Folding Trees

Shadow decorations

Use the magical effect of candlelight to turn a papercut template:

…into a striking shadow decoration:

In the following tutorial I will show you how to make a stylish decoration like the one I made above, using only cardstock and a simple tealight candle…

I drew my tree freehand onto black cardstock. To draw a tree, you need to remember two basic things:

1. Tree branches are thicker at their bases

2. Side branches are usually offset from each other

Firstly, draw the trunk and a few main branches, then add thinner branches coming off the main branches. Keep adding branches and twigs until you like the overall shape and effect.

Easy option: If you’re not comfortable with drawing, you could use a stencil to trace a shape onto the cardstock, or print a shape directly onto your cardstock (the card doesn’t have to be black; it just has to be thick enough to cast a good shadow). I think the branches of my tree make for a very effective shadow shape, but you could keep it really simple: cut out the silhouette of a cat or a pumpkin and just cut holes for the eyes (and mouth for the pumpkin) to give you some easy Halloween decorations.

Remember to give your shape a wide base (grass/bushes in this example, but it could be a plain horizonal band) to help it to stand up securely. Carefully cut out your shape with a sharp knife, being careful not to chop off any of the details!

Papercutting tip: In the close up below, you can see how I cut out the overall shape (the rounded shape of the bush) before cutting the fine detail (the leaves). From this stage, it is easy to cut out each small triangular shape. I find this method much easier and faster than trying to cut the whole outline in one step.

Make a stand for your template by cutting a modified L-shape or a right-angled triangle from some card. Make sure it is tall and wide enough to support your shape. I used a leftover corner of my piece of card to make this simple stand shape:

Position the stand so the bottom is level with the base of your design, and the vertical edge is in the middle of the design. If you still have visible pencil marks on your design, make sure that side is face up for this stage, so the pencil marks will be on the back of the finished decoration! Tape one side to the back of the template:

Flip the stand over, and tape the other side to the template.

Now when you stand the shape up, the stand should stick out behind it and keep it upright.

Here is the finished papercut tree:

Now stand your template up on a table close to a wall, but not touching it. Place a tealight in front of it, and watch out for the shadow on the wall! You can alter the size and definition of the shadow by moving the candle and/or the template towards or away from the wall.

CAUTION: Candle flames and paper are not safe playmates! Never leave a burning candle unattended, and make sure your paper template is secure and will not fall or bend forwards towards the candle flame. For maximum safety, use an LED tealight (although you may find that it is not bright enough to cast a strong shadow).

If you make a shadow decoration, I’d love to see it! Please upload your pics to the Folding Trees Flickr group.

Posted: October 8th, 2008 by June under Folding Trees Tutorials, Holidays, Ornaments & Decorations, Papercutting.
Comments: 10

Comments

Comment from Rachel
Time: October 8, 2008, 11:11 am

Oh! This is really cool and I can make it with what I have on hand. I’ll be linking to this!

Comment from cindy
Time: October 9, 2008, 2:05 am

lovin your blog!

Pingback from Folding Trees » Readers’ Pics
Time: October 14, 2008, 6:31 am

[...] shadowtree by beckerjess (You can find a tutorial by June to make your own here [...]

Comment from Ribs
Time: October 17, 2008, 5:20 am

Very stylish – I can these at an upmarket Halloween party. Perhaps dinner and cocktails, or murder mystery

Comment from Carolyn
Time: January 18, 2009, 12:22 pm

I would love to see this with an image of Jesus on the Cross. I am going to try it, but I’m not very artistic.

Comment from ece*
Time: February 10, 2009, 1:49 pm

oohhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa :)

Comment from Robby
Time: May 30, 2009, 5:56 am

I love this project…a definate for halloween. I have linked it to my blog. Thanks I love it!!!!

Comment from Alanna
Time: October 19, 2009, 12:11 pm

this is perfect for the project i have to do today..thanks

Pingback from Folding Trees » Shadow decorations
Time: October 20, 2009, 8:13 am

[...] for Halloween decorating, check out my Shadow Decorations tutorial from last year for some crafty inspiration. You don’t have to only make trees [...]

Comment from helen valles
Time: July 3, 2010, 1:23 pm

I just love it. It is so simple yet elegant. Thanks for sharing.All the best

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