How to Make a Chinese Lantern

Last Updated: October 25, 2022

Did you always want to make a Chinese lantern to decorate your room with, but didn't know how? Fortunately, there are many different ways to make one. This article will show you some of those ways.

Things You Should Know

You can make a paper lantern with 2 sheets of different colored paper and simple cuts.
For a round lantern, you’ll paper mache over a balloon, pop the balloon, and add a string handle.
To make a lantern that can hold a candle, start with a glass jar and use Mod Podge and tissue paper to decorate it.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making a Paper Chinese Lantern

1
Gather your supplies. This paper lantern is simple and fun to make. It's made entirely out of paper, which makes it an easy and inexpensive craft. Here's what you'll need:
- 2 sheets of paper (1 red and 1 yellow, same size)
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Pencil
- String
- Glue, tape, or stapler
- Hole puncher
- Gold glitter, sequins, gold paint, etc (optional)
- Red/yellow paper streamers (optional)
2
Cut two 1 inch (2.54 centimeter) wide strips from the long edge of the yellow paper.^{[1]
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Research source} Place the yellow paper down on the table in front of you, so that one of the long edges are parallel to the edge of the table. Use your ruler and pencil to draw two strips along the long edge of the paper. Cut those strips out with a pair of scissors. Set the two strips aside.

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3
Roll the yellow paper into a tube and secure it. Take the two short sides of the yellow paper, and bring them together to form a tube. Overlap them by 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) and secure them. You can use glue, tape, or a stapler. Set the yellow tube aside.
4
Fold the red paper in half, like a hotdog. Place the red paper down on the table in front of you and bring the two long edges together. Flatten the paper so that you end up with a long, skinny rectangle. The folded part of the rectangle should be facing you.
5
Draw a line across the rectangle, 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) away from the top edge. Make sure that the folded edge of the rectangle is facing you. Then, use your ruler and pencil to draw a straight line across the rectangle. This will be your cutting guide. You will be cutting towards this line in a latter step.
6
Draw a series of vertical lines across the red paper. They need to be 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) apart, and going from the folded edge up to the horizontal guide line you just drew.
7
Cut along the vertical lines you just drew. Stop when you get to the horizontal guide line. Do not cut past this line, or your lantern will fall apart. You will end up with something that looks like a fringe.
8
Unfold the red paper and roll it into a tube. Bring the two short edges together to form a tube. Overlap the edges by 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) and secure them. You can use glue, tape, or a stapler.
9
Slip the yellow tube into the red tube and align the top and bottom edges. The yellow tube will be a little bit shorter than the red tube. This is good. Squash the red tube until the top and bottom edges of both tubes line up. Secure them together. You can use glue, tape, or a stapler.
10
Wrap the two yellow strips of paper around the top and bottom of the lantern. Overlap the edges by 1 inch (2.54 centimeters). Try to align the seam with the seam on the red tube. This will give you a nice trim. Secure the yellow strips with glue, tape, or a stapler.
11
Attach the string to the lantern. Use a hole puncher to poke two holes into the top of the lantern. Make sure that they are straight across from each other. Thread a long piece of string through both of the holes, and tie the ends together in a tight knot.
12
Decorate the lantern. You can hang your lantern up now, or you can decorate it further. Try not to add too many decorations, however, or your lantern will become too heavy. Here are some ideas to get you started:^{[2]
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- Cut strips of crepe paper or party streamers. Glue them to the inside of the bottom edge of the lantern. Try alternating red and yellow colors.
- Draw some designs along the top and bottom edge of the lantern using glue, and then sprinkle gold glitter over the designs. You can also use a gold marker.
- Glue some sequins or rhinestones along the top and bottom edge of the lantern.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Making a Papier Mâché Chinese Lantern

1
Gather your materials. This lantern is perfect for those who like working with glue. Because it requires so much glue, however, you will need to give it some time to dry. If you are in a hurry, this might not be the right choice for you; the lantern will need at least a day to dry. Here's what you'll need to make this lantern:
- Balloon
- Tissue paper (white and red/yellow)
- Scissors (optional)
- Paintbrush or foam brush
- White school glue
- Water
- Black or gold permanent marker (optional)
- String
- Hole puncher
- Battery-operated tea light
2
Blow up a balloon. Not too big or it may pop.
3
Cut or tear some colored tissue paper into small squares of thin strips. You will need some white tissue paper for the first few layers; this will make your lamp glow brighter. You will also need some red or yellow tissue paper for the last two to three layers. You can even use both colors, if you want. Be sure to keep the white tissue paper separate from the other colors.
4
Mix 1 part glue and 1 part water together in a bowl. This will be your papier mâché paste. Make sure that you are using white school glue, as the clear type won't work.
5
Start applying the white tissue paper pieces to the balloon. Dip your paintbrush or foam brush into the glue mixture and dab some glue onto the balloon. You don't need a lot of glue—just a thin layer. This will give the tissue paper something to hold on to.
6
Place a piece of white tissue paper over the glue and smooth it down. You can use your fingers, if you don't mind getting dirty, or your paintbrush/foam brush. Try to get the paper as smooth as possible.
7
Keep going until the entire balloon is covered. Be sure to leave some room near the bottom of the balloon where the knot is. You can to be able to reach inside the lantern, once it dries and you pop the balloon.
- Consider keeping your balloon in a bowl; this will help keep it still and prevent it from rolling all over the place.
8
Add two more layers of white tissue paper. Be sure to let the first layer dry a little bit before you add another. If your balloon starts to get too soggy, set it aside. You may also notice that after enough layers, you may not need to use much glue if at all; the lower layers will help soak up the upper layers.
9
Add two to three more layers of your other color. You are adding so many layers to make your lantern sturdy. If you don't use enough layers, your lamp will turn out flimsy.
10
Let the lantern dry. This may take 1 to 2 days. The lantern must be completely dry before you move on to the next step, or it will cave in on itself.
11
Decorate the lantern. You can use a black or gold permanent marker to draw a Chinese character on the lantern. You can also draw designs on the lantern using glue, and then sprinkle gold glitter over the glue. If you use glue to decorate the lantern, be sure to let it dry before moving on to the next step.
12
Pop the balloon and pull it out through the hole. This is now the top of your lantern. If the lantern caves in on itself, simply reach inside, and pop it back out into shape. At this point, you can also use some scissors to clean up the edges of the tissue paper.
13
Use a hole puncher to poke two holes in the top of the lantern. They need to be straight across from each other, or the lantern won't balance right.
14
Thread a long piece of string through both holes. Tie the ends of the string together into a tight knot.
15
Insert the light and hang the lantern. Switch on a battery-operated tea light and drop it into the lantern. You don't want to use a real candle or a light bulb, as both can lead to a fire. Use the string to hang the lantern.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Make a Chinese Lantern Candle Holder

1
Gather your supplies. This lantern is a little bit different from the rest. You can't hang it anywhere, because it is made from glass. You can, however, use it as a real candleholder. Try not to get it wet, however; you can wipe it clean with a damp cloth, but if you leave it sitting in water, the Mod Podge will flake off. Here's what you'll need to make this lantern:
- Short, squat jar
- Red tissue paper
- Mod Podge
- Paintbrush or foam brush
- Paper plate or palette
- Scissors
- Black paint
- Gold glitter, glue, sequins, markers, etc (optional)
2
Find a short, squat jar. You want the jar to be low with a wide mouth. It should be almost round or square in shape.
3
Clean the jar well, and dry it off. Use soap and warm water to wash it. You can also wipe it down with a cotton ball soaked in some rubbing alcohol. If there are any labels on the jar, be sure to remove them, or they will show up when you are done.
4
Cut or tear red tissue paper into small pieces. The pieces should be proportionate to the jar. For a very small jar, make the pieces about 1 inch (2.54 centimeters) big. For a larger jar, try something that is about 3 inches (7.62 centimeters) big.
5
Paint the entire jar using Mod Podge. You can use a paintbrush or a foam brush. If you are working on a large jar, you can paint a small section first.^{[3]
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- If you don't have any Mod Podge, you can mix one part white school glue with one part water.
6
Cover the entire jar with tissue paper, including the neck. Use your fingers or your paintbrush/foam brush to smooth the paper down so that you don't get any wrinkles. Try not to overlap the tissue paper too much, or the light won't shine through as well.
- It's okay if the tissue paper extends past the neck. You want the next to be covered, so that the paint will have something to stick to.
7
Wait for the jar to dry, then paint it with another layer of Mod Podge. This will seal the jar.^{[4]
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8
Trim the excess tissue paper off. Use your scissors to trim off the excess tissue paper from the top of the jar.^{[5]
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9
Paint the top edge/neck of the jar black. Squirt some black paint out onto a paper plate or a palette. Dip your paintbrush into the paint, and paint the entire neck of the jar black. This will resemble the top of the lantern.
10
Decorate the jar. Use a black marker or glitter glue to draw some symbols onto the lantern. You can use Chinese characters, dragons, yin-yang, and so forth. You can also glue on some sequins or loose glitter onto the lantern as well.
11
Let the lantern dry completely before you use it. You can use a real tea light inside the lantern, or a battery-operated tea light.