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I cut these butterflies, and hands out of paper, spread gum on them and sprinkled glitter. Then I pasted them on these CDs with Fevicol.

enter image description here

I did not fold them at all. They were straight the day I made them.

Deformation started the next day. I stuck the big hand's finger on wall with a tape since that was the one that bent forward the next day. Now, after nearly 5 months all of the hands are deeply curved, so are the butterflies.

Sticking them to the wall has the demerit that it makes the craft immobile (I live in a rented house).

Why did they deform? What all choices do I have now for such future projects?

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    I don't have an answer, but I would think that the biggest factor here is moisture, not gravity. Wood warps the same way, especially when one side has a coating that the other doesn't.
    – user24
    Commented Apr 27, 2016 at 7:23
  • @CreationEdge thanks. have edited the title.
    – Aquarius_Girl
    Commented Apr 27, 2016 at 7:26
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    related (but not a duplicate): How can I prevent watercolor paper from buckling?
    – inkista
    Commented Apr 27, 2016 at 22:11

2 Answers 2

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I can think of a couple reasons why your paper curled like that:

  1. Vertically displayed paper has a tendency to curl more in my experience, especially when it has no support.
  2. The gum/glue itself may be causing or aggravating the curling. Some adhesives and coatings draw, or shrink inward, as they dry. (You see this in nail polish, too, when some thicker top coats cause the color to pull away from the tips.)

To counteract the curling, you could try a few things:

  • Coat both sides of the paper with the gum/glue, or a varnish. The drawing affect would be lessened as it would be trying to curl in both directions at once.
  • Tape the paper down while working and allow to dry thoroughly, leaving it overnight to 'cure' before removing the tape.
  • Add a stiffer material as a backing. Thin sheets of metal or wood would be the most stable. But, chipboard or even a heavy cardstock would afford some further support.
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  • Since it is a kids project you could just use straws for rigidity to go with the theme!
    – Matt
    Commented May 4, 2016 at 20:56
  • Mod podge might work as a gum/glue/varnish, also protects it against dust etc.
    – Fae
    Commented Sep 20, 2016 at 9:12
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If you live in a humid climate it could also be the humidity. I used to live in Miami and anything that wasn't in a frame would warp.

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