Witch House Using Cardboard

In this instructable I show you how I made a witch house recycling some cardboard from some old boxes I had laying around. I only bought the colors, the hot glue and a little piece of craft foam that I used for the hinges. It took me about five days to finish.

Step 1: Making the Walls and Roof

I started by drawing and cutting the cardboard walls of the house. This should never be a hard thing to do. You start with the front wall, and then you trace the same shape for the back of the house. You then make the side walls. You already know the height, now you just need to adjust how long your house will be. When gluing those you can choose the inclination of the front and back wall as well so you can end up with a house that is smaller on the lower area like I did or, on the contrary, you can make a very stable house with a wide base and smaller top. The roof were just two large pieces of cardboard. I estimated their dimensions. You can make them bigger and easily adjust them after you glued them to the walls

Step 2: Making the Basic Details

I made a small attic using the same steps for the walls and roof as it is a little house itself. I wanted to make smaller detailed windows for the walls and for the roof too. The little roofs I made over some of the windows and door will add to the effect later when finished with tiles and everything. I added some a thin and tall chimney, again, tracing it from the front view and then making a duplicate cardboard for its back plus the sides. I draw all the windows and the door and then cut them carefully. Cutting cardboard in mid air can be a challenge so please be careful and take your time. You might think that cutting the windows and door can be done before gluing the walls, safely on the mat. That is true, it is safer but it's possible that you will not get the same results in the terms of perfect positioning. You can end up with your windows hidden way under the roof or maybe make them too small or too big.

Step 3: Making the Roof Tiles and Wooden Boards

When the basic details were finished I started adding the smaller details like roof tiles and small wooden boards all over the surface of the house. For the tiles I cut small rectangular cardboard pieces. I used pizza boxes for those because the cardboard is thinner. For the roof tiles you always want to start from the bottom and work your way up. This is the most time consuming step but, I would recommend you take your time and do this right. The roof is a big piece of the house. Visually you first see the roof and its textured surface so don't rush and make big tiles just to finish sooner. Do this step right and you will end up with an amazing little house. For the wooden boards I used a thicker cardboard. I tried to place them in a crooked manner to make the witch house look realistically old and messy. I also left little spaces between them in some areas so I get a more realistic effect.

Step 4: Making Texture and Finishing Details

I made the textured wood using a ball pen and pressing the wooden pattern deep in the cardboard. I also made some holes in the cardboard for each wooden board so it looks like it has little nails. This texture adds such a nice realistic effect and it helps a lot in the next step when adding color and patina. I added some bricks to the chimney and also made flooring on the porch. I made some small wooden boards for the door as well and used a little piece of craft foam for the hinges.

Step 5: Painting

I covered the surface in a dark color first. This will serve as a base. Make it go in all the cracks and the deepest holes. It will act like a shadow and contrast layer when we add brighter colors. I add a very bright color, or even white, only to the surface of the texture, gently rubbing the brush with very little pigment so I don't get it in the cracks. On top of that bright color you can add other colors as well. You can make it brighter and more colorful, it's your choice. I made the door red and the roof green but you can play around with any color combination you like. I hope you liked my instructable and got some inspiration to start your own projects. Have fun!