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3D Papercut Summer Scene in Procreate

Paper art is one of my favorite things and now that I can do it digitally in Procreate, it's so much easier. You can create amazing 3D art in literally minutes. No paper cuts, no scissors, no glue, no mess! Today I'm going to walk you through step-by-step how to create your own 3D papercut summer scene on your iPad. I'm even giving you free tools and resources to make it even quicker and easier. I want you to have fun and enjoy this process.




You can watch the video tutorial HERE.


The basic info to create these effects is listed below, but for a step-by-step walkthrough, I recommend watching the video tutorial. 😉


You can download the resources HERE.


You can get your Free 30-day trial of Skillshare HERE.


Papercut layout:

  • Create waves (decide how many layers you want - I have 4 + white “surf”/bubbles)

  • Choose a pale version of the orange for the sand/beach area (background/bottom layer)

  • Either draw or import your summer graphics on their own layers and place them between the wave/beach layers as you like


3D process (don’t need to do this for the graphics if you imported mine, but WILL still need to do for your wave layers):

  • Duplicate each layer twice and group (stay organized!)

  • Alpha-lock bottom layer of each group, fill with black, then turn alpha-lock back off

  • Middle layer of each group - HSB 65-85%

  • Use transform tool to move highlights & shadows as a group using multi-select

  • Shadow layers get Gaussian blur (adjustments) and opacity adjustment individually


Paper texture:

  • Option 1 - overall texture

    • Add new layer at very top

    • Import file (paper texture available in link in description - or make sure it’s grayscale with high contrast)

    • Make sure it covers the whole canvas

    • Blend mode to overlay

  • Option 2 - different textures for each group/element

    • Same process as above, but add texture to each group and make the layer a Clipping mask

    • Takes more time and layers, but more realistic and varied effects are possible


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