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A paper lion head with a brown pointed mane with curled tips, an orange scalloped mane, a yellow face, round ears, eyes, a nose, a smile and whiskers.
The finished project.

Paper craft

Paper Lion with a Layered Mane

  • Growing (level 3 of 5)
  • 30 min
  • 7 steps
  • Ages 5–10 (a guide, not a rule)
  • Uses scissors
  • Uses glue
  • Adult help suggested
Start Making Print with template

A lion's mane looks thick because it has layers. This lion has three: a big pointed mane with curled tips, a scalloped middle mane, and a round face with ears. Curling the points around a pencil makes the mane stand up off the paper. Hang it on a wall, glue it to a card, or tape a paper stick behind it to make a puppet.

Before you start

You need

Decorating (optional): Color the inside of the ears pink or orange, and add freckle dots by the whiskers.

No template 1 (outer mane) printed on brown or dark orange paper? No printer? Trace a dinner plate for the outer mane and a small bowl for the face, then draw the points and bumps by hand. Paper plates work well as the outer mane.

For the grown-up: Help cut the inside corners between the mane points, and show how to roll each point around a pencil without tearing it.

Use blunt-tip scissors and cut away from your fingers.

How to place the paper before the first step
Your paper: Print the three templates at 100% (Actual size) on brown, orange and yellow paper. Check a 5 cm bar with a ruler.
  • Cut: a thick solid line with scissors.
  • Glue: a yellow area marked "glue".
  • Hidden edge: gray dots show paper behind another layer.

Step by step

Each step shows what to do (left) and how it should look after (right).

  1. Step 1: cut, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 1 result Result
    Step 1 of 7 Cut Cut out the big pointed outer mane along its outside line. Cut carefully into each corner between the points.
  2. Step 2: cut, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 2 result Result
    Step 2 of 7 Cut Cut out the scalloped middle mane, the round face and the two round ears. (Templates 2 and 3, drawn smaller.)
  3. Step 3: curl, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 3 result Result
    Step 3 of 7 Curl Roll the tip of each point of the big mane around a pencil, then slide the pencil out. The tips curl up. (Back to the big outer mane.)
  4. Step 4: glue, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 4 result Result
    Step 4 of 7 Glue Rub glue on the middle of the big mane and press the middle mane on top, with its bumps between the points.
  5. Step 5: glue, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 5 result Result
    Step 5 of 7 Glue Glue the two ears behind the top of the face, so half of each ear peeks out. (The face, drawn larger.)
  6. Step 6: draw, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 6 result Result
    Step 6 of 7 Draw Draw the face: two eyes, a triangle nose, a smile and whiskers.
  7. Step 7: put together, shown on the paper Do this
    Step 7 result Result
    Step 7 of 7 Put together Glue the face onto the middle of the mane. Your lion is ready to roar! (The mane and the finished face side by side.)
A paper lion head with a brown pointed mane with curled tips, an orange scalloped mane, a yellow face, round ears, eyes, a nose, a smile and whiskers.

You made it!

Yours may look a little different. That is part of making things by hand.

Print the steps

Template

Print the template at 100% (Actual size), not "Fit to page". Then measure the check bar with a ruler: it must be 5 cm (2 in) long.

  • Template 1: outer mane (print on brown paper) (preview, not to scale) Template 1: outer mane (print on brown paper) · 160 × 160 mm. About 150 mm across, 20 points. The dotted circle shows where the middle mane will sit. Print at 100%.
  • Template 2: middle mane (print on orange paper) (preview, not to scale) Template 2: middle mane (print on orange paper) · 120 × 120 mm. 110 mm across, 16 scallops. Print at 100%.
  • Template 3: face and ears (print on yellow paper) (preview, not to scale) Template 3: face and ears (print on yellow paper) · 120 × 90 mm. Face 76 mm, ears 24 mm. Print at 100%.
Print the template

If something goes wrong

The points tear when curling.

Roll only the last part of each point, gently, and slide the pencil out sideways.

The layers curl up and will not lie flat.

Use glue all over the middle, then press the lion under a book for a minute.

The face looks too small.

Check that all three templates printed at 100%; the 5 cm bar must measure 5 cm.

Helpful hints

  • Turn the middle mane so each bump sits between two points: the mane looks fuller.
  • Draw the face before gluing if you want to practice on scrap paper first.

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