Recycling and reusing in the name of craft is a great way for kids to rethink ‘waste’, and cardboard is one of our favourite materials to repurpose. It’s durable, textured and works well with collaged pieces. We’re particularly fond of transforming cardboard into animals and I just adore how this Cardboard Penguin Craft turned out.
Using thick cardboard from a packaging box, we removed layers to reveal the corrugated card. Combining the card with lace, paint and magazine text, added texture and depth to the finished piece; demonstrating how wonderfully open-ended this craft is!
The only limitation is imagination and our penguins can be adapted to suit children both big and small.
So let’s gather some cardboard and begin!
Cardboard Penguin Craft: Materials and Tutorial
Cardboard
Paint
Scissors
PVA Glue
EXTRAS:
Buttons
Lace/Felt
Paper Coloured/Patterned
An Old Magazine or Newspaper
Glitter
Embellishments
Step 1: Cut out some basic ‘penguin’ shapes, including:
- Body
- Wings
- Feet (optional)
- Tummies (optional)
- Additional face areas (optional)
Step 2: Paint the body parts!
As you can see from the images above, as well as painting many of the large areas black and white, we also added metallic blue and glitter.
We also removed a layer of paper to reveal the corrugated card, using different colours to emphasise the contours.
Step 3: Add detail and get creative!
This is the time for your Arty Crafty Kids to let their imaginations and creativity flow.
We used contrasting colours to emphasise the contours of the corrugated card, as well as paint splats to create the appearance of ‘snow’ on the penguins’ feathers.
I love how the black lace looks on the white and the layered buttons make the eyes literally ‘pop’ out.
To soften the black magazine print, we added a light layer of white paint.
Use white PVA glue to secure the cardboard penguin craft together and perhaps finish off with a little sparkle.
The Cardboard Penguin Craft is now complete!
I hope your Arty Crafty Kids enjoy creating their penguins.
For more cardboard animal inspiration, check out our Cardboard Owls !
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