This DIY tutorial shows you how to make your own 3D topography map with sheets of paper. Also it explains how to make your artwork fit in any kind of picture frame. Your final result will become a very nice decorative room decoration piece for your home :) would fit in great in an ocean room decor! You could choose if you want to make this from paper or make it from cardboard.

Step 1 is to find a picture frame you like to use. Try to find a frame that gives you enough space to create more depth in your artwork. Ikea for example has some nice frames that are cheap, looking good and have a lot of depth possibilities, check for IKEA RIBBA.

Step 2 is to find your desired color theme in a nice gradient ( from light sheets to dark sheets ) to create a nice ombre effect. I couldn’t find all the wanted colors in the same size so i had to make sure my contour shapes were not bigger then the sheets.
The best kind of weight of the paper should at best be somewhere around 200 gr/m or more. Also, check if the paper is not to cheap because that would probably result in very pale colors after a couple of weeks :).

Step 3 what you need:

- several sheets of 200gr paper in the colors you like, who are big enough to fit your picture frame.
- picture frame of choice, keep in mind that you need as much space for creating depth in your artwork.
- self sticking foam board / or just cardboard to create space between the paper sheets.
- cutting mat, scissors, precision knife, ruler, pencil, glue, tape, eraser
In this video i used an oval picture frame, but you can off course use every kind of frame as you prefer.

Step 4 … cut out a piece of paper that fits in the used picture frame. Afterwards draw a nice first contour ( the one on the outside) that will match with your frame. Note that it has enough distance between the rim of the frame. The side you are drawing on will be the backside, not the front so don’t worry about a lot of pencil marks etc. Before cutting this contour, make sure your the coloured sheet you want to follow up with is big enough to fit under your drawn shape. I used big sheets mixed with a4 sheets (because of availability issues). Now cut out the shape, grab the next sheet and place under your first layer. Note, make sure the side with the pencil or penmarks is shown upwards! now draw a contour anticipating to your first shape. Cut out this one and repeat the same proces until you reached the bottom of your design. When all layers are cut, it’s time to make them more 3D with the foam board or cardboard strips. glue everything and make sure your the several layers are good positioned so your artwork will keep fitting into your frame. Once finished, use tape to mount your 3D paper topography map into the picture frame and you are done! :)

For this DIY Paper Ocean Topography Map i needed a few hours or so :)

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Audio used in this video is: Sun Glitters - To much to lose ( Slow Magic Remix )

here you can find their channels and more beautiful music over here:
Slow Magic:    / @slowmagicmusic  
Sun Glitters:    / sun glitters - topic