Decorative words, letters, and even whole phrases - this is an incredibly popular decor for interior and photo shoots. Such decoration can be made for some special holiday or in order to take original pictures. The easiest way is to create voluminous letters from polystyrene foam. We offer a detailed master class on their manufacture especially for you in our article!
Preparation of materials and tools
What do you need for work? The most important thing is that the material, polystyrene can be bought at hardware stores or use packaging / repair leftovers. Do not take pieces more than 10 cm wide; it will be difficult to cut them. You will also need a clerical or repair knife, sandpaper, tracing paper, glue and putty.
Draw a pattern for cutting on tracing paper or plain paper. You can translate your favorite image from a computer monitor or come up with it yourself. A simple rule: the simpler and more even the letters from the foam, the more accurate they will turn out. But in order to learn how to cut handwritten fonts well, you have to train a lot.
Manufacturing technology
Place a foam sheet on a clean, flat surface. Put on it a template for cutting, drawn on paper. Circle the inscription or letter around the office. It is most convenient to use a sharpened pencil or a needle for this. You need not only to draw on the surface, but also to push the contour without crushing the edge.
The next part is the most responsible: you need to cut out the letters along the contour. To do this, use a clerical knife, after which with the help of sandpaper you can correct all the bumps. Did you accidentally cut off something extra or did the polystyrene crack? The situation will be corrected by glue and putty, glue all the separated parts and correct the irregularities. Then dry the workpiece well and process it again with sandpaper.
Volumetric letters from polystyrene foam are almost ready, it remains only to refine and decorate them a little.
Making letters and inscriptions
The simplest version of the decor of figures made of polystyrene is their coloring. Use acrylic paint for this. Show your imagination: it is not necessary to paint the entire inscription or even each letter in one color. If you draw well, you can even artistically paint the workpiece. Foam letters also look good when pasted over with paper. PVA or any rubber glue is suitable , but compounds like superglue are best avoided, as they can damage the base material.
Other design options also look interesting: try wrapping the base with cloth or wrapping with threads. Styrofoam letters for a wedding can be additionally decorated with artificial flowers, decorative figures, rhinestones or beads. The most important thing is that such an accessory supports the main theme of the event and successfully fits into the interior.
Foam volumetric application options
Decorative figures and inscriptions will become an original decoration of a room or a spectacular accessory for a photo shoot. One of the advantages of polystyrene is its low weight. And this means that you can easily hold even large elements in your hands or hang them on the wall without additional effort. Foam letters can be put together into words or represent fused phrases and phrases. Such decor is also suitable for long-term interior decoration. Good wishes, wise aphorisms and interesting quotes will be a great decoration for your home. In this case, you can always replace a tired composition with a new one without serious material investments. Styrofoam letters for a wedding can be cut one at a time and handed out to guests to create an original group photo. Let words and good wishes be made up of individual elements that invitees will hold in their hands. At home, you can make a garland of individual letters, fastening them together with a ribbon or symbolic connection.
You do not have time to process and decorate large figures? It's not a problem! For example, for a photo shoot, you can make small letters of polystyrene foam with your own hands. Even if their height is no more than 10-15 centimeters, they certainly will not go unnoticed. Ready letters can be planted or glued to wooden skewers in order to make it more convenient to hold them in your hands.
Be careful when transporting and storing the foam decor. Remember that this is a fragile material that can easily be crushed or broken.