One of my hobbies outside of the art world is gaming. I am a gamer to the core, and I tend to stay as current in gaming as I do in art.
In my web browsing a few weeks ago I stumbled across a gem that combined both art and gaming. I found Captain Nod’s Paper Models. Also known as PaperCraft. What Mr. Nod has done here, is he created flat paper printouts that you can cut up and fold, and after hours of work, you can create into some iconic gaming characters.
Two of these characters touch my soul. The Quake one Ranger, and the Quake one Shambler. Quake was a game developed by id Software in 1996. The game is the very first full 3D FPS in gaming history. It is a gaming legend and basically you can not call yourself a gamer unless you have played this game. — This game was also the very first game that consumed most of my younger life.
So I decided I had to test these models out for gaming and artistic purposes. I picked the Shambler because it was larger, looked easier for my first one, and is just cooler. 
First step was the right kind of paper. Now, I had never done a paper model before, but at the same time I knew I needed something thick. So I got a type of paper that is still like a business card, but can still be folded. When I had this, I printed out my Shambler pieces on the paper. (I apologize, I did not think to blog about this until later, so I do not have a picture for every step.)
Second was cutting out the pieces. I used an X-Acto knife and scissors to cut out all the pieces needed to fold. I started with the legs and began folding as directed. Folding down on the dash-dash-dash and folding up on the dash-dot-dash. I then used Elmer’s “No Run School Glue Gel” where the folds met, and tape to secure them in place after the glue dried (for extra support.) I also applied the glue with a paintbrush.
I did the left arm next, then the back, then the right arm, face, and finally fingers.
The picture below is my paper model constructed before the left fingers were attached.
After finishing the fingers, I had my final result. I was very happy with it and proud to have such a gaming icon sitting on my desk.
