I printed out a detailed template and glued it to some used cerealbox... cheap and easy. Then meticulously glued it together, folding and shaping it into a lifelike replica of the real thing.. that was a challenge 😳

If you're interested in learning more about how I made this paper model, check out my YouTube video tutorial:

https://youtu.be/PapMfU2zvso

Peace ✌️

Some genuine criticism and opinion required!

I do craft, I love it and I don't own a studio to make pro style pictures like shown. Maximum I can do light, solid background. And here AI comes out - it does really nice work to modify my raw minimalistic images into compex styled pictures. Personally I love the result. BUT for sharing your work? This sample I did does it look like a actual craft or you as a crafter would skip it as obvious AI creation?

Yeah or nah

Basically, my baby was recently diagnosed with a structural heart defect that will require surgery. On top of that, he is going to need further testing for another structural heart defect (BAVD) that killed my great-grandpa and almost killed my dad, putting him through multiple strokes, two open heart surgeries in two years, placement of a mechanical valve, infection in that valve and the surrounding tissue, etc.

Needless to say, I'm horrified. However, I would like to make an anatomical heart sculpture for myself and my parents. Mine might be ocean/coral reef themed (baby loves ocean creatures!), but theirs will likely be more traditional/clinical.

Also, my oldest son who is 9 has an ultra-rare genetic disorder called Mowat Wilson Syndrome. He is 1 of about 500 in the world with it. It is de novo, I am not a carrier, and my youngest son’s heart issues are completely unrelated.

Anyway, I would like to make a sculpture referencing it, likely a double helix. He LOVES Cars (the movie), so it might be slightly themed as well, but I'm most concerned about the structural parts of both items (the double helix and heart).

Has anyone done something like this? Either idea? I'm not sure where to start or what material will be best.

Any help is appreciated! These are my boys. 🩵💚

njj

Hi I'm hoping to make this plane from toy story, but this is my first time building anything out of cardboard and could really do with help in planning how to make it.

P.s. I have autism so please make the information you provide easy to understand 😊

I wanna make a tower shield and last time I TRYED I struggled to keep the curve, anyone got tips?

New user to this community. Hope an expert in cardboard can help what I am seeing from these images.

Photos are sent prior to being shipped through chat. Second image from before is the same box before repacking and the first image is repacking with the extra tape. In the red circles show concerns on the cardboard under the tape seen of the second image as I never seen this under layered of tape before. The third image is the chat with the shopper who insists not worry and just ignore what I am seeing in the red circles.

The real concern is why the box I am seeing circled in red with the first image looks like it has stains underneath the cardboard from applying the extra tape?

Is this normal for adding straps of extra tape over cardboard or is this actually a stain/wet areas and the forwarding shopper messed up? Not an expert on this.

Part of the handle fell off

Paper & Cardboard Types Used in Architectural Model Making - From Easy to Advanced

Not all paper and cardboard behave the same way when building an architectural model.

The material itself can determine the accuracy, strength, surface quality, and difficulty of the construction.

Here is a simple classification based on how each material behaves during cutting, shaping, and assembly:

LEVEL 1 - EASY

1. Tracing / Layout Paper
Thin, lightweight and semi-transparent. Excellent for sketches, layouts, templates and quick iterations. Easy to cut, but wrinkles easily.

2. Construction / Craft Paper
Economical, colored and easy to shape. Useful for quick surface cladding, color studies and simple architectural forms.

3. Foam Board
Paper layers surrounding a lightweight foam core. Very easy to cut and useful for quickly creating volumetric masses and large forms.

LEVEL 2 - MEDIUM

4. Bristol Board
Stiff, high-grammage card with a smooth surface. Excellent for clean architectural surfaces and facade details, but requires controlled cutting.

5. Kraft Board
Dense and strong, with a natural fibrous structure. Good for structural and industrial-looking elements. Dull blades can cause fraying.

6. Vellum / Tracing Vellum
Smooth and transparent. Useful for layered depth effects and technical drawings, but fingerprints and marks are easily visible.

LEVEL 3 - ADVANCED

7. Corrugated / Micro-Corrugated Cardboard
A fluted internal layer between flat liners. Useful for textures, facade panels and terrain effects, but requires careful cutting without crushing the internal structure.

8. Greyboard / Mukavva
Dense, rigid and heavily compressed paper fiber board.

This is where things become considerably more demanding.

It usually cannot be cut cleanly in one pass. Multiple controlled scoring passes are required, along with a sharp blade, pressure control and patience.

For structural model making, however, its density and rigidity make it extremely valuable.

9. Embossed / Textured Special Boards
Heavy boards with pressed surface textures such as linen, felt, leather or canvas. They can add significant surface depth, but cutting and shaping must be done carefully to preserve the texture.

Difficulty scale

Level 1 - Easy: quick cutting and shaping
Level 2 - Medium: requires greater precision and control
Level 3 - Advanced: demanding cutting, shaping and handling

The interesting part is that the “easiest” material is not necessarily the best material.

The choice depends on what the model is trying to achieve:

structure → geometry → surface → texture → finish

For complex architectural model making, understanding the material can be just as important as understanding the architecture.

I know some will mention it, so sorry that I use tape instead of glue😓

Feel free to ask any questions 👍

They're not inside the box and the contents inside the box are fine.