Why have my paper crafts hung on the wall deformed and what can be done to prevent this?

Question

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.

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?

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. — , Apr 27 '16 at 07:23
related (but not a duplicate): How can I prevent watercolor paper from buckling? — inkista, Apr 27 '16 at 22:11

score 11 · Accepted Answer · answered May 04 '16 at 18:17

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

Vertically displayed paper has a tendency to curl more in my experience, especially when it has no support.
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.

Since it is a kids project you could just use straws for rigidity to go with the theme! — Matt, May 04 '16 at 20:56
Mod podge might work as a gum/glue/varnish, also protects it against dust etc. — Fae, Sep 20 '16 at 09:12

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Sep 19 '16 at 16:57

3

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.

answered Sep 19 '16 at 16:57

Tam Hartman

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Why have my paper crafts hung on the wall deformed and what can be done to prevent this?

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