Customer Reviews

The Pocket Paper Engineer, Volume I: Basic Forms: How to Make Pop-Ups Step-by-Step

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Carol Barton has created the ultimate instruction book for anyone who is would like to learn to use pop-ups in their creative work- and there may be more of you than you think. The potential for the use of pop-ups becomes limitless with the information from this guide.

Moveable books is not a new art. But this book takes the art form of pop-ups into the realm of possibilities. It begins with basic structures and progresses in nice, slow steps into complex, multi-layered pop-ups. It is the gift of the author to be able to describe and explain each step so that even beginners can follow easily. From basic box shapes it continues through triangles (including doubles and upside down), combinations of both and onto many different layered designs. Each step includes a pattern with all the spare parts needed that the reader/artist can use to make that pop-up card. This hands-on approach is what sets it above other instruction books of this kind. It is also possible to order a complete set of these samples if you do not want to cut up the ones in the book. Each chapter has a pocket to hold both the spare parts and the finished card. Very clever. Introductory chapters describe how pop-ups work, basic supply lists and hints to further creativity, final chapters examine safety and suppliers and the importance of paper grain. Well chosen quotes adorn each manila chapter divider.

The Pocket Paper Engineer is concrete enough to walk anyone thorough the steps of making a pop-up card but it also gives clear, concise instructions to enable the reader to take the information onto any level they desire. It stretches the imagination in many directions as it expands the journey from flat creations into three dimensional art.

This spiral bound work would be a wonderful gift for authors, card makers, scrap bookers and other visual artists. It is appropriate for both beginners and advanced paper crafters and artists. Its sturdy construction will allow it to become a permanent reference book in any collection. We can look forward to the future since this in Volume I in a planned series of how to books on this subject.

For added wonder be sure to follow the author link below to explore Ms Barton's other work as she expands the traditional boundaries of literature. Fascinating for both art and literature lovers.

This is more than a "how-to-do" book - it has several examples for the readers to try out the techniques & principles. And it has pockets to store them. I think it's a great idea that extra packets of examples are provided at extra cost in case you made a mistake or don't want to use the ones already in the book. It also will give us (especially pop-up book collectors and artists) a greater appreciation and understanding of how the pop-up books are designed and created. What makes this book even more interesting and entertaining are the quotes placed on different pages relating to creative endeavors. But the bottom line is that it's a great reference guide for any future pop-up book projects!

Of the several how-to books I own on creating & designing pop-ups, this book disappointed me.
The vast majority is devoted to what is basically one pop-up technique, and the author gives numerous variations on that one type of pop-up as if each were entirely different. Yes, this book is simple & easy to use... great for those who want to play a bit -- or people who work with kids.
For true pop-up explorers however, pop-up mechanisms such as floating layers, scenery flats, boxes, etc. are not included in this book. To really dig into the subject of pop-ups and paper engineering, look elsewhere.

I bought both this and Volume 2. Returned Volume 1 and am not too thrilled with Volume 2. I have much better books on the same information which include easier to understand instructions, illustrations and certainly a much broader spectrum of challenges. Artfully illustrated but too limited in my opinion. It covers only one technique many time over. Volume 2 goes just a little beyond that! As a design instructor I used the art of "POP UP" as a tool for my students to use paper engineering to exercise their critical thinking skills. I would not have included either volume in my recommended reading for that purpose. It is more of a "cut and paste what is already provided" example of a very limited number of techniques.

I've just read the other posted reviews, and I have to add that this book is, in itself, a work of art. There isn't a single aspect of it that isn't tastefully and professionally designed. The front and back of every page and every template are exquisitely rendered, and the how-to aspects are clear and understandable. It's one thing to have the skills to create imaginative pop-ups, and quite another to be able to convey it as naturally and intuitively for the reader as Carol does. I don't have the heart to tear out the perforated patterns on my copy, so it's fabulous that complete replacement sets of the inserts are available. This book is a welcome and rich addition to the world of pop-up. (signed) Andrew Baron, winner of the Movable Book Society 2004 Meggendorfer prize for Best Published Paper Engineered book.

Carol Barton has captured the essence of paper engineering and presented it so clearly that anyone will be delighted to make the samples included in her step by step examples. However, for myself, I preferred to order the Extra Cards so I could leave the book in tact. What a terrific idea to offer Extra Cards for the samples! Using children's artwork aids the accessibility of the information but does not detract from the awareness that advanced creators can employ the forms for more sophisticated endeavors. I note the cover says: Volume 1: Basic Forms. I look forward to Volume 2 and hope it is in the near future.

the Pocket Paper Engineer book is very informative from tools that you'll need to templates for a variety of designs. The only negative i have is that i wish it wasn't on spiral for greater ease of removal of the templates.

I purchased this book for my 10 year old son who has a penchant for making things out of folded paper and tape. Although his usual Saturday routine would be to turn on cartoons for a couple hours, instead he opened up this book which we had just received and proceeded to plow through the first 7 or 8 projects. Each lesson clearly explains one pop-up concept with an accompanying tear-out sheet to do it yourself. He worked steadily and was extremely proud of his progress and only asked for assistance when the projects began needing an Exacto blade. With very little help he was able to tackle those projects as well. Later he was able to reproduce the pop-ups on his own without referring to the directions.

The book isn't just for kids and the art is retro-hip and pleasing to look at. I did a couple as well and then "popped out" a hand-made father's day card for my dad. I am planning to get the next book in the series.

The Pocket Paper Engineer is the easiest, most concise and most fun guide I have seen on the subject of pop-up mechanisms. Carol Barton reveals the big secret to it all: even the most complex seeming structures stem from the most basic engineering. Try out the samples and see how far you can push the elements to really make them your own!

Below is an edited version of the note I sent to the author, Carol Barton, after receiving my (first) copy of Pocket Paper Engineer:

Dear Carol,

Yesterday I received my copy of PPE and wanted to let you know how delighted I am with the book. Wow! I had ordered it as a gift but when I saw it, I immediately ordered two more -- one for myself and another as a gift for my daughter (she's a magazine publisher).

I've been making pop-ups for 25 years and have copies of most pop-up how-to books that I know of, including some long out of print. I've taught pop-up book making and even made an "award-winning" pop-up (audience favorite). We've been in touch before back in the 1990s. You sent me some slides of your work. Your book is unique in that it is itself an artist's book. Colour, dimensions, texture, images, layout -- they're all perfect. It's all I can do to restrain myself from taking out the exacto knife on the copy I've got rather than waiting for my own copy to arrive in the mail.

My immediate question is: when is volume two coming out? Will you be doing pull-tab mechanisms, too?

Best regards,