crafts to make with your characters

introduction

do you have a bunch of OCs and want some fun diy projects to make with them? well here are some crafts using only basic household items i love making! (wip)

disclaimer : i am absolutely awful at making crafts so please be assured that those are accessible and easy for anyone! however, i am also awful at explaining, so feel free to ask any questions if i skip a step or it's unclear.

1- paper dolls

paper dolls are extremely easy to make if you want a tiny version of your characters to hang on your walls.

materials :

• thin cardboard paper
• simple white paper
• a pencil and pens/markers
• scissors
• glue or double-faced tape
• (optional) a light tablet

step 1 : the shape

draw the doll you want to make on a piece of simple paper. if you're not sure about the proportions, you may use an existing character doll and trace it using a bright screen. i recommend the emu ootori plush which you can find by typing these words into pinterest!

tip : try to simplify/stylize your character's hair and clothes in a way that will be easy to cut in pieces. you can also cut the hair in several pieces to give it volume later on (i did not do it but it's really easy as well!)

step 2 : cutting up the parts

trace each separate part of your paper doll using either a light tablet or a bright screen. you're going to want to trace over each part separately so they layer on top of each other like shown below; remember to leave some space to glue the hair on top of the head, and the clothes on top of each other.

try to also cut a piece of cardboard paper that will be the back of your paper doll. it should therefore be thinner than the doll as it will hold the pieces together (see picture)

step 3 : coloring

time to color in the different pieces! i use pretty cheap markers which work well; just be careful about pencil smudges if you draw details before coloring. i like to keep very simple coloring and no shading to make it look very simplified but feel free to color the doll however you'd like! keep in mind that the markers may bleed through the paper so make sure to color on top of a protected area of your desk.

step 4 : putting it together

preferably using the light tablet/somewhere the paper looks transparent enough, place the different pieces together using the first doll you drew as a reference. then, place the back piece made of cardboard paper on the back of it. you may now use tape or glue to make all the pieces stick together. if some details (like the bangs or hairstrands) stick up / curl because of the markers, use a heavy object to flatten them. 

you may also use a tiny bit of clear glue/school glue to fixate the bangs and clothes if they don't fit perfectly on the cardboard paper back!

et voilà! you have your very own paper doll of your character. here's a doll of my oc enshi and a dazai one i made a bit ago :)

2- sticker sheets

our next craft is turning our character into a cute sticker sheet!

materials :

• simple paper
• markers, pens, your usual art supplies
• scissors
• transparent tape
• parchment paper
• an old sticker sheet

step 1 : draw your character

the first part is probably the hardest: find some inspiration and turn your character into stickers! i personally just traced my own art with my light tablet and drew a few new doodles. you can look for inspiration on pinterest for the layout you have in mind. you can they color the drawings like you usually would! it's also entirely possible to print and use your own digital art.

now you may cut up the drawings like a regular sticker would be

step 2 : making stickers

you're going to need to lay down your parchment paper and put a bunch of clear tape over it, sticky face down, so that the tape sticks to the paper. then, put your drawings on the non-sticky part of the tape

and add some more tape over it! make sure there aren't bumps or air bubbles before putting the tape over your drawings.

after flattening it all using a heavy object, all you have to do now is cut them up! now be careful: you need to leave some space between the paper sticker and the part where you'll cut, otherwise the tape will not stick and the sticker will not stick!! i usually leave around half a centimeter / a quarter of an inch. you're going to end with something like that.

step 3 : preparing and making the sticker sheet

using an old sticker sheet that you finished, peel the superior part of the sheet and remove it until just the underneath, smooth part remains (see in the picture).

once you decided to use your stickers, take your freshly made stickers and peel away the parchment paper underneath. now you can use your sticker directly.

now all you have to do it stick your stickers onto that part and add some other stickers in order to make a nice sticker sheet!

ta-daa! i flattened it further using a dictionary after and i think it came out alright. 

3- shaker keychain

disclaimer: this one may be harder to follow and to make as, firstly, i did not take any picture of the process and secondly, it requires specific materials to achieve the exact result i reached (as i reused things that were lying around my house)

materials :

• simple paper
• your regular drawing materials OR a picture you printed
• beads
• an old keychain
• a hole punch
• pliers
• a transparent plastic pocket for glass wipes (see the result picture as it's very specific)
• tape

this will be explained very simply! what i did was cut up a chibi of my oc and insert it into the plastic pocket and hold it with clear tape. 

then, i took apart an old keychain to reuse the keyring and the chain using pliers. i inserted it into a hole i punched into the side of the keychain. finally, i put some beads and decor inside. here's the result :)

and there you have a cute shaker keychain !!

i'll add some more crafts as i make them in the future, but thank you for reading so far!