Paper Sculpting

Create your own sculptural masterpiece inspired by objects from our collections!

You will need

  • Colored pencils, markers, or crayons
  • Scissors
  • Brass fasteners, string, wire, and tape

Make a zebra!

This cutout zebra is based on George Stubbs’s Zebra, a perennially popular painting from the Center’s collections. Before the zebra arrived in England from South Africa in 1762, most English people thought a zebra was a horse with stripes! The stripes on a zebra are a pattern—a repetition of a similar mark that appears over and over. Make a new pattern for your zebra. Will it have zigzags, spots, or stripes? Or perhaps another pattern? What colors will you use?

  1. Download and print the template.
  2. Color the shapes. Be as realistic or as creative as you’d like! 
  3. Cut out the parts and make holes where the dots are.
  4. Put your zebra together using fasteners or thread to connect the pieces. Make sure that the parts are not too tight.

Make your zebra move! Does it look like it’s running? Assemble some friends for the zebra and have a pattern party!

Template

Learn more about the artist’s work.

We’d like to see your work. Share your creations by tagging @yalebritishart or email us at ycba.info@yale.edu. #YCBAcreate

Download our plate