DIY Cut Paper Initial Art

I’m a graphic designer so I love typography and fonts. I’ve used initials and even symbols, like the ampersand, in random places throughout my home. I had the idea to make this initial art out of cut paper when I decided to group all my initials and create a statement wall between my kitchen and hallway. Check out my post on this initial wall grouping here. I needed some artwork and I didn’t want to spend a lot of money or make a trip to the art supply store. So I used what I had for supplies and created a fun piece of art!

For this project you’ll need the following materials:

old paper – scrapbook papers work great for this; scissors or an xacto knife, glue stick and decoupage glue.

Here are the steps:

1. Cut the scrapbook paper into even triangles. I did this by cutting 1″ squares and then I cut the squares into 4 triangles {like an X}.

2. Print out your initial from your computer in the size you want and as an outline. Turn the paper over and trace the outline of the initial onto the back. This will serve as a guide when you cut the letter out.

3. Flip the paper over so the initial is reading the correct way. With your glue stick, attach the triangles so that they fill the initial shape. I recommend glueing the triangles so that they go outside the lines too. You don’t have to be too precise because you’ll be trimming the initial at the end.

5. When all the areas of your initial are filled with the paper triangles, paint a coat of the decoupage glue over the entire initial to seal the paper pieces.

6. When the glue is dry, turn the paper over and trim the initial out along the lines you traced on the back.

7. There are several options of what you could do with your cut paper initial. I glued my “G” onto a piece of ivory paper and framed it. You could also glue it onto a thick piece of paper, punch a hole in it and hang it like an ornament… or tape it on the wall with washi tape.