Make A 3D Layered Paper Craft Design From Start to Finish

Today we show you how to create a 3D layered papercraft design using a spooky Halloween picture!

Paper art can be SO fun! Using multiple layers of paper, you can create a 3D scene like the photo below.

The layers of the background and the house create depth, and when you add a light behind the 3D shadow box papercraft, it comes to life! How cool is that?! It's always amazing, the crafts that can be made from a simple sheet of paper.

What You'll Need To Make Your 3d Layered Paper Craft

To make this 3D layered shadow box papercraft design, you'll need 65lb cardstock in a variety of colors. (10, to be exact.) The weight of the paper is important- a lower weight paper will be too see-through, whereas a heavier lb paper won't let enough light shine through.

You will also need your cutting machine to make the intricate cuts in the design. We will be using a Cricut Machine to produce this papercraft today; however, you can use our design resources with other cutting machines such as a Silhouette or Brother. The standard blue mat will work well for the cardstock. Just be sure it has not lost its stickiness.

Self-adhesive Foam Dots

To attach the different design layers, it is recommended to use self-adhesive foam dots for some layers and a regular gluestick for others. The dots are essential in creating the space between layers to create depth and allow light to pass through the empty spots. If you are placing your 3D layered papercraft into a shadow box, we recommend a 9x9 frame at least 1.5" thick.

Quick List:

-65lb cardstock in a variety of colors

-A cutting machine - we're using Cricut

-The standard blue mat

-Self-adhesive foam dots

-A regular gluestick

-9x9 frame at least 1.5" thick (to place into a shadow box)

How To Make A 3D Layered Paper Craft Design

Now that we have our supplies together let's get into the step-by-step on how to create a papercraft design.

Step 1: Find or design a 3D layered Paper Craft Template.

We are using Okadee SVG's 3D Haunted House SVG, Halloween Mandala, Shadowbox Cut File for this tutorial.

Okadee SVG's 3D Haunted House SVG, Halloween Mandala, Shadowbox Cut File

Once the SVG file is downloaded and opened into Design Space, it should look like the photo below. All of the layers are stacked on top of each other, but no worries! They will cut separately when you click the "Make It" button.

This is a good time to resize your project to your liking. If you choose the optional step of placing your 3D paper layered design into a 9" x 9" shadowbox, you will want to resize your project to 8.5" x 8.5".

Tip: If you are unsure How To Upload SVGs Into Design Space, check out this tutorial found in our Design School.

Step 2: Cutting Your Design

Follow the instructions shown on your Design Space to cut each layer out separately. The 14 layers will take you a total of 2 hours and 45 minutes to cut on the Explore 2. If you have the newest Maker 3 or Explore 3, your total cut time will be shorter.

Use your spatula to help pull up thin pieces like the house outline shown below. You'll want to slide the spatula around each side of the piece to gently lift it until loose.

Step 3: Assemble The 3D Layered Paper Craft Design.

Now it's time to put it together. Let's work on the square background pieces first.

Grab the two teal pieces and lay them on top of each other to get the correct direction. The gravestone will be to the right of the picture, while the fence will be to your left. Flip over the lightest teal layer and apply self-adhesive dots. You will want to space the dots out enough that each layer will have enough support to hold up away from the bottom layer.

Tip: Try to keep the dots stacked on top of each other as the layers evolve for maximum support.

When completed, go ahead and flip the piece back over and lay it on top of the dark teal. Your first layer is done!

Continue stacking the bottom layers in the following order:

1. Black- (full circle layer)
2. Dark gray- (stone sidewalk)
3. Black- (silhouette of the house)
4. White
5. Medium grey
6. Light teal
7. Dark teal

When you are finished, it should look similar to the photo below. Now it's time to move on to the haunted house layers.

Gather the remaining 7 layers of the haunted house. Using a glue stick, glue together the black outline to the orange roof layer. Allow to dry.

Next, using the self-adhesive dots, connect the remaining layers in the following order:

1. Burnt orange
2. Purple
3. Black
4. Yellow
5. Dark grey

Using the glue stick, glue the outline layers on top of the burnt orange layer. You now have a completed haunted house.

Add dots to the back of your house and place them on top of the completed background.

Step 4: (Optional) Put your 3D Layered Paper Craft Design In A Shadowbox

Put your design in a shadowbox with or without LED lights. This is a great way to present 3D layered paper crafts and preserve them to enjoy each year.

Some people choose to add lights inside of their shadowbox. We recommend using LED strip lights that can be cut to fit perfectly around the inside edges of your shadowbox. You can find LED strip lights on Amazon, Best Buy, or Walmart.com.

And that's it!

Happy Paper Crafting!

Want to see more 3D Layered Paper Craft Designs? Head over to our Paper Cutting Templates section to see everything we have to offer.

We hope you found this tutorial fun! Feel free to share your 3D Haunted House Layered Paper Craft with us on our Facebook Group, The Design Bundle Customer Community Group. We love seeing all the crafts you make!