How to Make a Origami Pansy Flower

One of my most popular posts here at SCS is a paper flower tutorial for roses, so you might already know that I love making paper flowers.  I thought it was time to put another one (or two) together for you!  So today, I am going to show you how to create some great spring pansies – and the only thing you need is paper, adhesive and some scissors.  No fancy cutting machines or punches required!

The other day, I was looking at some pictures of pansies, and I was struck by the simple and very predictable shapes of the blooms!  In fact, they reminded me a lot of hearts, so if you can cut out a heart shape, you can make these too!  Here we go!

 Start with some medium weight cardstock in two tints or shades of the same colour. I used some of the gorgeous colours from DCWV's Jewel Color Stack.  While you're at it, grab a great pair of scissor and some adhesive.  I like using a liquid adhesive for flowers because it gives me time to modify the placement of petals, and once it's dry, the petals are not going anywhere!

Okay. now decide if you would like the darker or lighter of your two papers for the front three petals.  For this raspberry coloured pansy, I decided to work with the darker colour in the front, and the lighter one for the back petals.  Fold your cardstock over about 1″.  If you have a scoring board – great use it!  But do not be deterred if you do not – I didn't use mine at all for this flower.

Now, think back to your school Valentine day projects, and cut a simple half heart shape, lining up the middle of the heart with the fold line.  To keep the proportions right for the flower, aim for a heat that is as wide as it tall .  For this one – short and wide hearts are going to work the best!

Using your first one as a tracer, cut two more . I simply placed the cut out one on top of the folded paper and cut around it, but feel free to trace it first and then cut if that makes you more comfortable.

Place one of your cut out hearts on top of the other piece of cardstock you have chosen – the lighter one for me!  Trace a simple oval shape that is slightly taller than your heat, but about half as wide .  Don't worry about this part being perfect.  I didn't do any measuring here – just give yourself a bit of a guide to work with.

Cut 2! You'll notice that these shapes are not perfectly symmetrical – in fact, I flipped one to give it more of an organic look.  Remember, petals on flowers are all different, so dips and indents around the edges will actually help to make your flower look more realistic.

Using some scrap black or dark paper, cut a circle. Don't worry too much about the size – just make sure it is at least an inch so you have enough room to glue the petals without having to fiddle too much.

Add a circle of adhesive around the edge of the circle.  Starting with your two oval shaped petals, press them into the adhesive, slightly overlapping one on top of the other.

Now take your heart-shaped petals and place one on each side, making sure that these sit on top of the two oval shaped petals.

Finally, place the last heart-shaped petal over top of the other two – wiggle the petals around a bit until they seem evenly spaced.  Now wait!  This is a hard part, but try not to touch the bloom or move it around until your adhesive is dry.  Yup – completely dry!  But I have something for you to do in the meantime…

Take some more of the black paper, and cut a heart shape that is half the height of your heart petals and then rough up the top edge.  Some pansies actually have a dark pattern that almost looks like a heart, so if the random cutting along the top scares you a bit, simply cut a heart shape.  It will work just as well!  Cut 3.

Using some more liquid adhesive, glue the dark shapes in place.  I actually fold the dark pieces down the middle to make it easier to place them in the fold line on the petal.  Again, wait until the pieces are dry before you continue.

Last but not least, get a bit rough with the bloom!  If you have waited until it is dry, you will be amazed by how tough it is!  Place your thumb in the middle of the bloom and pull the petals upward – that will create a slight bell shape, and will give the pansy some dimension.

Voila, that is it!

Here's an example of another pansy I created with purple – the only difference here being that I used yellow paper to create my circle to create a bit of contrast with the purple petals.

Well, I hope you are inspired to create some paper flowers, especially if they are not yet growing in your own garden!  Thanks for stopping by, and stay tuned for a post later tonight on a little project I created with one of these pansies!

Thanks for stopping by!

How to Make a Origami Pansy Flower

Source: https://scrappycanuck.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/flower-tutorial-pansies-part-1/

Share this post