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

~ (Author) "There is magic in opening a flat page to reveal a three-dimensional form, and the magicians behind this magic are paper engineers..." (more)
Key Phrases: bone folder, sample card, side layers, Pop-Up Combinations, Pop-Up Design, Pop-Up Variations

Editorial Reviews

Review

A brilliant book which explains in detail how to make popups. Starting with a short history of paper engineering and the mechanics of how to make 3-D forms come alive. The simple concept of a pop-up delights everyone. From the easiest of folds to the more complicated constructs with layered movement that pulls out from the page when opened. It's a must to start at the beginning of this book, as all materials and directions are neatly explained. The language is aimed at a young audience, but this is great when introducing precise techniques neede to make pop-ups work. The design of the book, with its oversized portrait layout and spiral bind gives the reader the feeling they are entering a great hands-on instruction manual rather than a sit-in-bed under-the-covers kinda book. -- Whip Up Blog Archive, February 9, 2008

Barton's book, with its handsome portfolio-style packaging complete with tabs,...foldout pages, and practice sheets is a beautiful tool.... -- National Art Education Assoc. News, February 2006

Carol Barton's pop-up workbook is glorious! Unique and delightfully playful, her work continues the time-honored tradition of movables in books. -- Robert Sabuda, prize-winning paper engineer, October 2005

I'm in love with Carol Barton's book "The Pocket Paper Engineer," a step-by-step guide to designing and executing pop-up effects with paper. Most of the examples focus on grown-up uses for pop-ups--effective presentations and so on--but it's really easy to see how you could use this with kids (or friends) to make wicked-cool art. The book carefully guides you through progressively more amibitious popups, in a clear and easy-to-follow style with tons of illustrations and examples. The author promises more volumes with even more advanced techniques. -- Cory Doctorow, BoingBoing.com, July 15, 2007

Imagine having the ability to make one of those beautiful, intricate pop-up books or cards that make young and old alike ooh and ahh over your handiwork. Think you couldn't do it? Well, with Carol Barton's help you just might. Barton's book, "The Pocket Paper Engineer" is divided by actual tabs into five categories for easy referral. Those categories are: Directions, Boxes, Triangles, Combinations and Variations, and Layers. Each category gives a page of explanation: a step-by-step illustrated instruction guide; a photo of the finished pop-up; a handy tear-out practice sheet complete with detailed, labeled cut lines drawn in; and a pocket for storage of completed projects.... A unique gift for the amateur artist, "The Pocket Paper Engineer" provides hours of artistic fun easy enough for children to conquer and entertaining enough for an adult who likes to fiddle around with crafts. -- Bookpleasures.com, Fall 2003

It is not so much a book as a hands-on workshop, illustrated...by all sorts of wonderful pop-ups throughout. -- BALLAST Quarterly Review, Summer 2005

Recently I gave my art education class an assignment to create a book for children to introduce them to architecture and an appreciation of historic styles. What began as a rather academic assignment turned into a three-dimensional fun-fest after I presented Carol Barton's manual on how to create pop-up books. With Barton's simple-to-follow diagrams of basic pop-up techniques, the students' building illustrations went beyond just informational notes to becoming fanciful structures that one could walk around and enter. In her book, Ms. Barton does an excellent job of explaining all the steps that lift any flat art project into space, allowing it to come to life.... For kids, a natural interest in the subject makes them perfect candidates to become "pocket paper engineers." -- National Association of Art Educators News, February 2006

We've always wondered how they get (pop-ups) to work. We figured we would never know...until (this) new book. -- The Hartford Courant, January 20, 2006

Would-be architects and engineers will enjoy this introduction to the art of making pop-ups. Unlike many books on the subject, this one does not offer elaborate projects. Instead, Barton explains the mechanics behind basic forms and techniques. Although today pop-ups and "movables" are often associated with children's books, the author points out that as early as the fifteenth century, such constructions were used in scientific texts for fields like astronomy and human anatomy. Included in the spiral-bound volume are simple but sophisticated projects that can be cut out and constructed, designed so that "the beauty of their underlying geometries can be readily comprehended and appreciated." Teachers will find this book a useful classroom resource (if they can keep students from taking their scissors to the book). It would also make an excellent gift for a budding paper engineer.... -- Voice of Youth Advocates Magazine, February 2006

Review

"Carol Barton's pop-up workbook is glorious! Unique and delightfully playful, her work continues the time-honored tradition of movables in books."  —Robert Sabuda, author, Winter's Tale: An Original Pop-Up Journey

"Most of the examples focus on grown-up uses for popups—effective presentations and so on—but it's really easy to see how you could use this with kids (or friends) to make wicked-cool art."  —BoingBoing.net

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 67 pages
• Publisher: Popular Kinetics Press; 1st edition (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0962775207
• ISBN-13: 978-0962775208
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #11,147 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Paper art for all, July 22, 2006

By	www.frontstreetreviews.com "Front Street Reviews" - See all my reviews

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.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Pop-Up Reference Book, May 29, 2006

By	Andrew Borloz (New Jersey) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making your own pop-ups can be simple and fun!, September 12, 2006

By	Reader Views "www.readerviews.com" (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

Reviewed by Kelli Glesige for Reader Views (08/06)

Author Carol Barton has taken her twenty years of experience in the art of paper engineering, design, and bookbinding to compile an excellent instruction book on how to construct pop-ups. Concepts are presented in simple form with do-it-yourself models to make and refer back to. Handy pockets are included for storage of the finished projects.

I, for one, have always been fascinated with pop-ups, usually found in children's books. Opening a flat page of a book to reveal a three-dimensional form is the premise behind this workbook and is a part of what a paper engineer creates. I was thrilled to see just how easily the included cards can be assembled. I intend to take what I have learned and put it to use in my scrapbooking projects as well as on some greeting card ideas.

A pop-up is defined by its automatic movement, pulling out and away from the pages of a book or card as it is opened. Pop-ups come alive when a page is opened, and different pop-ups work better with pages opened at a right angle or slightly more. Pop-ups might be confused with the Eastern art of folding paper forms called origami, but the difference lies in the factor of movement created by pop-ups.

"The Pop-Up Paper Engineer" is a spiral bound workbook with sixteen do-it-yourself cards, allowing one to get experience in the particular pop-up form presented. The two most basic forms are the box and the triangle, and clear step-by-step instructions are included and thoroughly explained. Combinations of the basic box and triangle forms can be combined to create more complex designs while layered pop-ups will give even more versatility. This is a great resource if you want to learn what's behind the fascination of creating pop-ups. The spiral binding makes for easy opening and page turning, plus the projects can be easily removed. Basic supplies needed to construct pop-ups are covered along with the history of paper engineering and how it's been used.

I highly recommend this workbook if you are into paper crafting or scrapbooking. You will see just how easy it is to spark up your projects by including pop-ups on your pages! Your imagination will get a workout!