How To Make A Life Size Cutout From Wood

 I work at a library as the Youth Service Coordinator. Basically I create and run programs for the youth. One of the programs I created was a Mad Hatter Tea Party. I wanted to create a photo opportunity for the parents and their kids. I wanted to make large cutouts of some of the characters. But how? Well, after searching the internet and pulling from my Theatre Design degree I created what I think are awesome looking cutouts.








For this project you will need:

• Some sort of Sheet Good
• Sticks of wood
• A cutting device ( I had a Compound Miter Saw and hand held jig saw)
• Wood Glue
• A Drill
• A Screw Driver (if using screws. If using nails you will need a hammer)
• Screws
• Safty Glasses
• Tape Measure
• Pencil
• Primer 
• Various colors of Acrylic or Latex paint
• Paint Brushes
• And Anything else you think you may need

Step One: Find/ buy some sort of sheet good. An old piece of paneling was donated to this project.






















Step Two: Draw out the picture/ character you desire. I tried to work around the holes and per-existing cut marks.













Step Three: Cutout characters using a jig saw.

















Step Four: Place Cutout upside down on saw horses to create a back support for it. (I placed the cutout to use as a template to create the back support. Nothing is being attached to the cut out at this time.) This part is time consuming. Since each Cutout is different I measured and cut each piece of wood one by one. This way you can custom how you can support the Cutout.

Step Five: Glue your back support together. (Again nothing is being attached to the actual cutout) I glued the edges that touched together. I also used scrapped paneling and glued and screwed them on each area where pieces of wood touched. This help strengthens that area. Make sure the screw are on both pieces of wood.

 

Step Six: After gluing together the back support and letting it dry, flip it over so the front side is
facing up. Cover the front of the back support with wood glue. Place the cut out on top of the back support. Screw the cutout onto the back support. I also at this point sanded the edges and front surface












Step Seven: After letting your cut out to dry and adhere to the back support, flip it back over. You will create a 'L' shape kickstand with a support between the two wood pieces. I used a cheap set of hinges to attach the 'L' kickstand to the back of the cutout.





Step Eight: Prime your surface for paint. It's at this point i realized it would probably would have been better if i primed the sheet of wood  before i drew and cut out the Cutout.















Step Nine: Paint!!

Step Ten: Take a step back, admire your work and give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done.

How To Make A Stencil On The Cheap!

So I was doing a project for a charity and needed a stencil. I couldn't afford to buy one or have one made so I decided to make one. The end product is good for only a few uses but it is a great cheap way when needing a custom stencil.


Materials you will need:

• Cardstock or filefolder
• Glue
• X-acto knife
• A design
• Masking tape/ Clear packing tape

Step one: Decide on the area or size needed for your stencil. I was placing mine on a back of a chair so I traced the back of the chair to determine the size and shape my stencil needed to be.





Step two: Take masking tape or clear packing tape a create a layer of tape on both sides of folder.




This will help protect the folder when getting it wet with paint. You don't have to do this step but I find that the stencil last a little bit longer if you do.








 
Step three: Glue your design onto the cardstock or file folder. This will make it easier to cut out the design. You can also just draw out your design onto the folder if you feel brave.







Step four: Make sure your design's negative space is interconnected.  You can do this by adding linesto connect spaces.







 (Before cutting out the stencil make sure you have something to protect your work surface. EX: cardboard, green cutting mat)





Step five: Cut out the colored area. This process is going to take some time. I suggest listening to some rocking tunes or an awesome movie while working on cutting out the stencil.

Step six: Once your stencil is done being cut out I suggest doing a test run to see if you like how it
turned out. This way if you need to change something you wont ruin the project your working on.






Step seven: When you are satisfied with your stencil, stencil it on your project.