Rustic wood siding - templates in progress

After putting in the wiring channels, I discovered that the recessed ceiling lights would have to be installed before the exterior siding, which is exactly the opposite of what I wanted to do. I prefer to mount siding when the walls are unassembled so I can press them flat to dry as needed. But, I had a lot of success using drawing paper templates for the Heritage attic walls, so that would be my solution.

Even though I am not ready to install the siding yet, I decided to work on the templates today. I bought a package of 12" x 18" black construction paper since the store I was at didn't have larger sheets of colored drawing paper.

I used Aleene's Quick Dry glue to attach the Corona Concepts 3/4" birch siding strips to the paper templates, covering any holes in the template for now. Even though I planned to paint instead of stain, I was still careful to keep glue off the exterior surface.

I pressed the templates flat to dry under magazines. Once dry, I cut the openings in each piece. I tested the fit to make sure everything was working.