3D Papercraft Dachshund - Instructions, Template & Making-of
The idea for this 3D paper model came to me quite unexpectedly - sparked by a little illustration that caught my eye: A striped sweater, a red beret - worn by a dachshund. But to be honest: it wasn't the dog that inspired me. It was that light, French joie de vivre the outfit stirred in me. Très chic - and just so effortlessly easy.
Suddenly, I was right back in my very first trip to France.
My husband and I were camping by a lake, waking up to birdsong and easing into the day with a café au lait - a sip of coffee, the rest topped up with milk and water. Still to this day, that's how I think coffee should taste.
We spent our days reading, swimming, eating. In the evenings, we sat on wobbly camping chairs - maybe with a little glass of wine in hand.
It was simple. Light. Completely in the moment. And that's the feeling I wanted to capture - in paper.
I wanted to create a paper model that would be a reminder - for you and for me - of how beautiful life can be. A little 3D paper dachshund with a beret - to craft, to remember, to smile at.
Sneak Peek: The first prototype made of copy paper
This is what the paper model looks like when I have cut it and distributed it over the printed pages. I'll spare you the details of this uncreative work. It's the part I would skip if I could.
Before I start with colours, details and the "right" paper, I build almost every papercraft model as a prototype first - quite simply from copier paper. No decoration, no patterns - just the shape, the surface and the crafting feeling matters.
When I build the model with the paper, I immediately realise what's not quite right. With the dachshund, it was mainly the paws that were too fiddly at the first attempt - hard to grip, hard to glue. And the ears? They had to find a shape that not only looked good but was also easy to make.
The model as such is now complete - the body is in place and the dachshund is already looking really fancy out of the paper bowl. What's still missing are the fine details: the stripes, the red beret, a touch of rouge perhaps?
Materials needed
- details follow
