A template for a paper baseball cap isn't a new thing. There are others that have been designed previously, but I wanted to make one that is less "Chibby" style & more realisticly shaped.

After building the test model pictured below, I removed all the fold lines from the template, apart from the glue tab fold lines. I didn't make any folds on the actual model itself, so I decided the weren't required. The result was a nicely rounded cap with a peak that has a bevel to it, just like a real one.
There are a lot of design possibilities with a baseball cap, so have lots of fun with it. The download below contains both .png & a CS4 .ai formats, and I would love to see some customs of this one.

Download your blank Paper Baseball Cap template Here

Series One of the customs is also now available.

I've decided not to number the toys any more, as not all the templates I make are toys. That way there is less categorising.

Anyways, on with the posting. This is a template I wanted to do from the beginning, but favouring other models, & wanting to get more experience 1st. I only got round to completing it over the Xmas holidays.

The concept of a small Jumping Bean toy was around when I was a small child, & that's a long time ago. Im sure that that wasn't the 1st time either.

The original jumping bean is an actual bean found in Mexico. A species of Moth lays it's eggs inside the bean & as the larvea moved around, the bean has the appearance of jumping.

There is a very collectible plastic collection of jumping beans currently on the toy Market called Mighty Beanz. As you will see from them, the customisation possibilities are very great. So, here is the Paper version of an old school toy. You will require a large marble or large rubber super ball, to make it work, but it's a lot of fun once built.

Once built, try rolling it down a sloped surface for best results.

Download your blank Paper Jumping Bean Here

Enjoy the toy, & as always Share any custom templates or pics with me to place on this blog

I am starting to experiment with basic digital images, as part of my journey to become a self taught Graphic Artist. Wanting to try various different things along the way, iPhone Wallpapers came to mind.

Here are a couple, & I will definitely do more. As I pick up new techniques along the way, I shall play around with more elaborate images. These are fairly basic, but they get the job done. Feel free to download the images & use if you have an iPhone or similar.


The dimensions are the standard 320 x 480 pixels for the iPhone screen, & the image is actual size, so you can just right click it & "Save Picture as". The format is .png as this is better quality than a .jpeg, but if your phone requires a .jpeg, just open the saved image in any art program & re-save

Ok, Toy No.10 already. This one was originally planned to be for Halloween 2010, but it got shelfed for a while in favor of other templates. I didn't want to wait another whole year before finishing it off, so here it is.

I wanted to try something uncommon with this template, meaning the Hair. I like to experiment, & see where it goes. I was very happy with the outcome of this. I have built 1 for my own collection as always, but I used Pre-textured paper to print on to get the custom effect.

I'm currently on a 6 month subscription to Lynda.com, after which I will hopefully begin to concentrate more on customising existing templates rather than designing new blanks. For now though I have this one & a couple more up my sleeve still.

I've been posting for 4 months now, & I hope if you are a returning or a new follower of this blog, that you enjoy the templates I have produced for download. I have been experimenting with the whole process of creating paper toys, from the designs through to the finished product. Although I still have a long way to go, including custom digital designs, I want to share a few points I've picked up with regards to building a blank template. Getting the most out the design & the finished toy, without any custom art being applied.

The 1st step is to think how you want the finished toy to look. The more thought you put into this before you start, the better result you will get.

Paper
Choosing the right paper is important. I normally use 160g White paper if im test building something or even building a model from another artist. However, as this is a post on how to get the most from blanks, I would suggest to use either 160g Colored paper & for some parts, pre textured/patterned paper, normally used in scrapbooking. This can achieve a completely decorated toy with no effort, & the outcome can look stunning.

There are so many patterns available in craft shops, choosing the right one can take time, but it is time well spent. Another option, is to print an image of your choice onto a white sheet, then use this paper to cut from.

Printing & Cutting
I attempt to include the .PDO file produced via Pepakura when I can. The benefit to this is printing straight from Pepakura can help at the cutting stage. If you are lucky enough to have access to a cutter, for example, a Graphtec Craft ROBO. This can work in conjunction with Pepakura to cut line free templates perfectly & also score them for you. You can use the Craft Robo software to cut out a template, even if it's not from Pepakura, but then scoring will have to be done manually.

If you need to cut manually, I would suggest to use a craft knife & a small pair of scissors, & change between the two for best results, depending on what it is you are cutting at the time.

Building
Ok, so you chose your paper, & the template has now been printed & cut-out. My only building tip is to not rush it, & don't over glue. Take your time to line up the flaps as best you can. The more effort you take to build, the better the result.

Over-glueing can be a messy affair, as this will get on your fingers, & transfer to the outer skin of the model. This is something that I had problems with when I started building, & it's not pretty. It doesn't take long to learn the right amount though.

Finishing Touches
It may be that the model really could do with some basic facial features. Here are a couple of examples of Paper-toys built following the above process. On the Shrunken Head Template I used a marker pen to add the features, Whereas on the Hex Template, I used a set of Googly Eyes, which are also readily available from craft shops.

Here is a Textured sheet you can download, by clicking on the image to get the full size version, then "Save As". I did a version with the pattern on its side, as some template parts are printed this way.

I've been working on a few templates in December, but because of the Holiday season, I've not got around to posting them. Until now that is. Here is the 1st of 3, the others will be ready in the next week or so.

If you feel you need for a bit more self advertising in 2011, then here is the perfect place to start. It's time to plug yourself.

Plugger came about because my good lady wanted me to make a Toy that she could print her Business card on, & place on a shelf in her Surgery. With that specification, I decided to make it sit down, & have the head/body as the business card. It took a few size efforts to get it right, or at least a size that will fit a decent banner.
Most business cards should fit into the banner sizing of 491 x 302 pixels. If not, a little bit of playing around with your image should work. As long as you keep to the Max size.

I've put together the Blank version as always & also there is a simple "Playing with Art" Version with my banner on it.
You can of course just design a face to go on the front, it doesn't have to be specifically for Banners or Business cards. If you find a very unique use for it, let me know.

Download your Blank Plugger Here

Any pics or customs, you can Share with me if you would like to see them on this blog. Enjoy as always, & have a great New Years Eve.

One of the things I did in the run up to Xmas, was to do some Art on canvas. It was for a gift, so I had to finish it before Christmas, but wasn't going to post until after, as I didn't want the recipient to see it before hand.
The symbols mean Prosperity, Longevity & Luck. Most of the paint was applied using just fingers & a stick. I wanted to try doing it this way, as this is an ancient chinese practise.

It was well recieved, so I was happy.

Im working on a larger project which I will post when I finally finish it, but I won't let you know what it is just yet. Part of the project includes the toy that features on my Logo. You may have wondered why that hasn't appeared on the site for download.

I just thought I'd share part of it for now. The Head works well on it's own, & decorating eggs has been a craft for a lot longer than I've been around.
Whether you do digital customising or a more traditional method of decorating, An egg has always been fun to work with. Creating the head of a well known character, or just giving it some patterns.

Download your Paper Egg Here

Please Share any templates or pictures with me, that you would like to see on here.

After seeing the design for Paper T-shirts by Rob Ives, I had to have a go at making a custom or two. I must say, the template is simple yet awesome. Definite thumbs up from me. Click on the link above & check out his site. Well worth the trip.
Im starting to experiment more with the digital art, but im far from being where I want to be with regards to skill. Practice makes perfect, or so the saying goes, so here are a couple of designs I did. Enjoy, & i'm sure i'll do more soon.

I was reading an article made by VinsArt recently, a very cool Artist & Paper Toy aficionado from Italy. He was talking about a holiday he had just taken. And while relaxing in a Cafe, decided to make Paper toys with whatever he had close by.

Being an artist he had some basic tools, cutter etc. with him. But, no planning, no software, just the paper & Imagination.

While I was sat in the Dentist waiting room last week (not as glamourous as a holiday), I was eyeing up the magazines, & thinking about improvising. I didn't have any tools at all, but the receptionist was very kind enough to lend me a pair of scissors & a marker pen. However, I did get a few strange looks.

After paging through a dental magazine, & finding inspiration on one of the pages. The scissors went to work. A few minutes later I had a paper toy. Basic, but a toy all the same.

I wanted to share this very easy toy, but being an improv. I had to re-do the design using digital methods, but it looks very similar. Named "The Imp", (After Improvisation) it's a 1 piece folding toy. No glue required. Below is a picture of the finished toy, then the templates. As you will notice, I added extra color to the template after building mine.
You can download the Blank or the custom template by clicking on the image to get the full size version, then right click & "Save as". Enjoy the Imp & keep following me.

Thanks to VinsArt for the Inspiration.