Icosidodecahedron – Recycled Paper Art

To build a Dodecahedron or Icosidodecahedron model, 30 individual pieces are required per single model. The number of pieces each type of material may produce can vary slightly. This will require a bit of experimentation, but this is the ballpark from our experience:

• 6 Toilet paper rolls 
  • Each roll typically produces 5–6 individual pieces.
• 2 Paper towel rolls
  • Each roll is about three times as long as toilet paper roll and can yield around 18 pieces.
• 3-4 Tissue paper boxes
  • Used for larger models.
  • Pieces can be cut from either the top (wider) section or side (narrower) panels.
  • Each box may produce 8–10 pieces depending on the section used.

• Required
  • Protractor, Pencil, and Ruler
  • Large Sharp Scissors able to cut thick carton
• Recommended
  • Guillotine Paper Cutter for the best experience and straight, sharp edges
  • Scoring/Creasing tool or Letter opener (tip of a nail file works great as well, this is optional but we prefer scoring as it does not leave any pencil marks)
  • Electric Iron with steamer (very helpful for flattening, plus it takes care of any hygiene concerns regarding working with toilet paper rolls)
  • Metallic Acrylic Paint and Paint Brushes
  • Masking Tape (required for multi color versions)
  • Non-stick parchment paper (if ironing already painted paper rolls to protect the paint and the iron)

1. Paint Paper rolls first (Optional)
   • It’s easier to paint the rolls while they’re still round.
   • Allow fully dry before continuing to the next step.
   • You may need multiple coats, let each coat fully dry before applying the next coat.
2. Flatten the Rolls
   • Press each roll flat by hand or use warm iron
   • If you’re using an iron, cover the painted roll with a piece of non-stick parchment paper to protect the paint and the iron.
3. Measure & Cut
   • Place flattened paper roll on your workin surface horisontally
   • Using a protractor, mark a 72° angle from the top right corner of the flattened roll, then mark the angled line using pencil or a scoring tool.
   • Measure the the angled line and divide it by 5 to calculate the width of individual piece. The width of the piece equials 1/5 of the length, minus a mm or so for some wiggle room.
   • Mark the width of the individual peices on the top and bottom edges of the papaer roll and use a pencil or a scoring tool to connect the marks for the rest of the pieces.
   • Repeat for all paper rolls until you have marked 30 identical pieces.
   • Cut the pieces using scisors or guilliotine paper cutter for clearner look and straight edges.