Cardboard Wall Art

While it may be an unusual title, I like to describe myself as a cardboard artist. Cardboard has played an important role in my life, starting from my childhood in the French Alps. Growing up in a remote area, it was the most accessible material, and it quickly became my favorite crafting companion.

After years of practice, I’m excited to share a project that brings me back to those roots: a wall décor piece inspired by the architecture of my native Alps, with a touch of Norman design for extra charm.

This project will require a bit of your time and patience — about four hours spread over a few days to allow for paint and glue to dry — but it’s simple to create and budget-friendly. If you already have some basic crafting tools, it should cost less than thirty dollars. Not bad for a unique, handmade piece!

Now, let's dive into the process!

To watch the video tutorial, click here: https://youtu.be/V42AH1N0rbI

Before we get started, you'll want to gather a few supplies, many of which you can likely find right at home in your recycling bins.

From Your Recycling Bin:

1. Large, sturdy cardboard plank – This will serve as the base or frame for your design.
2. Small cardboard boxes – Perfect for building the houses.
3. Cereal boxes (at least two) – Great for crafting finer details.
4. Corrugated cardboard – Ideal for adding structure to the framework.
5. Kraft paper – Often used as packing material in delivery boxes; if you can’t find any, it’s inexpensive to purchase. We'll use this to reinforce the structure and smooth out imperfections.
6. Toilet paper rolls – For crafting the tower.
7. Clear blister plastic – Found in toy packaging or display boxes. This will be perfect for creating realistic-looking windows.
8. A piece of Styrofoam – This will be used to create a charming flower planter.

For Paper Mâché:

1. Flour
2. School glue (I recommend buying a gallon, as you'll also need it for assembling the project.)
3. Newspapers

Additional Crafting Tools and Supplies:

If you don’t already have these at home, consider picking them up from an art store:

1. A long ruler (preferably metal for precision)
2. A heavy-duty box cutter
3. Heavy-duty and precision scissors
4. Glue spreaders
5. A glue gun and glue sticks
6. Small and large paintbrushes (both square and round heads)
7. A paint knife
8. Watercolor paints in blue, brown, black, copper, green, and white
9. Dried flowers for decorative touches

Soak half a cup of chopped newspaper in two cups of water for a few hours (at least two). Once the paper has softened, drain the excess water, squeeze out the pulp, and stir with a fork to break down the fibers. Gradually add half a cup of all-purpose flour and half a cup of PVA glue, mixing thoroughly until you achieve a clay-like consistency.

To set up the base of the project, organize and glue some boxes onto a large cardboard plank. Trace some windows on each box and cut them out with a box cutter knife. Using kraft paper, cover the boxes so they are securely attached to one another.

This technique will allow you to create a long-lasting project as it will prevent the different houses to detach themselves from the background when the hot glue ends up wearing and breaking. It also helps you cover any pattern the boxes underneath may have and makes it easier to paint.

Be patient as you apply the kraft paper smoothly, avoiding air bubbles, and remember to cut the paper around your windows.

Once your entire design is covered in kraft paper, your house should look very smooth and unified.

Cut three long rectangles from a piece of corrugated cardboard and fold each one in half to form a roof shape. Attach the back side of these folded pieces to your frame using glue. Next, cut a triangle that matches the dimensions of the inside of the roof and secure it in place with tape to close off the space. Finally, cover the entire structure with kraft paper for a smooth, finished look.

For the tower, take a toilet paper roll and cut it in half so it can be glued flat against the façade of your house. To create the roof, cut thin strips of cardboard from a cereal box and attach them from one side to a central point, forming a cone-like structure. Then, cut horizontal strips and layer them over this framework. Finally, cover the entire roof with kraft paper for a smooth finish.

For the side tower, start by cutting a small rectangle from a cereal box, then cut a longer rectangle, bend it, and glue it on top of the smaller one. Glue this structure to another piece of cardboard and trim any excess to form the base of the tower. Wrap the structure in kraft paper and glue it to the side of the house. For the roof, use two small triangles for the sides and a long rectangle for the top, covering it all in kraft paper.

Craft a small rectangular box using a cereal box, then wrap it in kraft paper for added strength and texture. Once wrapped, glue the box to the bottom of your project to serve as a flower planter. Finish by painting it brown for a natural, rustic look.

Create small window hoods by cutting small rectangles from cereal boxes and wrapping them in kraft paper. Glue these to the top of your windows for an added decorative touch, and paint them brown.

Paint the façade of the house white and the roof brown. For the tower, use grey paint.

Paint a panel from a cereal box brown and let it dry. Once dry, cut long, thin bands from the cereal box and start creating a half-timbered pattern similar to the Normandy houses.

In France, we call this design colombage. It is a pretty old style that has ties to the Viking influence and the cultural shifts that followed the Norman Conquest. When the Vikings settled in what is now Normandy in the 10th century, they brought with them woodworking skills and building techniques suited to their new environment. Over time, these methods blended with local traditions. During the Middle Ages, wooden frames were constructed first, and the spaces between were filled with materials like brick, or plaster. In Normandy where oak is a readily available material, timber framing was a practical building method. Clay was also found on abundance and is still used for plaster or bricks. Nowadays traditional norman houses are mostly found in the countryside in the form of farmhouses or manors. If you ever go to Honfleur, you will see a lot of these architectural beauties.

Cut pieces of blister plastic to match the window size and glue them onto the windows for a realistic touch. Then, cut small strips from a cereal box, paint them brown, and glue them over the edges of the windows to mimic wooden frames. You can add your own folklore by creating traditional characters to place in the windows. I used Deep.ai to create mine. It is free and works pretty well. You could also cut some fabric and insert it instead to create some curtains.

Cut triangles to match the size of your roof. Keep only the edges of these triangles, as they will be used as ornamental elements for the roof, which will be painted brown. For the inside of the roof, cut the remaining triangle into small rectangles to simulate wooden planks. Paint the inside white (the white is used as a coating), then brown once the planks are glued. Add touches of copper to both the roof and the wooden planks.

Now, create the tiles for the roof. Cut rectangles from brown-painted cardboard and glue them onto the roof. Use a hot glue gun for the tiles at the bottom and top of the roof and school glue for the middle tiles to allow repositioning. Bend a long strip of brown-painted cereal box and glue it along the roof's top edge to hold the tiles together.

The roof was inspired by the slopped wooden roofs found in Alpine regions like those of my childhood in the French Alps. These roofs covered in wooden shingles, a material easy to find in the mountains, were designed to prevent snow accumulation. They usually extend far beyond the walls to provide shelter from rain and snow. They can also be made of slate, but nowadays the most common material is metal, easier to facilitate run-off. The ground floor is usually made of stone to provide insulation and protect against moisture. It is also quite typical for these houses to have carved wooden wrap-around balconies and shutters. I haven’t used these ornaments in my design to not overload it, but feel free to include these features for a more authentic look. Usually, those carvings feature the edelweiss, the local flower, or hearts or geometrical patterns. They are built to blend into the landscape, and I think they do that beautifully.

Create slate tiles for the tower roof by cutting large, wavy strips from cereal boxes painted brown. Glue them onto the tower and finish with a small triangle for the top.

Take your paper mâché from the fridge and form medium-sized balls. Apply these to the bottom and one side of the house to resemble stones. Paint them in grey.

Make smaller balls and apply them to the tower. Paint the stones in light grey to create texture.

Form balls from kraft paper and glue them under the house to simulate bushes. Create three rows and paint them green.

Create some thick squares of kraft paper and glue them under the bushes to simulate rocks.

Paint the rocks in dark grey using grey paint added with black paint.

Between the bushes and rocks, craft a cascade with paper mâché. Use a glue applicator to trace lines in the paper mâché to simulate the flow of water.

Paint the cascade in blue, and add touches of white to mimic the water foam.

Cut Styrofoam to fit inside the planter. Paint the foam green and insert it into the planter to create a flower bed. Use small scissors to punch holes in the foam and insert dried flowers.

Draw the background directly onto the cardboard base. If you're unsure, practice first or use a charcoal pencil to trace a design. For my design, I painted the sky blue and used grey paint to create mountains with texture. I used green and brown for the grassy area and dark grey for the rocky base.

Add some dried flowers among the bushes and rocks. Apply glue to the sides of the bottom area surrounding the house and glue small grains of lavender and dried flowers to add texture.

Those were the final steps of our project which is now complete! I hope you enjoyed it.