A handmade square viewfinder, made with a blue Pulitzer catalogue, on a wooden surface surrounded by tools.

Program

Art Recess: How to Make a Viewfinder

This program is part of the series:
Art Recess

Create a tool for close looking! A viewfinder is a simple tool for observation. You can use it at home or take it outdoors to gain a new perspective of the world around you. Learn how to make a viewfinder with the step-by-step tutorial below.

Gather your materials. You will need a piece of rigid paper (such as cardstock or cardboard), a pencil, a ruler, scissors, a craft knife, glue, string, and tape. 1/6

Cut the piece of paper to create four 2” x 6” rectangles. 2/6

Make a square with the rectangles and glue the overlapping corners. Find the center of each side and cut a small notch with the scissors. 3/6

Cut two pieces of string and fit them over the notches that you cut so that they cross perpendicularly. Flip the frame to secure the string with tape. 4/6

Now you have your own viewfinder! You can personalize it however you'd like. 5/6

Start looking! Find an interesting angle by zooming in and zooming out. Get a pencil and paper and draw what you see through the viewfinder. 6/6

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Art Recess: How to Make a Viewfinder

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