Fox with a Lantern

A fox-girl figure made of four layers: a back layer with a fluffy tail, a turquoise cape, a head with ears, and a paper lantern in a raised hand. The layers sit on pieces of foam tape, and the tail and ears are curled — the marker drawing looks three-dimensional.

• Medium
• 11 cm tall
• 6 pieces
• 2 Letter sheets

Make it with your phone cameraLesson code: 5322

On VanGami the template appears over your sheet through your phone camera — no printer needed. Trace it, cut, fold and glue. Below are all the steps in text.

What you’ll need

• 2 Letter sheets — office paper, 80 gsm (20 lb)
• Markers
• Pencil — and eraser
• Scissors — small
• Ruler — 8–12 in
• Glue stick
• Glass — phone stand

Steps

Trace

1. Sturdy sheet from two. Apply glue stick over the whole surface of a sheet of printer paper, press a second sheet onto it, and smooth with your palm from the middle to the edges. You'll get a thick sheet — work on that one. Put it back in the same spot, edge to edge; don't move the phone.
2. Back layer: outline. Trace the solid line, including the two stand tabs at the bottom — you’ll cut along it. It runs 1/16 in outside the drawing, so it doesn’t need to be exact.
3. Back layer: fold. At the bottom, draw the fold line for the stand tabs: a dashed line on the left, a dash-dot line on the right. Don't cut along it.
4. Back layer: drawing. Draw the shoulder-length hair, the fluffy tail with a zigzag edge at the tip, and the legs in shoes with thin lines. The little squares show where the foam tape goes; the short line marks the middle of the collar.
5. Cape: outline. Trace the solid line — you’ll cut along it. It runs 1/16 in outside the drawing, so it doesn’t need to be exact.
6. Cape: drawing. The cape has a wide white collar, a raised sleeve on the left, a skirt underneath, and a fist on the right.
7. Head: outline. Trace the solid line — you’ll cut along it. It runs 1/16 in outside the drawing, so it doesn’t need to be exact.
8. Head: drawing. Two pointed ears with a line across each tip, and bangs with two strands. Face: oval eyes with a highlight, eyebrows, blush, and a small mouth.
9. Lantern and base: outlines. Trace the lantern and, below it, the base circle with a solid line — you’ll cut along them. The line runs 1/16 in outside the drawing, so it doesn’t need to be exact.
10. Lantern and base: drawing. Lantern: an arched handle with a fist at the top, a barrel with a flame, and rims at the top and bottom. Base: a ring along the edge and three leaves.

Color

11. Color: back layer. Color the tail and the right stand tab below the fold line orange, leaving the tip of the tail above the zigzag white; color the gap between the legs black. Color the shoes and the edge of the hair — a band ¾ in wide — brown, and go over the drawing lines in black.
12. Color: cape. Color the cape and sleeve turquoise, the skirt navy, and the fist skin tone. Leave the collar white and go over the drawing lines with black.
13. Color: head. Color the hair brown and the ears orange, leaving their tips white. Color the face skin tone, the eyes orange in two layers, and the blush and mouth pink. Go over the drawing lines with black.
14. Color: lantern and base. Color the barrel yellow, leaving the flame on it white. Color the handle and rims brown, and the fist skin tone. Color the base orange and leave the leaves white. Go over the drawing lines with black.

Cut

15. Cut out: back layer. Cut out the back layer along one outline, including the tail and the stand tabs at the bottom. Between the tabs, make a short cut to the fold line.
16. Cut out: cape. Cut with scissors along the solid line. Turn the sheet, not the scissors — the cut will come out neater.
17. Cut out: head. Cut with scissors along the solid line. Turn the sheet, not the scissors — the cut will come out neater.
18. Cut out: lantern and base — 2 pcs. Cut out the lantern and the base circle. Don't cut out the space under the handle. Cut the circle by turning the sheet, not the scissors.
19. Cut off the prop. Measure ⅝ in from any free, straight edge of the sheet with a ruler, draw a line, and cut off a strip 3½ in long along it. This is the prop — it holds the figure up from behind.

Assemble

20. Add volume. Wrap the right edge of the tail around a pencil, drawing side in: it will curl toward you. Bend the ear tips back. Press the head and the lantern against the glass, drawing side out, and smooth them with your palm: they will bulge outward.
21. Cape onto the back layer. Put two pieces of foam tape on the squares below the short line and peel off the backing. Place the cape with the skirt on top: the middle of the collar goes on the short line, and the sleeve points left.
22. Head above the cape. Put two stacks of foam tape on the squares above the short line, with two pieces on top of each other in each: the head will sit higher than the cape. The top of the head lines up with the top of the back layer, and the chin slightly overlaps the collar.
23. Lantern into the hand. Put one piece of foam tape on the end of the sleeve. Lay the lantern down: the fist rests on the end of the sleeve, and the lantern itself hangs below it.

Base

24. Fold out the stand tabs. The back layer has two stand tabs at the bottom. Fold the left one back and the right one forward: hold a ruler against the fold line and fold along it.
25. Glue to the base. Apply glue to the underside of the stand tabs and set the figure in the middle of the base. Press each tab for 10 seconds.
26. Glue the prop. Fold both ends of the prop ⅝ in in the same direction and apply glue to the outside. Glue the bottom end to the base near the back edge, and press the top end to the back layer while holding the figure upright.
27. Check. The figure stands straight and doesn't wobble: the prop holds it from behind. If it leans, peel off the top end of the prop, straighten the figure, and press it down again.

Done. The fox is done: she stands on the base with a lantern in her hand, and the tail is curled — it looks fluffy.

Make it with your phone camera

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