Making Paper People with Cutting Machines

My niece is three years old and loves drawing on dolls. To spare the dolls but encourage the creativity, I used a laser cutter to make her cardboard cutouts that she was not only allowed, but supposed, to draw on. Note that you could also easily use a Cricut for this project.

Can you guess which ones were decorated by the 3-year old? :)

Step 1, Option 1: Download the file

You can download the file I created here, or you can make your own following the steps laid out in the next section.

Step 1, Option 2: Create your own file

I used Adobe Illustrator, but you could also make a slide in Google Slides and then export it as a .svg, a scaled vector graphic, that is compatible with most laser cutters. If your cutting machine requires a .dxf file, you can convert to convert to .dxf, an AutoCAD Drawing Interchange File, with this free site.

You could also find a new image outline through an internet search, save it to your desktop, and convert it to .dxf or .svg and then File -> Place it in Illustrator or Google Slides. Just note that simple black and white outlines work best, and that it should be a closed shape so that the machine fully cuts it out.

A simple black and white outline that would convert to .svg or .dxf well

A cute picture of a cat that would NOT convert well, since the orange and white are too similar and it is not clear where the outline of the cat is

Step 2: Choose your materials

For the laser cutter, I used cardboard from an old sandwich takeout box, since it was white and I wanted to be able to draw on them. For the Cricut, you could use cardstock with the normal blade, or cardboard with the deep cut blade. Cardboard is the sturdier option.

The type of sandwich box I flattened and repurposed for the doll project

I love how this project can be environmentally friendly by making a toy out of something that otherwise would have been recycled or thrown away.

Step 3: Execute the cut

Cut out the people. This step will depend on what machine you are using.

Step 4: Customize your people

Draw on your character {which was quite therapeutic as an adult} with pens, markers, or colored pencils. See what stories you can invent. This was pretty fun because my niece and I made characters that play a role in her real life, such as Mom, Dad, her teacher, herself, and most importantly, her aunt’s dog. We then acted out little scenarios with the people, and it helped me understand how she was perceiving these people in her world.

This could be a fun and inexpensive making and storytelling project for Pre-K or elementary school classes, where students design and create characters that they then use to tell a story. I could also see it used in child therapy, since acting out the stories with the dolls may help children share what they are feeling in a more detached way than if they were speaking from the “I” perspective.

If you want to be extra, you can make a cardboard theatre with these cutting files and put on a show with your paper people.

Cardboard theatre for a paper doll show

Addendum: Another way I have made dolls is by downloading files on Etsy of talented artists, printing them out, laminating them, and using fasteners to connect the appendages. This can be a great option if you want to make a child a specific paper doll for a historical or literary character.

St. Thérèse and her dog laminated paper dolls

Here’s the link to where I bought the doll image above (only $2 when I bought it!).