Want to know how to make a Chinese lantern? Get the guidelines on making your own Chinese lantern in our online tutorial.
The Chinese lantern is a unique traditional craftwork belonging to the people of China. This hand made article has long been used by the Chinese during important cultural and personal events. Anyone interested in the Chinese lantern can actually make one themselves at home.
Yes the Chinese lantern is a unique work of art but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to make one for your self. By following some simple guidelines you can end up with your own Chinese lantern that can be used on special occasions to decorate your home.
Choosing the color scheme
You will begin by choosing the color for your lantern. Although there is no hard and fast rule regarding the use of color, generally red is the established color for Chinese lanterns. Gold is another color used to accentuate the red lantern. The lanterns also feature phrases and words in Chinese calligraphy. You do however have the freedom to decorate them as you like.
Making the Chinese lantern
The list of things you will need in order to make your own Chinese lantern includes construction paper, tissue paper and pipe cleaners. Ribbons can also be used in place of pipe cleaners.
You will start off by cutting the construction papers in to rectangles. Then you need to cut a number of long lines in the construction paper that you will be using with one inch spacing between them as well as on the top and bottom.
Next up roll the rectangles up into a cylindrical shape and tape it at the seam. You will have to gently bring out the light holes from the cylindrical shape by giving it a little push. You will use the different colored tissue paper to create a fire like wad inside the body of the lantern. This needs to be pushed to the center of the cylinder.
The pipe cleaner is to be used as a handle for the lantern. The fire created from the tissue paper will be visible from the slits that you initially cut into the construction paper. This is all there is to the construction of the basic Chinese lantern.
Creative ideas for Chinese lanterns
There are a number of things you can do in order to jazz up your simple Chinese lantern. By making use of floral wire and more colored tissue paper you can enhance the appearance of your Chinese lantern.
You will use the wire to create a shape for the lantern. You can use an oval, a large circle or a cylindrical shape for your lantern pattern. You can really experiment with the use of the floral wire as it can easily be bended to create different shapes. Eventually you will end up creating a delicate brace that will hold the shape of your lantern. The additional tissue paper can be added on the outside and can be further decorated with Chinese painting or calligraphy.
Another unique idea is to make use of an actual bulb to create the illusion of fire rather than tissue paper. This will give your Chinese lantern a better function along with a beautiful form.
