Life size cutouts of famous people have long been popular. They make interesting decorations and are often seen in stores. Although these are available for purchase at numerous places, you can also make your own life size cutout. You can do one of yourself or maybe make one of a friend as part of a birthday party decoration.
Making a Life Size Cutout
The hardest part is getting a life size photo. For this, take a jpeg or similar high resolution file of the photo you want printed out to a place such as Office Depot or Kinkos and have them print the image on a large sheet.
You will also need either a large sheet of cardboard, or you can use something studier, such as coroplast (the corrugated plastic many advertisement signs are made of). Tape the coroplast or cardboard to make it the proper size. Then carefully glue the image to the board. Begin at the bottom. A spray adhesive is generally easier to use. Spray just a small row and spread the image flat, working out bubbles. Work on a small section at a time until the entire photo has been glued down.
Allow it to dry thoroughly. Then, carefully cut out the image. Use a sharp blade, and replace the blade if it dulls during the cutting process. Use some of the cut away board to make a stand. Use the back of a standing photo frame for the basic design.
Alternative Print Method
Perhaps you don't have access to anyone who can do a life size printout. If so, you can attempt to print the image in pieces. This will have some puzzle skills involved. Using a high-resolution image, enlarge the image in Photoshop or similar software package. Then, cut out a page size piece and print. Go through the image block by block, careful to cut out the same full page size dimensions side by side and going down row by row. You'll then glue these pages onto the cardboard or coroplast, matching up the edges.
Easiest Method to Make Cutouts
The easiest method for making life size cardboard cutouts is to let someone else do it. There are numerous places that can do this for you and ship it to you. Considering the time it will take to do it yourself, plus the cost of materials, simply ordering the cutout is generally the most time- and cost-effective. When doing so, remember to factor in shipping and handling as that cost can vary drastically from one place to another.
Tags: life size, large sheet, numerous places, page size, print image, Then carefully