Make a Pink Cadillac from a Cardboard Box
This project was inspired as an homage to the soap box derby racers that were once an annual thing in many small towns. A great creative activity for all ages that makes good use of recycled cardboard, white glue and acrylic paint.
We’ll be making the front and a back of the Cadillac that can then be attached to a cardboard box to create the racer.
NOTES: adult help/supervision is recommended for cutting cardboard, especially if a utility knife is being used.
The pink Cadillac front shown in this project wasn’t actually used on a box car racer although it was designed for that purpose, it is now on display as art in someone’s home.
SUPPLIES
- corrugated cardboard
- box board (cereal box)
- paper towel tubes
- cardboard egg carton
- plastic lids
- masking or painter’s tape
- white glue
- scissors/utility knife
- silver metallic acrylic paint
- pink acrylic paint
- white and black acrylic paint
- paint brushes
INSTRUCTIONS
Using a pencil draw the Cadillac outline on a piece of corrugated cardboard, use the sketch below as a guide. The size will depend on the size of box you want to attach it to. If you want to use it as art only you can make it any size you like.
Using scissors or a utility knife, cut out the Cadillac shape.
Sketch in the headlights, grill, bumper and hood ornament.
Using silver metallic paint, brush on the areas where the chrome parts should be using the photo below as a guide.
Now we’re going to create the 3D parts of the bumper using paper-towel rolls, egg carton bits and tape to hold the pieces in place.
This is base for paper mache bumper. Tear newspaper into to strips and using a mixture of white glue with a few drops of water, coat the paper strips with the past and cover the paper-towel and egg carton bits with them.
Let dry.
We created the hood ornament from cardboard and paint.
Trace the chevron and crown onto a piece of cardboard and paint using gold metallic, red and navy blue acrylic paint. When the paint is dry glue the ornament in the centre of the front car hood.
Pictured below is an actual Cadillac ornament and underneath is the one we created from cardboard.
We added plastic lids for headlights and painted the license plate area white. You can add whatever you like on the license plate.
Next we added some shadowing/shading to add a some dimension.
Cadillac front completed.
For the back sketch the design onto cardboard using the photo below as a guide.
Using silver acrylic paint brush on the parts that would be chrome. Paint the body with pink acrylic paint. Touch up details using red paint for tail lights and black for the bumper details and license plate area.
If you try this project we’d love to see a photo. Post your masterpiece on Nana’s Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/GetCreativeWithNana
