Here we are at the beginning of December and for those of us in the northern hemisphere, it’s time to start bundling up for the weather. So I figured I would make a model that reflects that, a snowman trying to stay warm with a toque and scarf seemed appropriate :)
I decided to go back to my low poly style for this one because I felt that it would be more appropriate for the subject. After all, when you’re a kid your snowmen never turn out perfectly round. In the end, I think it turned out pretty good. While making this model I ended up learning an important lesson that you’d think I’d have learned a lot sooner considering how many models I have made over the years; not all glue is created equal.
Normally I use an extra-strong type of glue and was pretty much out after completing the candy cane model. When I went to my local craft store to get more I was disappointed to find out they were sold out and decided to get a lower quality glue from the same brand thinking, “Glue is glue. What difference could there be?” When I got to the point where I needed to assemble the snowman I realized how foolish that thought was.
The new glue was runnier, dried faster, didn’t dry as clear, and warped the paper ALOT when it dried. I got most of the toque done before I gave up and went searching for a new bottle of my old glue, making sure to grab extras. In hindsight, I should have taken pictures to better explain what I am talking about but I didn’t think of that until after I had thrown out my first attempt.
The two most important factors for me were the fast drying and paper warping. The fast drying was terrible because by the time I had finished applying glue to the whole tab it was nearly dry and wouldn’t stick together. Good glue still has a chance to warp the paper if you use too much but this stuff was awful, it immediately wrinkled the tabs, making a nice clean attachment almost impossible.
So the moral of the story is that glue matters. If you have a brand or type that you like, don’t settle for anything else!
Thanks and happy crafting,
The Papercraftsman