How Do You Make Mountains Out of Paper?

Mountains can be made out of brown wrapping paper by scrunching paper into a tight ball, and then smoothing it out again to reveal crinkles and creases. Soak the crinkled paper in water, form it into a shape resembling mountains, allow it to air dry, and paint it with brown or clear acrylic glaze paint.

  1. Gather the materials

    Gather heavy brown wrapping paper or parchment paper; water; a thin, flat board; and brown or clear glossy paint.

  2. Scrunch the paper

    Scrunch the wrapping paper into a very tight ball, squeezing as hard as possible.

  3. Open the wrapping paper ball

    Open and lightly smooth out the ball of brown paper.

  4. Wet the scrunched paper

    Soak the now-crinkled and creased paper in water until it’s completely wet.

  5. Form the paper into the shape of mountains

    Once it’s thoroughly wet, place the paper on the thin, flat board and form it into the shape of a chain of mountains. Small, empty boxes can be placed underneath the wet paper to serve as support structures for taller mountains.

  6. Allow the mountains to dry

    Once the paper mountains are formed, air dry them thoroughly. If necessary, use a blow dryer or fan set on low to help dry the paper faster.

  7. Paint the model

    Paint the dried model of mountains with brown paint. If the paper is already brown, simply paint the mountains with a glossy, clear acrylic finish to strengthen and seal the paper.