I’ve received a gratifying amount of interest in the poseable legs part of my upcoming character project so I’ve decided to release them as a project on their own. They are fun and satisfying to make and could easily be used/adapted as the starting point for another larger scale project.

Members can download the parts for free from the link, thanks for your support!

Print out the single page onto thin card. You will need to print it out twice, there is only one leg on the sheet!

Score along the dotted and dashed lines then carefully cut out the parts.

You only need to make one of the hip tubes. Roll it round and glue it down as shown

The two joints, at ankle and knee, are made from the same tube and slip ring design.

Roll up the tube and glue it down.

Starting with the slip ring positioned above the step of the inner tube joint, roll the card away and round to the other side of the tube.

Glue the slip ring onto itself. Don’t get any glue on the inner tube, the slip ring needs to be free to rotate. Make the second joint in the same way.

Make up the lower leg. Glue the tabs to the slip rings, one at each end. Again make sure that you don’t get any glue on the inner tube.

Make up the foot as shown.

Make up the thigh. Roll the long tab round the thigh and glue it to the other side of the thigh. No glue on the hip tube!

These three parts now need joining together.

Glue the thigh to the tabs on one of the lower leg inner tubes. Careful with the glue, the inner tube needs to be able to rotate.

Glue the foot in place. Again – careful with the glue!

Make up another leg and fit that to the hip tube to complete the project.

Use this project as an exercise in poseable paper engineering or as the start of a complete paper character. You could use it to add legs to so small, lightweight household objects, perhaps the box from an individual portion of cereal or a paper cup. Send pictures!