How to Make 3D Letters

Sculpting Large Letters

Gather your materials. You will need drawing paper, disposable paper cups, chipboard or cardboard, glue, a hobby knife, and adhesive paper tape cut into long strips. You will also need a method of dampening the paper tape without soaking it, such as a new clean kitchen sponge. Decorative materials, such as acrylic paint, are optional. Keep in mind that the size of the cups that you choose will partially determine the size of your letters. How tall your cups are will roughly correspond with how thick your letters will be. Likewise, you will need to make each portion of your letter at least as wide as the mouth of your cups.

Draw your letter on paper and cut it out. Use the drawing paper to sketch out your ideas. Draw a letter that is at least the width of your cups' mouth in all areas. Don't worry about erasing mistakes or making it neat; this paper will not be incorporated into your finished letter. Once you're happy with your letter's design and size, cut it out using either your hobby knife or a pair of scissors.

Trace your letter cutout onto either cardboard or chipboard. Cut your letter out using a hobby knife. Do this twice so that you have two identical copies of the cardboard letter. Make sure that the two letters line up perfectly.

Glue paper cups to the cardboard letters. Stagger the cups right side up and upside-down to pack them in as tight as possible. The more cups you use, the more structurally sound your final letter will be. Do not allow any part of the cups to go over the edge of the letter.

Glue the second letter onto the opposite ends of the cups. Wait for the glue on the first letter to dry. Make sure to line up your second letter perfectly when gluing. Allow the glue to dry completely before moving on.

Cover the letter with paper tape. Take a paper strip and moisten its adhesive. Wrap it tightly around your letter so that it sticks to both the top and bottom cardboard faces. Repeat with more paper strips, one by one. Continue until your letter has been completely wrapped in at least two layers of adhesive tape.

Decorate your letter as desired before display. You may choose to apply acrylic gesso to give you a white surface to work on and to seal the tape edges completely. You can paint or draw over this layer using most types of media. If you are making multiple letters, try to decorate them similarly to create a theme. You can decorate your letters with washi tape, paper flowers, or beads. Sequins are also a nice decoration. For a quicker and easier option, you can take sequin trim that is used for making costumes. You can even foil or marble your letters. The possibilities are nearly endless!

Making Pop Up Letters

Gather your materials. You will need a ruler, a xacto knife, markers or pens, and a sheet of paper or cardstock. You may also use other types of paper. Just make sure that the paper is thick enough to hold a shape (unlike tissue paper) and easily folded (unlike thick cardboard).

Fold the paper into long quarters. Start by folding the paper in half widthwise. Then, make two additional creases by folding each half the same way but towards the opposite direction of the original crease. For example, if you folded the first crease down, you would fold both of the new creases up. The folded paper should look similar to two steps on a staircase.

Write your chosen letters or word on the second quarter from the bottom. The letters can be any style you choose, as long as they are thick. Additionally, make sure that each letter's top and bottom edge lines up with the creases. If they are letters that don't typically have straight top and bottom edges, like C or O, cut them off slightly. Decorate the letters with markers or pens.

Draw straight lines upward from the top edges of each letter. Use a ruler to make the lines go completely across the quarter page above them. Try to make these lines thin using a pencil or a pen instead of a marker. You don't need them to be visible on the final letters.

Cut out your pop ups. Use the hobby knife to make the cuts. Cut the entire outline for each letter, starting with the straight lines above and work your way around the sides of the letter. Make sure not to cut the bottom or top edges of the letters. You may cut out the center white space of certain letters (like R) or leave them in.

Fold and secure your sheet to show off your pop up letters. Fold the sheet into a box with the letters as the front side, the strips above them as the top, the quarter you originally drew them on as the bottom, and the quarter the strips were cut from as the back. The top and bottom quarters can be folded under the box and secured with either tape or glue.

Folding Papercraft Letters

Find a paper model alphabet online. There are a variety of websites for making printable paper models. These range from plain block letters to intricate sculptures. Pick the type that both fits your project and matches your skill level.

Use an image editor to decorate. After downloading your template, you may choose to customize it with image editing software of your choice. This can be adding pictures, patterns, or colors to each letter. Be careful not to erase any solid or dotted lines from the original template, as you will need these for proper assembly. As an alternative, you may always print out plain white letters and decorate them by hand before folding. However, using an image editor will guarantee uniformity between your letters and make them look more professional.

Print your letters. Use your home printer to transfer your templates onto paper. You may use normal printer paper. However, sculptures made from cardstock are much sturdier. Check to see if your printer can accept cardstock into its feed.

Cut out your letters. You can use scissors or hobby knife. For most papercraft templates, the lines you must cut will be solid and black. The unfolded printout will likely not resemble your letter, yet. When using a hobby knife, be sure to work on a protective mat to keep from ruining your table.

Make the creases. For most papercraft templates, dotted lines represent those that need to be scored. Use a bone folder to carefully score along these lines without ripping the paper. If you don't have a bone folder handy, you can also use the bottom edge of a ballpoint pen instead.

Fold the paper. Decide which side of the paper will be visible and place your paper with that side facing down. Fold the lines you scored inward. Once you've made these folds, your letter should be easily recognizable.

Glue the tabs. Your template will likely indicate where glue should be placed to hold together the final sculpture. If not, simple papercraft tends to be intuitive. Your template's glue tabs will likely be plain white strips around the perimeter of the cutout. Apply a light dab of paste or go over each tab with a glue stick before placing it under the visible portion of your model.