While every great book should have characters so vividly described that they jump off the page, it’s infinitely cooler to have people, creatures, and scenes that literally pop up with every page that’s turned.
Pop-ups are not only exciting to read, they’re even more fun to make. Whether you plan to create a greeting card complete with a birthday cake and candles, or a mini mystery book featuring a killer carrot that hides out in the crisper, you need to know the pop-up engineering basics. Here’s how to get started.
» SCISSORS
» PENCIL
» CONSTRUCTION PAPER
» GLUE OR GLUE STICK
» TAPE
» MAGAZINE CUTOUTS IMAGES AND LETTERS
» EXTRA DECORATIONS (OPTIONAL) SUCH AS PIPE CLEANERS, STRING, FABRIC, GOOGLY EYES
Photography by Sam Murphy (top) and Bonnie Burton (bottom)
One of the most basic kinds of pop-up is the box support, which holds the object in place when the card is open. In order for the pop-up to work, you’ll be making the box support on the fold of the card, so that when it opens at a 90° angle you can see the scene come to life.
2. Lightly draw a rectangle across the fold.
1. Fold a piece of construction paper in half either vertically or horizontally.
3. Cut along the lines that cross the fold, but not the end lines of the rectangle. You don’t want to fully cut out the rectangle shape. »
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