greeting cards works well for this.) I like the clear plastic because when the butterflies are on the wall, their background will automatically match the room, but you can use a pretty paper as your background if you prefer. If you do that, you’ll want to use a fairly heavy paper so it won’t be flimsy.


Now glue your first, largest, layer to the circle. I glued down my extra pair of wings and then glued the full butterfly atop that. This layer is flat.


Take the middle sized layer, and shape it a bit, curving the wings, and making a crease along the body where the wings join.


The silicone adhesive is what you’ll use to hold the shape of the layers. Put a little blob of it where it will support an upward curve. Toothpicks work well for getting good placement. The advantage of the silicone is that it’s both malleable and sticky. If you think the layer looks like it sticks out too much, just squish down on it a little, or you can pull up a bit on the paper if you want more depth. The silicone holds its shape while acting as glue, too.


You won’t be using much silicone, but do work in a well-ventilated area.
Do the same thing for the remaining layers.


Let dry. Flip over and glue to the back of the drapery ring. Carefully twist the metal loop at the top of the drapery ring so that it faces you. Tie a bow at the base of the drapery ring’s hanging loop.