how to make paper artwork

10 Creative Ways to Make Artwork with Paper

posted by Megan on February 27, 2018 This post may contain affiliate links.

You guys know I am constantly on the hunt for budget-friendly ways to fill up our walls. I've already shown you how I source inexpensive artwork to fill gallery walls, as well as some creative ideas for using photographs as artwork. Today, I want to show you yet another super inexpensive method to filling up your walls: artwork made from paper! Sure…pretty wallpapers, wrapping papers or even scrapbook papers can be loaded into frames or wrapped around canvases to make artwork. But today, I am talking about creative ways to craft with paper in order to make stunning, unique and customized artwork for your home! Check out these 10 inspiring ideas, and then get ready to bust out your scissors and glue to make your own awesome creation!

Art for your walls doesn't have to be expensive! Check out these 10 Creative Ways to Make Artwork with Paper!

I love crafting and creating with paper because it's so inexpensive, it comes in an endless array of colors, textures, and patterns, and you can pretty much make anything you wish with it (with a little imagination, that is!). I especially like to use paper when I need something really large, something in a really specific color scheme, something super inexpensive that I won't hesitate to toss when we move, or something for a kid or play space (where bright, bold and fun artwork is always appropriate!). While electronic cutting machines, such as a Cricut or Silhouette, certainly make projects easier – they aren't required! Some of the ideas below can be made with just a scissors, paper trimmer or circle punch!

LARGE CUT OUT SHAPES

Even the simplest of shapes can look like artwork when cut from stunning paper! As such, one of the quickest and easiest ways to make some artwork for your home is to take some paper you love, cut it into shapes that have meaning for you, and then display it in a way that makes the most sense for your space…

State Silhouette Artwork

Wallpaper Silhouettes Artwork

Art for your walls doesn't have to be expensive! Check out these 10 Creative Ways to Make Artwork with Paper!

COLLECTION OF SMALLER SHAPES

Beyond just cutting a single large shape from pretty paper, another option is to cut lots of paper shapes and layer them in unique and creative ways. Not only can paper layers create unique 3D effects, but smaller shapes laid out in a big way is a really cost-effective way to make oversized art installations for major impact!

FALLING PAPER FLOWERS

Art for your walls doesn't have to be expensive! Check out these 10 Creative Ways to Make Artwork with Paper!

3D Paper Wall Flowers

Art for your walls doesn't have to be expensive! Check out these 10 Creative Ways to Make Artwork with Paper!

Paper Star Mobile

Art for your walls doesn't have to be expensive! Check out these 10 Creative Ways to Make Artwork with Paper!

OWL PAINT CHIP ARTWORK

Art for your walls doesn't have to be expensive! Check out these 10 Creative Ways to Make Artwork with Paper!

Psssssttt – Would you believe that entire owl artwork was done with paint chips using (primarily) a circle punch!

SLICE & DICE

One of my absolute favorite ways to create really unique things for our walls is to take basic shapes, glue them together, cut them apart, and then glue them back together again to make interesting displays that look complicated but really aren't. Would you believe that both of these projects below took about an hour each? I started with basic shapes (paper chevrons and paper squares, respectively) and glued and cut and glued and cut until really stunning effects were achieved!

Abstract Chevrons

Paper Quilt

Art for your walls doesn't have to be expensive! Check out these 10 Creative Ways to Make Artwork with Paper!

BONUS TIP!One of my very favorite sources for paper artwork inspiration is quilt designs! Quilt blocks are often very geometric and symmetric, and use basic shapes such as squares and triangles (which are both easy to cut with a paper trimmer!) to achieve really intricate patterns. If you find a quilt design you love, try cutting the shapes from pretty papers to get the same great look but for a frame instead of a bed!

TYPOGRAPHY

Pretty papers are also a great foundation for typography-style artwork. You can either cut letters from paper using an e-cutter or use peel-and-stick letters on top of pretty paper to spell out any message, in any size, you want!

Gold-Foil Typography

Art for your walls doesn't have to be expensive! Check out these 10 Creative Ways to Make Artwork with Paper!

5-Minute Artwork

Need some quick and budget-friendly artwork solutions? These 2 inexpensive artwork ideas cost just a few dollars and can be done in mere minutes!

FOLDED PAPER

As I mentioned before, you don't have to have fancy equipment to achieve some pretty incredible projects. The art installation below was done simply by folding squares of paper. If squares aren't quite your thing, here's the same idea done with triangles and flowers made of cones!

3D Abstract Art

Art for your walls doesn't have to be expensive! Check out these 10 Creative Ways to Make Artwork with Paper!

I hope these 10 projects inspire you to look at the cardstock sitting in your craft stash in a whole new way! If you're looking to try some of the projects seen in this post, here are the supplies I rely on over and over to get the job done!

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Happy crafting, friends!

See You Soon!
Megan