Make a 3d low poly paper heart with our free paper heart model. This template is ready colored and you can print this template onto white cardstock.
Low poly models and low poly art are super-popular. Use this free papercraft template to create your own piece of art. This 3d heart model is shaped on both sides.
Medium Difficulty
This 3d heart model is of medium difficulty (of course, that depends on your starting point, if you are a dab hand at creating paper models you may find this easy, if this is your first, you may find it tricky and fiddly – but doable).
The key to creating any papercraft model is to work slowly and not to rush.
Time Involved
This took me four hours which included cutting and compiling the model.
How to Make the 3D Paper Heart
NOTE: The pattern obscures some of the reference numbers, so I have included a black and white template you can use for reference. You could also use the black and white template for a trial run.
You will need:
- Template (download below)
- 5 pieces of A4 or letter sized cardstock or heavyweight paper
- Scissors or craft knife
- Adhesive (I like glue sticks as they allow a bit of movement to slide pieces together – I also use adhesive tape to give a firm bond)
- Metal ruler or straight edge
- Bone folder (you will use this for scoring the paper or cardstock and this will help to give you crisp edges to your folds)
Heart Model
You will see the heart is formed from 8 pieces.
For reference each piece corresponds to the following sections of the heart model:
Pieces 7 & 8 
Piece 6 
Piece 5 
Pieces 2 & 3 
Piece 1 
Piece 4
Instructions
1/ Download and print the template. Download the template here – 3d Paper Heart Low Poly Model
2/ Cut out the shapes, using a craft knife or scissors.
Tip: You will notice that there are numbers by each flap so you know how to pair the flaps and edges. To avoid the numbers showing on the finished model, I have placed the number OUTSIDE of the template. This means when you cut the template from the paper, the numbers will get lost. I suggest either writing the number on the back of the template lightly in pencil or, as I have done here, I cut around the number so I can match the pieces together and I then just cut them off as I adhere the edges together.
3/ Score along the dotted fold lines using the bone folder and metal ruler. If you are not familiar with scoring, we do this to prepare the paper or cardstock for folding. This means using a bone folder (or blunt knife) and carefully drawing this down the side of the ruler along the fold line. This breaks the fibers in the paper and will make it much easier to fold a straight line.
Note the difference between the dotted lines on the template:
. . . . . . . . . . = Mountain fold (folds like ^)
……………………… = Valley fold (folds like a V)
Score along all the fold lines. Match the numbers on the edge and flap and adhere the edges together, with the flap on the inside.
Start adhering to form the numbers. Here are my tips for creating the models:
- Score, fold and adhere the different pieces first before putting them together.
- Start by adhering pieces in this order, this will create three large pieces to adhere to finish:
- 1 & 4
- 2, 6 & 8
- 3, 5 & 7
- Use a clear adhesive tape to adhere add support to the inside of the model – I suggest doing this before compiling the finished shape.
- If I couldn’t see a number because of the pattern, I referred to the black and white version.
We hope you enjoy this papercraft project from Make Breaks 🙂 If you love interesting paper crafts, you may be interested in our new papercraft club:
Sign up HERE!
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