The purpose of this project was to investigate the effect of paper engineering on people's reactions to and interactions with illustrations.
I researched methods of paper engineering as well as artists who use paper engineering in their work. I gathered different kinds of paper for my experiments - sticker paper, temporary tattoo paper, tracing paper, etc. and I created a series of dummies using different book binding techniques, and even figured out how to bind a book in a new way from a picture and a brief description.
I decided to base the content of this project on Little Red Riding Hood to fit it in with my fairy tale monsters theme of my Authorship project. Keeping with that project, I designed the wolf with inspirations from the Rococo period in France, which came into fashion as Little Red Riding Hood was published for the first time over there. I gave him more a more detailed silhouette (on the fur) and decorative face than I would have done otherwise, and his clothes are based on clothing from that period. I really like how he turned out.
I needed a range of final pieces for this project, each using a different paper engineering or bookbinding technique. I also needed a "control" piece: an illustration that had not been paper engineered in any way. I ended up making a paper toy, a jointed puppet, 2 layered illustrations (one using acetate, the other using sticky pads), scratch-off cards, temporary tattoo finger puppets and a "magic" book. Had I not run out of time, I would have liked to use tracing paper, pop-up and crown binding especially, as well as a few of the other techniques I found within my research.
I decided that since I was investigating the difference in people's reactions and interaction with the pieces, each one had to use the same image, otherwise the experiment wouldn't be very fair. People might prefer one piece over another simply because the illustration is better rather than because it is paper engineered or not. As a result, I used the same 4 versions of a single image, printed and assembled in different ways. I also didn't want coour to be a distraction, although the colour red is iconic in the story. Resulting from this, the illustration I used was black and white with splashes of bright red.
I think the puppet works very well - I think it got the most interaction out of my videos with my class mates. Joe held and played with it for 55 seconds, Kacie for about 4 minutes total, Mel for 35 seconds, Emma for 57 seconds, and Cheryl for about 5 minutes.
I also think the paper toy is successful. If I had had more time I would have carried on the Russian doll theme - with one fitting inside the other - with the grandmother and the three little pigs, as I had done in the illustration itself. As Joe pointed out, paper toys would be useful as a promotional item as you could hand out the flat nets and have people make them themselves, which of course adds even more to the interactivity.
I was not so fond of the layered illustrations. I think the sticky pads definitely worked better than the acetate, but I would have liked the layers to be more obvious.
The scratch off cards were successful as a short-lived amusement, but I don't personally think there is anything special about them. Again, they might be worth developing into a self promotional item - they are business card sized, after all.
I absolutely loved the temporary tattoo finger puppets. I honestly wasn't expecting them to work very well, and when things started going wrong at first when we were trying to apply them I wasn't shocked. But when we realised what was going wrong, and got them to work, they were amazing. They definitely got the best reaction out of people - we were laughing and playing around with them for ages, and I was genuinely upset when mine rubbed off-, and everyone who saw them suggested that I design more and sell them, which may be a possibility in the future.
The "magic" book is probably my second favourite after the finger puppets. It, like the jointed puppet, held everyone's attention for a long time. Joe for over a minute, Kacie for 42 seconds, Mel for 52 seconds, Emma for 35 seconds and Cheryl for 51 seconds. Now that I know how to bind a book in this way, I can see myself using it again in the future.
Once I had my pieces ready, I filmed five of my classmates with them. I was looking for information such as which piece did they look at first, which one for the longest, did they smile more for some, etc. Only Joe picked up the 2D piece first, and no one held it or looked at it for more than about 5 seconds. As mentioned above, the puppet and the tattoo finger puppets got the best reactions out of people. With all the paper engineering pieces, people were laughing, smiling, gasping and asking questions about it, and some were requesting copies of the pieces, whereas the 2D piece was ignored.
This proves my hypotheses correct. There was definitely a difference in their reactions to "normal" art and paper engineered art. They did look at and hold the paper engineered pieces for a long time, longer than people would normally look at illustrations, and everyone but Joe looked at a paper engineered piece first.
As a result of this project, I will definitely be including paper engineering into my future pieces, especially self promotional items. Being paper engineered, there is more to look at, more to interact with, more to do on each piece so people are more likely to look at it for longer, hold it and play with it for longer, smile and laugh when they see it, and therefore more likely to keep it, especially in a prominent place. Paper toys, for instance, have become very popular as "desk toys", left on display on peoples desks. The longer someone looks at your work, the more likely they are to notice little details and appreciate and remember it (and you!)
As Joe said, "I really like this, I think the more interactive they are, sort of, the
more you can fiddle about with it and go *gasp* oooh! Wow! I think it
really does show the effort you put into it... you spend so much time on
the illustration itself, you want the person to take the time to
appreaciate it."
Wednesday, May 2
Video Notes
Subject 1: Joe
Joe picked up the non-paper-engineered piece first, but only held it for 3 seconds.
He picked up the puppet second, and smiled, saying "That's cool, I like that." He played with the puppet for 24 seconds.
3rd, he picked up the changing illustration. He held it for 22 seconds before talking about it, still in his hands, for an additional 10 seconds.
Next he picked up the acetate layers, at which point my camera glitches out (I was having various problems with it, hence the three videos for Joe and only 1 for everyone else. Had to run to a shop afterwards and buy new batteries). He puts it back after going through the pages without saying anything.
Next was the layered illustration with the sticky pads. He says it could have been better if it were on tracing paper. He held it for 5 seconds before beginning to talk about it.
He looked at the "magic" book for 1 minute and 7 seconds. He smiled immediately, and said "I really like this, I think the more interactive they are, sort of, the more you can fiddle about with it and go *gasp* oooh! Wow! I think it really does show the effort you put into it... you spend so much time on the illustration itself, you want the person to take the time to appreaciate it."
Next was the scratch-off stuff. (And a camera glitch)
Last was the paper toy. He smiled as he opened its mouth, and made a silly noise as he opened the seconds mouth, then laughed. "It's more playful than any of the others." He then played with them for a while. He held it for 55 seconds.
His favourite was the paper toy.
When asked about his least favourite, he picked up the 2D image and said "Well, that's boring because it's just the image itself..." Out of the paper engineered pieces his least favourite was the puppet.
Subject 2: Kacie
Kacie immediately started playing with the puppet. She gasped, and asked how it was made. "Amazing, I love this." She played with the puppet for 28 seconds.
Next was the paper toy. She laughed and said "Oh no!" as she opened the wolf's mouth to reveal Little Red Riding Hood. She played with it for 15 seconds.
Next was the scratch off cards. After getting Joe to help her scratch it she put it down pretty quickly.
She looked at the changing illustration for about 17 seconds after figuring out how it worked. "Amazing."
She looked at the layered illustration for about 5 seconds.
When she picked up the magic book she made a gasp-like noise. "*gasp* there's so much to do!" She made nosies of excitement, and smiled a lot. She was playing with it for 42 seconds.
Next was the acetate layers. "It's great 'cause you've got the one image, three layer sof one image, then you just went to town!" She was looking at them for 20 seconds.
"I like the box, because... I like hands-on things" She played with the paper toy for an extra 30 seconds.
Her favourite was the puppet, which she played with for an extra 2 minutes.
Her least favourite was the 2D non-engineered piece.
Subject 3: Mel
(at this point, Joe, Kacie, Mel and I had all done the temporary tattoo finger puppets)
She smiled as soon as she saw the pieces, and went for the acetate layers first. She laughed as she reached the last image. She looked at it for 20 seconds.
Next she looked at the changing illustration for 30 seconds.
3rd came the "magic" book. When I showed her the hidden spread she gasped and said "oh, hey, that's cool!" She looked at the book for 52 seconds.
She looked at the layered illustration for about 5 seconds.
She picked up the 2D piece, had a look and put it straight back down again.
She laughed at the paper toy, and played with the opening. She looked at it for 14 seconds.
She laughed again as she scratched away the scratch-off card. She said "oh that is fun!"
She smiled and played with the puppet for 35 seconds.
Her favourite was the finger puppets. If she were to choose something to put on her wall, she would pick the layered illustration.
Then my tutor starts shouting.
You can vaguely hear Mel say something about how she likes that the puppet can move around.
Subject 4: Emma
Emma looked at the layered illustration first, for 14 seconds.
Second, she looked at the changing illustration next and said it was clever.
Third she looked at the "magic" book for 35 seconds.
She looked at the acetate layers for about 22 seconds.
Next was the puppet. She laughed as soon as she started playing with it, and kept laughing throughout. She played with it for 57 seconds.
She looked at the 2D piece for about 3 seconds.
She laughed at the paper toy and held it for 30 seconds.
She smiled at the scratch-off card.
She said she liked the "magic" book, as it was clever and fun, and she liked the puppet as it was fun too.
Her least favourite is the acetate layers.
Subject 5: Cheryl
Cheryl looked at the acetate layered piece first, for 19 seconds.
Second, she looked at the "magic" book. When shown the secret spread she gasped. "wow" She was playing with it for about 51 seconds.
Next she looked at the changing illustration for 17 seconds.
She looked at the layered illustration next, for roughly 12 seconds.
She started smiling, laughing and playing with the puppet while making music for him to dance to. She played with it for 1 minute 5 seconds.
When she picked up the 2D piece she said "That's boring!" and put it down.
Next was the paper toy. She started playing with it and laughing for 13 seconds.
Finally she looked at the scratch-off cards for a minute and a half.
Her favourite is the puppet, which she played with for an extra 4 minutes.
Joe picked up the non-paper-engineered piece first, but only held it for 3 seconds.
He picked up the puppet second, and smiled, saying "That's cool, I like that." He played with the puppet for 24 seconds.
3rd, he picked up the changing illustration. He held it for 22 seconds before talking about it, still in his hands, for an additional 10 seconds.
Next he picked up the acetate layers, at which point my camera glitches out (I was having various problems with it, hence the three videos for Joe and only 1 for everyone else. Had to run to a shop afterwards and buy new batteries). He puts it back after going through the pages without saying anything.
Next was the layered illustration with the sticky pads. He says it could have been better if it were on tracing paper. He held it for 5 seconds before beginning to talk about it.
He looked at the "magic" book for 1 minute and 7 seconds. He smiled immediately, and said "I really like this, I think the more interactive they are, sort of, the more you can fiddle about with it and go *gasp* oooh! Wow! I think it really does show the effort you put into it... you spend so much time on the illustration itself, you want the person to take the time to appreaciate it."
Next was the scratch-off stuff. (And a camera glitch)
Last was the paper toy. He smiled as he opened its mouth, and made a silly noise as he opened the seconds mouth, then laughed. "It's more playful than any of the others." He then played with them for a while. He held it for 55 seconds.
His favourite was the paper toy.
When asked about his least favourite, he picked up the 2D image and said "Well, that's boring because it's just the image itself..." Out of the paper engineered pieces his least favourite was the puppet.
Subject 2: Kacie
Kacie immediately started playing with the puppet. She gasped, and asked how it was made. "Amazing, I love this." She played with the puppet for 28 seconds.
Next was the paper toy. She laughed and said "Oh no!" as she opened the wolf's mouth to reveal Little Red Riding Hood. She played with it for 15 seconds.
Next was the scratch off cards. After getting Joe to help her scratch it she put it down pretty quickly.
She looked at the changing illustration for about 17 seconds after figuring out how it worked. "Amazing."
She looked at the layered illustration for about 5 seconds.
When she picked up the magic book she made a gasp-like noise. "*gasp* there's so much to do!" She made nosies of excitement, and smiled a lot. She was playing with it for 42 seconds.
Next was the acetate layers. "It's great 'cause you've got the one image, three layer sof one image, then you just went to town!" She was looking at them for 20 seconds.
"I like the box, because... I like hands-on things" She played with the paper toy for an extra 30 seconds.
Her favourite was the puppet, which she played with for an extra 2 minutes.
Her least favourite was the 2D non-engineered piece.
Subject 3: Mel
(at this point, Joe, Kacie, Mel and I had all done the temporary tattoo finger puppets)
She smiled as soon as she saw the pieces, and went for the acetate layers first. She laughed as she reached the last image. She looked at it for 20 seconds.
Next she looked at the changing illustration for 30 seconds.
3rd came the "magic" book. When I showed her the hidden spread she gasped and said "oh, hey, that's cool!" She looked at the book for 52 seconds.
She looked at the layered illustration for about 5 seconds.
She picked up the 2D piece, had a look and put it straight back down again.
She laughed at the paper toy, and played with the opening. She looked at it for 14 seconds.
She laughed again as she scratched away the scratch-off card. She said "oh that is fun!"
She smiled and played with the puppet for 35 seconds.
Her favourite was the finger puppets. If she were to choose something to put on her wall, she would pick the layered illustration.
Then my tutor starts shouting.
You can vaguely hear Mel say something about how she likes that the puppet can move around.
Subject 4: Emma
Emma looked at the layered illustration first, for 14 seconds.
Second, she looked at the changing illustration next and said it was clever.
Third she looked at the "magic" book for 35 seconds.
She looked at the acetate layers for about 22 seconds.
Next was the puppet. She laughed as soon as she started playing with it, and kept laughing throughout. She played with it for 57 seconds.
She looked at the 2D piece for about 3 seconds.
She laughed at the paper toy and held it for 30 seconds.
She smiled at the scratch-off card.
She said she liked the "magic" book, as it was clever and fun, and she liked the puppet as it was fun too.
Her least favourite is the acetate layers.
Subject 5: Cheryl
Cheryl looked at the acetate layered piece first, for 19 seconds.
Second, she looked at the "magic" book. When shown the secret spread she gasped. "wow" She was playing with it for about 51 seconds.
Next she looked at the changing illustration for 17 seconds.
She looked at the layered illustration next, for roughly 12 seconds.
She started smiling, laughing and playing with the puppet while making music for him to dance to. She played with it for 1 minute 5 seconds.
When she picked up the 2D piece she said "That's boring!" and put it down.
Next was the paper toy. She started playing with it and laughing for 13 seconds.
Finally she looked at the scratch-off cards for a minute and a half.
Her favourite is the puppet, which she played with for an extra 4 minutes.
Tuesday, May 1
Experiment Process
Now that I have a range of paper engineered pieces (and one 2D piece) I am ready to start the main part of this project - gauging peoples' reactions to the paper engineering in comparison to "normal" artwork.
I am preparing to head to uni with a camera (and spare batteries, spare SD card, SPARE EVERYTHING) and my work, to hunt down the friends that have said they wouldn't mind me filming them. And possibly to pounce on a few other unsuspecting co-workers while they wait for the printer or something.
I will give each person a brief explanation of what I need from them - to look at each object, play with it, speak aloud any initial thoughts.
I will show each person the finals of this project - both the paper engineered pieces and the totally flat 2D one.
The totally flat 2D one will act as a control.
I will let them have a look or a play with each piece for as long as they like until they are ready to answer my questions.
Questions:
1. Do you think paper engineering adds any special element to the work, or is it unnecessary?
2. Which object is your favourite?
3. Which object is your least favourite?
What I won't be telling them (unless they for some reason read this blog befor eI get to uni) - what I will find out from letting them look at each piece in turn:
1. Which piece do they look at FIRST?
2. Which piece do they look at the LONGEST?
3. Do they automatically pick up some pieces, or leave others on the table ignored?
4. How do they react - more interested in some pieces? Exclamations? Curiosity? Even do they smile more?
Hypothesis:
I expect that:
1. They will look at an engineered piece first
2. They will look at one of the engineered pieces the longest (I reckon the "magic" book)
3. They will react differently to the engineered pieces compared to the flat piece.
I am preparing to head to uni with a camera (and spare batteries, spare SD card, SPARE EVERYTHING) and my work, to hunt down the friends that have said they wouldn't mind me filming them. And possibly to pounce on a few other unsuspecting co-workers while they wait for the printer or something.
I will give each person a brief explanation of what I need from them - to look at each object, play with it, speak aloud any initial thoughts.
I will show each person the finals of this project - both the paper engineered pieces and the totally flat 2D one.
The totally flat 2D one will act as a control.
I will let them have a look or a play with each piece for as long as they like until they are ready to answer my questions.
Questions:
1. Do you think paper engineering adds any special element to the work, or is it unnecessary?
2. Which object is your favourite?
3. Which object is your least favourite?
What I won't be telling them (unless they for some reason read this blog befor eI get to uni) - what I will find out from letting them look at each piece in turn:
1. Which piece do they look at FIRST?
2. Which piece do they look at the LONGEST?
3. Do they automatically pick up some pieces, or leave others on the table ignored?
4. How do they react - more interested in some pieces? Exclamations? Curiosity? Even do they smile more?
Hypothesis:
I expect that:
1. They will look at an engineered piece first
2. They will look at one of the engineered pieces the longest (I reckon the "magic" book)
3. They will react differently to the engineered pieces compared to the flat piece.
Sunday, April 29
Inside the Wolf
The Wolf
Little Red Riding Hood in the Wolf's stomach
The Grandmother in Little Red Riding Hood's stomach, in the Wolf.
(In some versions the wolf would trick LRRH into eating her grandmother)
(In some versions the wolf would trick LRRH into eating her grandmother)
The Three Little Pigs in the Grandmother's stomach, in Little Red Riding Hood's stomach, in the Wolf
(For funsies)
The final image may end up being used as my 2D "control" image for my upcoming "experiment".
The four images together will be layered using acetate or sticky pads.
The four images together will be layered using acetate or sticky pads.
Friday, April 27
This Is Happening.
I have some paper that can be put into a normal printer and then whatever you print on it becomes a temporary tattoo. Lots of fun to be had, so I had to try and find a way to incorporate it into this project.
Those, people, are the designs for temporary tattoo FINGER PUPPETS.
Oh yes.
Do they look awesome? Yes.
Are they too small? Most likely.
Will they work? I'm gonna bet no.
Will I try anyway? Hell yes.
Those, people, are the designs for temporary tattoo FINGER PUPPETS.
Oh yes.
Do they look awesome? Yes.
Are they too small? Most likely.
Will they work? I'm gonna bet no.
Will I try anyway? Hell yes.
Wolf Puppet II
This was a test of proportions, usability and colour.
Proportions - good.
Usability - very easy. Have spent ages repositioning the ears. It's addictive.
Colour - I like the red, but I think once the wolf is coloured, the suit being left white looks odd. I want to use virtually no colour in order for it not to be distracting from the paper engineering, and doesn't distract my participants when it comes to filming their reactions to the pieces (as colour is not important in my experiments). However, in Little Red Riding Hood, the colour red is iconic.
Good thing I like the red.
Final pieces of this project will be black and white with areas of bright red.
Sunday, February 5
Content
Now that I have looked into the practical aspects of this project and done all the artist research I need, I can start thinking about what I'm going to do with it all. It was always my intention to link this project with my Final Major Project through the fairy tale / monster content.
My options were to either;
Do a range of stories, tailored to the paper engineering aspect in question (e.g. The Princess and the Pea would be perfect for embossing),
or
Focus on one story, making effectiveness comparisons between pieces easier.
Due to the potential for a fairer conclusion, and to not overload myself with work, I have chosen to focus on one story. I originally wanted this project to focus on more well known, traditional fairy tales or monsters than my FMP might do, but if I can tie it in with my FMP so that any pieces can be a part of either project that would be fantastic.
I have chosen Little Red Riding Hood for the following reasons:
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD - information.
Rococo developed as a reaction against the strict rules of Baroque. "Rococo artists opted for a more jocular, florid and graceful approach to Baroque and and architecture. Rococo art and architecture in such a way was ornate and made strong usage of creamy, pastel-like colours, assymetrical designs, curves and gold."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Red_Riding_Hood
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rococo
My options were to either;
Do a range of stories, tailored to the paper engineering aspect in question (e.g. The Princess and the Pea would be perfect for embossing),
or
Focus on one story, making effectiveness comparisons between pieces easier.
Due to the potential for a fairer conclusion, and to not overload myself with work, I have chosen to focus on one story. I originally wanted this project to focus on more well known, traditional fairy tales or monsters than my FMP might do, but if I can tie it in with my FMP so that any pieces can be a part of either project that would be fantastic.
I have chosen Little Red Riding Hood for the following reasons:
- It is a well known, traditional fairy tale everyone has heard. Therefore the iconography will be instantly recognisable.
- It can fit into my Major Project due to the wolf - he could be classed as a 'monster', or taken to another level and turned into a werewolf.
- The story gives me quite a few traditional fairy tale aspects and characters to work with: a young maiden, a grandmother, a talking animal, a wolf, disguise, a forest, a cottage.
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD - information.
- The story is apparently originally French, though other countries have their own versions, and the tale may have oriental roots.
- The first version to be published was in 1697 by Charles Perrault.
- Early variations (before the 1697 publication) sometimes had the wolf as a werewolf or ogre,
- The wolf would sometimes leave the grandmother's blood and meat for the girl to eat,
- Sometimes the wolf would ask the girl to remove her clothing and toss it in the fire,
- The girl is sometimes invited into the bed with the wolf, where he eats her. No happy ending.
- The Brothers Grimm recorded a "sequel" in which the girl and the grandmother, having been saved by the woodsman, and based on their experience with one wolf, trap and kill another.
Rococo developed as a reaction against the strict rules of Baroque. "Rococo artists opted for a more jocular, florid and graceful approach to Baroque and and architecture. Rococo art and architecture in such a way was ornate and made strong usage of creamy, pastel-like colours, assymetrical designs, curves and gold."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Red_Riding_Hood
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rococo
Thursday, February 2
Tuesday, January 31
Changing Illustrations
Way back when in the Movable Books post, I came across changing illustrations. I figured out how to do this on my foundation course; it is essentially just 2 sets of overlapping tabs. The application is obvious: People will interact with the illustration in order to make it change into the next one.
Puncturing
Puncturing the paper (in this instance with a sewing needle) creates a surprisingly noticeable effect. It looks great when then placed over a dark background, but looks amazing when held up to a light. It is possible to create a sort of "shading", using different sized holes at different spacing.
Layers and Paper Cuts
1. Pull-out peep show - The viewer can look through the peep hole to reveal many layers of a scene, almost making it 3D. It can be squashed down flat.
2. Paper cuts - Can be very intricate and detailed. Layered papercuts work very well, as in the peacock piece.
3. Layers and light - obviously, the more layers there are the less the light shines through.
Embossing
I was surprised at how much detail it is possible to achieve with a simple cheap embossing tool. Lettering is no problem for it, I even tried embossing from an old piece of letterpress (the letter E, bottom of the top picture). I think my favourite result has got to be the pocket watch (second from bottom).
The thicker the paper, the harder it is to get the detail showing through. For the bottom picture, I was using 300gsm. I found that the side pressed to the surface gets a better result than the other side, if you press really hard with the tool. Like, reverse embossing.
I also tried it on handmade paper, which did not work at all.
This method could be great for adding textures, or little hidden elements in illustrations.
Paper Toy
A quick paper toy I made of a zombie using a very simple net - essentially just a cube, with an opening mouth. I definitely want to make some paper toys in this project. This particular one was originally created as a self promotion idea, which I still think is a good idea. Any that I make for this project could have a double agenda, and also be used for self promotion with my details written on the underside, as they are on this one.
An illustration becoming 3D from 2D changes the way people think about it, especially if it is a process they went through themselves, as with paper toys. The nets are handed out or printed on paper, and the recipient, not the illustrator/designer, makes the final product.
Wednesday, January 18
All Shapes and Sizes
Could have tall and thin books or short and fat books. Each would change the shape of the illustrations and what you could show in them. For example if the story was about a giant, a tall and thin book would easily show the whole giant, while a short and fat (landscape, basically) book might only show the giant's feet.
Children's books are often over-sized. However, Beatrix Potter's books were often tiny - for tiny hands.
An earlier post inspired me to make a series of matchbox-sized books.
If I was to make a very tiny book, I could make tiny illustrations that the viewer would need a magnifying glass to see properly. Would be fun!
Also consider shaped books - different constraints to the regular 4 sided shape.
Concertina Book
Landscape Books
Obviously good for landscapes! Or comics... Having a landscape format can completely change the composition of an image. Long images rather than tall images.
"Magic" Book
From THIS POST: (click)
"...a book that when opened continues to fold back on itself until it becomes flat again. Then, what was once the spine can be opened to reveal "more than two" double page spreads. I think I have been successful in figuring out how to make this book from that description; Something along the lines of a Jacob's ladder. Obviously this would open up amazing opportunities for illustrations!"
Based on the principle of a Jacob's ladder. Obviously the paper strips would cover exactly a third of the book in the 'real thing'. Sections of each illustration become covered with the paper strips or revealed, therefore sections can be changed, as if by magic!
Crown Binding
I figured out this method of bookbinding from a picture. The pages are 'loose', and only held in by a couple of folds of paper from the spine. This means they can 'pop out' and be put back in in a different order or replaced entirely. Fantastic for interactivity.
Could have a story that can be re-arranged and still make sense.
Could have little 3D scenes or fold-out items that pop out to create a world - the book and spine simply act as packaging.
Pages Bigger Than Their Books
Double page spreads can be folded out to two or three (or more) times their bound size, resulting in hidden portions of a larger overall illustration. The pages can be unfolded to reveal the illustration underneath. The proportions bring to mind height, or depth. If there are multiple bits to unfold, it could work somewhat like a piece of paper-mation. The first illustration is hidden completely with the first unfolding, revealing a second. Half of that illustration is hidden with the next unfolding, revealing more. A third of that illustration is hidden, and double that size revealed with another unfolding, and so on. Could be great for something flying or sinking.
Books Folded From A Single Sheet Of Paper
These books can perform two functions - both a book and a larger single image or poster. Cheap, easy and quick to make. Great for self promotional things.
The first method creates 8 pages, including front and back.
Steps:
Fold an A4 piece of paper in half vertically. Unfold.
Fold it in half horizontally, and fold it in half again the same way. Unfold.
Cut down the middle, so that it is essentially a 'loop' of paper.
Fold into a book.
The second method creates 14 pages, including front and back.
Steps:
Fold an A4 piece of paper into thirds, vertically. Unfold.
Fold it in half and in half again horizontally. Unfold.
Holding it horizontally, cut along the top crease from the left to 1 square in from the right.
Cut the bottom crease from the right to 1 square in from the left.
Fold into a book.
Friday, January 13
Proposed Experiments
- Scale - both large and tiny books / single images
- Landscape vs portrait
- Crown binding
- Concertina books
- Pages can can fold out bigger than the book
- Shaped books
- 'Magic' book
- Pop-up
- Changing illustrations
- Wheels, doors, etc. Interactivity.
- Pop-out rooms - paper doll house.
- Paper dolls
- Movable puppets
- Shadow puppets
- Tattoo paper
- Embossing
- Layers
- Translucency
- Puncturing
- 3D models
- Papertoys
- Origami
- Play with light
- Cam systems
- Pull-out peep shows
- Papermation
- Quilling
Research Summary
- I need to think about the paper I'm using, from gsm to cardboard to unusual papers...
- ...Like temporary tattoo paper!
- Papertoys are amazing and I want to make lots. Also maybe good self promo?
- Papertoys can use the same base, but coloured and inked differently to produce different characters in the same shape.
- Pepakura software can help to create complex 3D models.
- Try puncturing the paper...
- ...Or embossing...
- ...Or quilling.
- Think about lighting - can shine through papers.
- Also think about translucency - tracing paper and vellum?
- Papercuts can look amazing, and don't have to use just one colour.
- Try layering papercuts.
- Pop-ups can be both simple and complex, but always look awesome.
- Paper can be glued to create 3D models like the clockwork birds.
- Paper can be both embossed and layered or glued to create almost 3D illustrations, or actual sculptures.
- A similar effect can be created with layers.
- Niroot Puttapipat changes the colours on each of his layers to great effect
- If enough layers are put together they can create the impression of a 3D object (Scott Campbell's money)...
- ... Or create an actual free-standing 3D object (Sigrid Spier).
- Play with scale.
- Sometimes really simple things work wonders (cut paper for fish kites to fly when blown)
- Paper-clay exists.
- Sculptures can be made of washi paper.
- Origami can be 'softened' to create really amazing figures.
- Illustrations can change 'magically' with a pull tab.
- Pull out peep shows!
- It's possible to make a cam system that actually works, all from paper.
- Joints can make amazing movable puppets...
- ...And shadow puppets.
- Cuts in paper can be used to reveal (or cover up) segments of the next (or last) illustration.
- Simple slots can make something 2D 3D.
- Papermation! - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S62pw1AAhMc
Paper-mation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S62pw1AAhMc
An amazing piece of 'animation', created by flipping pieces of paper. With each turn, the previous figure is covered up and replaced by the next pose in the movement.
An amazing piece of 'animation', created by flipping pieces of paper. With each turn, the previous figure is covered up and replaced by the next pose in the movement.
Pepakura
http://www.tamasoft.co.jp/pepakura-en/
This software converts 3D digital models into nets to be printed, cut out and folded into complex papertoys. Could come in VERY handy if I ever learn to adequately use a 3D modelling software...
This software converts 3D digital models into nets to be printed, cut out and folded into complex papertoys. Could come in VERY handy if I ever learn to adequately use a 3D modelling software...
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