Paper Forest

Carved Complexities, Show Opening in Los Angeles Tonight!

2012-02-04T09:05:00.000-08:00

Lucrezia Bieler, Rattle Race 20x20

Charles Clary, Radimafungle Transduction Movement #1
12x12

Beatrice Coron, Market Value 10x10

I have been a big fan of Gallery Nucleus in Alhambra, California for some time. The space is great and the openings are always a good time. If you live in the Los Angeles area and are reading this blog, you really need to make a stop tonight for the Carved Complexities show!

Show Description:

For many, crafting with paper and scissors might be considered one of the earliest introductions to art. While some have ventured off to experiement other methods of artistry, a loyal few have indulged in their fascination with paper cut to produce works simple in context yet startlingly enigmatic in precision. Gallery Nucleus invites you to revisit the fundamental medium of paper and blade with "Carved Complexities," an exhibition featuring a select group of renowned paper cut artists who elevate the form of paper cutting to new heights of detail and imagination.

Exhibiting Artists Include:

Beatrice Coron
Charles Clary
Haruka
Hunter Stabler
Julene Harrison
Kevin Jay Stanton
Lucrezia Bieler
Matthew Shlian

Season's Greeting 2011: The Grand Advent-ture

2012-01-06T00:53:00.000-08:00

Holiday Greeting 2011--May Your Days Be Merry & Bright!

(Mini advent tree card shown opened and displayed on the built-in pop-up stand.)

It's that time of year, when we can share what we came up with for the holiday season's greeting. This year, I wanted to make a mini-advent calendar, just the last five days of December mind you. I'd have to have started in May to get a 100 of a full 25-day advent cards made. As it was I was starting even later than usual. And even though I strove to keep the design as simple as possible, I admit the cards whupped me. I was injured, unwell, exhausted, and cold, still struggling at 5am to get a stack of 50 cards out into the mail on the last possible day when an angel appeared. (Or at least someone with the spirit of Christmas---cards!)

But even before that, my traditional Christmas angel, my card creation partner, Mike Fullerton of Precision Graphic Systems*, Inc. (AKA; the wonderful friend with a laser cutter) worked overtime to get the dieline right and to produce the 100 laser cut cards for me and the 30 for himself. I learned so much on the project about what the laser cutting can do creatively and how to use Adobe Illustrator more proficiently from him. He is a master. Here's how they came together... and nearly didn't:

1. Once I got the card concept, I made a paper rough to size to develop how I might save time and make the cards using a laser only with no additional printing. I photographed the rough with my notes and emailed it to Mark in San Diego, California.

2. After creating the dieline for him in the most laborious way possible (created the art in Photoshop and then had to render it over again in Illustrator as the export of PS paths created far too many points for the laser.) I finally got Mark a workable file, going back and forth together. Even so, there were alterations to the perforations that Mark and to make on the fly when the uber thick paper I sent him down to use proved too substantial to work as planned. One specific to highlight Mark's cleverness, was that my initial perforations all around the advent windows wouldn't lift cleanly and open on such heavy stock. Mark changed the file to make the windows cut cleanly instead with merely two little "gaps" in the perforation which became perfect little "hinges" for the windows when opened. (You can see the precision up close in image 5 above.)

I received stacks of cards from Mark as he finished them. It was rewarding to see my concept quickly returned looking polished and professional, each shape and scoreline kissed by the laser as directed.

3. The card was designed to zig-zag fold three of the six panels in order to create a triple layer stack for the tree that embeds a hand-decorated layer in between the pre-cut windows and a backing.

I inked each window interior in various color combinations and added ultra fine glitter in contrasting color and let dry. This would be the only color on the cards and provide the cheerful contrast to the crisp white paper.

4. Before gluing the layers together, each laser cut letter in the card's holiday message was pulled out by the tip of a blade and put in a glass bowl (the reason at the end of the post).

5. Half of the time involved in crafting the cards was due to the careful gluing. I used two sizes of paint brushes to glue the backs of the window layer onto the color layer without getting any glue on the window doors themselves so they would be open-able once assembled. Then slathered on the back layer too. Alignment was managed by the scores. Some of the slot widths could have used adjusting to accommodate the heavy paper had I had the time to revise the dieline at all.

Once the advent trees were ready, each card got roll-folded into its own remaining three panels, with the last panel's tab inserting into a slot on panel 4, forming a self-mailer. Messages written on the inside of panel 5, sealed with a length of washi tape, stamped and addressed off Mark's 30 and my first 50 went as quickly as I could manage.

On the last mail day before Christmas, which was the last day an advent card would make much sense, I really thought I'd been beaten this year. It didn't look like I could make it until the phone rang. A friend, MunYin, offered to come by and help me finish sealing and addressing the mountain of cards and to take me to the post office to mail them. She even sent a little positive thought for each one she slipped into the mail slot.

With such acts of kindness involved in their making, I'm positive that the recipients felt some delight when their card finally arrived. I have heard from many that was so.

Each year we select a random Paper Forest reader from the comments to be included on our handmade card list. To be included next year, leave a guess at how many individual letters pulled from our 100 cards ended up in the glass bowl seen above in image 4!

(*Not a paid endorsement, we just like them.)

New Crop of Daisies

2012-01-05T21:55:00.000-08:00

Last years' thank you notes after the holidays were simple punch blooms with pineapple twine stems on scallop postcards from Paper Source* with brown bag A2 envelopes.

(*Not a paid endorsement, we just like them.)

Fresh as a Daisy Thanks

2012-01-05T21:51:00.001-08:00

Couple years back's thank you cards were white pom poms centers over embossedpaper petals stitched onto hand cut cardboard flats with green thread.

The stems were kept simple, made of long thread stitches that a thumbcut tag could slide onto.

Matching kraft paper envelopes and using a green ink pen finish thequick-to-make set.

More Quick Thanks Ideas

2012-01-05T21:40:00.000-08:00

The first thing I do after the holidays, is to make about a dozen thank you cards for the generous friends and family that have gifted us that year.

Two year's back I found a sale at Paper Source on "so hideous--they're fabulous!" neon green vellum envelopes.

I paired them with plain kraft cardboard flats with large painted neon glitter flowers.

I tinted matte medium with florescent orange paint and loosely brushed on over-sized petals. Sprinkled them with no-sparkle matching glitter from Kit Kraft *in Sherman Oaks, CA (ridiculously huge selection of colors and textures offered there).

Bright and fresh for the new year and super quick to make a bunch at once.

(*Not a paid endorsement, we just like them.)

Thank You Season

2012-01-05T19:39:00.000-08:00

What's after the holidays? Thank you cards! I always look for something hand-crafted to make that is primarily quick enough to make a couple score at once as effortlessly as possible. And they should still convey our genuine appreciation to each person who receives one.

This year I chose hot fucsia, pink, and orange papers, hand cut into heart shapes, stitched in multiple layers by hand with bakers twine and then again by machine onto fine note cards with colored thread.

I wrote "thank you" in crisp pencil lead under each finished heart and mailed them in matching square Fabriano Medioevalis Stationery* envelopes.

Happy New Year!

(*Not a paid endorsement, we just like them.)

The Great Viking Holiday Giveaway!

2011-12-14T06:53:00.001-08:00

Jared Andrew Schorr is an amazing illustrator and paper artist with an Esty shop called Super Cool Spy Club and a website designed from his charming paper cut art at www.jaredandrewschorr.com . He’s also one of the thirty artists included in PUSH Paper !

Lark Books is hosting a giveaway of:

* Jared’s original papercut Viking artwork.

* A copy of PUSH Paper, featuring Jared and 29 other extraordinary paper artists

* An adorable pocket mirror with a print of one of Jared’s papercuts

Read more and enter the contest by clicking here.

Brooklyn 5 and 10 Paper Pulp Novel Giveaway

2011-12-07T19:47:00.000-08:00

This plantable paper novel from Brooklyn5and10 is a fun little stocking stuffer. Inside the 'pulp novel' jacket are sheets of plantable paper pages. Planting the paper is easy: lay on soil, lightly cover and water. Fun.

And you lovely Paper Forest readers might win this item by leaving a comment listing another favorite stocking stuffer you might like to receive from the Brooklyn5and10 shop.

Loomi Light Kickstarter Project

2011-12-05T05:45:00.001-08:00

Here is a fun little Kickstarter Project. The Loomi is a crafty little light by David Sosnow made of paper modules that can be customized by your artistic talents. There are many configurations and because it is made of paper there are all kinds of options to finish it however you like. Take a look at the video and support the project here.

Give Me Mora!

2011-12-02T23:02:00.001-08:00

In case you don't know her, multi-talented, muti-media, multi-nationed (Cuban-American) admirable artist and person, Elsa (Elsita) Mora, has a special way with paper cuts. It's one of the many types of materials she uses to create her tiny treasures.Today, I'd like to share with you a hybrid she's just made, she's always inventing ingenious new things. She's taken paper silhouette, the size of which may too small to consider, and smashed the arrangement into rolled out polymer clay, baked it, and then once cured, hit the surface relief with a white patina to terrific effect. She said she plans to embellish it further with beads for a cameo, but I like the minimal state it's in as well. Keep her on your Etsy like list. She occasionally posts some of her darling wearable art pieces for sale there.UPDATE:: It is even more clever of her than I thought! Elsa just spilled the beans today that it isn't the cut pieces of paper you see composed up there on the clay. No. She has smartly taken rather the NEGATIVE space of the cut and rolled it onto the surface of the clay. Her step-by-step, sweetly answering all our questions is here.

Inside the Storybook Cupboard

2011-12-02T14:09:00.001-08:00

Supreme paper artist Helen Musselwhite has done it again! This time she's taken her charming storybook style of paper cut outs and installed them into a simple old-fashioned cupboard, completed with marvelous light effects.She has a touch with layers and sense of space that bring me right into the world she's made. Brava! to Helen.

He Bugs Me

2011-11-21T08:58:00.000-08:00

Direct from his apartment in Maine to his Etsy shop Paper Cuts by Joe paper artist, Joe Bagley, makes original works, each cut by hand. No lasers, dies, or prints. He has many dazzling examples of the paper cutting art, but one of my favorites of his is the Big Black Beetle. He also has many charmingly romantic pieces, already framed and ready to give, that would make touching first wedding anniversary gifts. You know, because first anniversaries are traditionally symbolized with PAPER--what what!?

7 foot paper Gundam

2011-11-20T19:09:00.000-08:00

You can make this 7 foot paper Gundam too! You just need 720 pieces of paper and a bazillion spare hours. Instructable here.

"7FT Gundam" - Ultimate Papercraft from Taras Lesko on Vimeo.

Making a Statement

2011-11-20T08:48:00.000-08:00

Jessica Jones of How about Orange reports that Punched Out is a free font that allows you to type letters, print, cut, fold, and glue to make 3D forms. Created by Tobias Sommer, it's available for download at Fontstruct "Punched Out" link above. She gave it a try while watching TV and said it was a little tedious to do, but perhaps it will only be only FUN for the Paper Forest crew though?! The results look incredible! So many cool possibilities...

Spinning Your Wheels

2011-11-18T08:41:00.001-08:00

Making a wall of wheels, or paper rosettes, is a great way to make a HUGE impact at a party without a lot of fuss or cost, from just a pack of paper and some doilies – that’s it! Here’s a link to Ali P's basic tutorial from her blog Sprinkles of Charm on how to make this great back drop. I think it would also work with circles/disks instead of the dollies for a modern version, especially if made with interesting color stories.

Take Your Place

2011-11-18T08:24:00.001-08:00

Designer Heather Moore of South Africa's brand Skinny LaMinx,has put her clever pop-up lasercut Garland placeholders into her Etsy shop. These little guys are perfect for adding a little bit of sweetness to a table setting, no matter how simple. They’re sold in sets of eight. Make a purchase through her Etsy shop, and you’ll get ELEVEN percent off your purchase by inserting the coupon code 11ELEVEN11 at the Etsy checkout through November 22.And right now she's giving away three sets of eleven to randomly drawn numbers from the comments on the post about them. Try your luck! Giveaway entries close at 6pm Cape Town time on Sunday evening. Please remember to leave her your contact details with your comment.

Paper + Typograpghy = Inspiring ABC's

2011-11-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

I saw these wonderfully detailed paper letter forms on Sabeena Karnik's (an artist and designer from Mumbai, India) Portfolio on Behance and was smitten with her beauteous way with curls. See the whole alphabet at the link.

Pacaderm Pirate Panash

2011-11-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

Racky RoadHow disarmingly endearing is this Pirate Elephant from delightful mixed media artist, Kristin Batsel, from Marietta, Georgia, who loves working with "paper, doodads, and bits and bobs". Her blog, junk&stuff, Her Etsy She's on Craftsterwhich is where I first saw her work (via Pinterest) and a designer for Alpha Stamps.

If you are feeling inspired by her work, why not get a hold of a papier maché blank of whatever strikes your fancy and have a go?!

Leaves for the Table

2011-11-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

Paper adds infinite charm to everything, even the Thanksgiving table. Such a simple shape, cut from simple plain colored paper, strewn under platters, plates, and mixed in with your centerpiece, can make a holiday table so creative, inviting, and cheerful. Get ready>>> cut!Instructions From the Martha Stewart Crafts Department:Paper-Leaf How-ToAdd these leaves to bowls of gourds, or lay a few along a tablecloth. We used light-green paper, but you can use any color you like.1. Trace or print the leaf template

onto the back of a piece of decorative paper, and cut out as many leaves as you want.2. To give the leaves more dimension, fold them outward at notches and inward along lobes.3. Use a length of paper-covered wire for a stem, and use hot glue to affix it to the center back of the leaf. Let dry.4. Coil the wire stem around the handle of a wooden spoon or a pencil; slip off.

Stable and Wearable Paper Jewels

2011-11-11T08:34:00.000-08:00

Artist Lydia Hirte makes lovely miniature paper sculpture pieces that are worn as jewelry.

[photos: Jürgen Kossatz]

She writes about her techniques: forming and fixation under strong pressure
"On account of applying my different methods and techniques I am able to generate strong tension within the cardboard. These I use to create self supporting structures. The resulting objects are stable and resilient. These is the reason why I need not apply the standard paper handling techniques - gluing, folding, nesting - and why I need not use additional reinforcements such as metal, bars, other rivets or other support within the spatial structure. So my technique allows both to overcome the well known restrictions of working with paper and to make use of the advantages of this material. To my knowledge I generally extend through this technique the possibilities of working with paper in the arts. So far I came neither across works in jewellery nor in paper arts in which tension is used in such an intensive and essential way.

With my recent group “One week in May – or seven possibilities to move my hands” I have enriched my knowledge on and my possibilities to apply my hands for creating pressure and indirectly forming the material. This provides me with a wider scope for using my hands in subsequent works. Combining this with other techniques further developed enables me to use the material in a less restrictive way and to extend the spatiality in my works."

A New Paper Forest is coming soon!

2011-09-16T07:08:00.000-07:00

It is undeniably true that Paper Forest has been taking a bit of a hiatus. Posts have been few and far-between. I have been busy with personal art projects and teaching and raising a pre-schooler, but also reassessing the future of Paper Forest.

I started this blog back in 2005, when no one I knew was talking about mechanical paper toys, and there were no awesome books of paper monsters to buy and cut and assemble. I was searching Japanese sites for anything paper-related I could find and cataloguing it, mostly just for myself. Now it seems there is paper inspiration everywhere, and it can actually be a bit overwhelming to keep track of it all.

With the launch of Push Paper, (the gorgeous little volume I was lucky enough to curate through Lark Books) there was such a positive response from the community that I thought a lot about what I should do with Paper Forest. It was time to decide whether I should drop it or make it better. After much consideration, I have decided to relaunch the site with a lovely new look (similar to the mock-up above) and a more dynamic and useful format.

Paper Forest will be back in full-force soon, and it will be more active and useful than ever. You'll hear from familiar and trusted voices as well as a number of new and exciting contributors. You'll hear from us more often, with more beautiful art, inspiration, giveaways, book reviews, and exclusive downloads! You'll be able to search and browse old posts more easily by category, and uncover a library of paper inspiration.

Please subscribe to the blog and join our Twitter feed for updates and announcements. We don't have a launch date yet, but are working on it now, and look forward to facilitating a more useful and inspired community celebrating the art of paper!

Push Paper is Here!

2011-09-06T14:10:00.000-07:00

Push Paper officially hits the shelves today! I had the opportunity to Jury this title (I got to pick the artists from a long list of Paper Forest favorites, pick favorite works and interview these guys) and it was a great experience. Kathleen McCafferty , editor and author, at Lark Books was great to work with, and the title came out better than I could have imagined. Read more about this new series of books (Push Stitchery comes out today as well!) here: http://tinyurl.com/3mndtvz

Paper Toy II

2011-06-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

Hey, Paper Foresters in the Minneapolis area make sure to stop by Pink Hobo this Saturday June 11 for the opening of Paper Toy II. It's gonna be a great show featuring some great papertoy artist. More info at Pink Hobo!

Brooklyn5and10 and Paperforest Giveaway: Two Pathfinders Wooden Automata!

2011-05-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn5and10 and Paperforest Giveaway: Two Pathfinders Wooden Automata!

Brooklyn5and10 and Paperforest are giving two winners their choice of a Running Horse or Flying Pig Pathfinders Wooden Automaton.

This Automata giveaway is in honor of the "Crazy 8 Deals" at Brooklyn5and10.com from now until June 30. They have set up 8 great deals for $8. Pricing is up to off 75% retail.

To win: Two winners will be chosen at random by Paperforest. Take a look at the Crazy 8 Deals over at Brooklyn5and10.com, and tell us which deal is your favorite and why.

Crazy 8 Deals at Brooklyn5and10.com

about Pathfinders Wooden Automata:

Pathfinders Flying Pig and Running Horse Automata are mechanical toys that move with cams, levers and linkages. The Pathfinders Flying Pig and Running Horse are engineered using a minimum number of parts yet produces dramatic movement. Turn the crank – the horse gallops and the pig does indeed fly (rather flaps its wings in vain. Yes, “when pigs fly” indeed)!. The kits stimulate imaginations of kids of all ages and teach mechanics. The Pathfinders Automata kits are made with natural, untreated pine and easy to assemble. They can be painted or decorated and will last for many years. Assembled, the horse and pig both stand 10” tall. Nose to tall the horse is 9” and the pig’s wingspan is 9”. Package is 7 3/8” L x 5 1/4” W x 2 1/2” D. The Pathfinders Automata come with complete instructions and are recommended for ages 9 and up, requiring only white glue, scissors and a ruler for assembly. Personalize the Running Horse or Flying Pig Automata with a bit of your own paint if you like!

Paperwork in 3D at Shelburne Museum

2011-05-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

Shelburne Museum in Vermont is hosting a great exhibit of Paperwork now through the end of October.
Paperwork in 3D features the work of 23 contemporary artists who transform flat sheets of paper into amazing three-dimensional art.
The above work Seeker is by Michael Velliquette. The work below Grumpy McFrump is my piece in the exhibition. I've been doing these large scale shadow box works lately with paper, chipboard and spray paint. you can see more here, let me know what you think, it's new territory for me.

Ephemeral Fashion - Paper dresses by Jum Nakao

2011-05-12T10:41:00.000-07:00

Jum Nakao uses paper conceptually in his work for its impermanence. Watch as his gorgeous paper dresses walk the runway and are destroyed in front of the crowd. Hours of work thrown away in front of a shocked audience to remind them that there are more important things than what we see at first sight. Besides making you consider permanence and what is truly valuable, this video also makes one consider and appreciate the amazing usefulness of the laser cutter, which cut his work time on this collection to only 700 hours. (making the rounds today on Upon A Fold, Boing Boing, and Neatarama, but worth mentioning here too, nonetheless.)

Dream Studio papercraft by foma

2011-05-11T14:56:00.000-07:00

Check out this amazing papercrafted Dream Studio illustration created by Estudio Foma for ComputerArts Projects UK.

Pattern Matters. Amazing Paper Calendars!

2011-05-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

This is one of the most gorgeous collection of functional paper art I've seen in some time. I am floored by these designs from Pattern Matters, a graphic design-based project that explores pattern as a conceptually integrated tool that is not just for decoration. See all 12 of these inspired pieces (and process photos for all of them!) by clicking here.

Now Up and working! Please join the Paper Forest TWITTER Account!

2011-05-02T10:47:00.000-07:00

Okay, so for some reason Twitter's automated system suspected this account was a false account when I opened it last week. The details of why are unknown, but it is now back and working. It took a human to re-instate the account, which they did as soon as they investigated it, and I'm happy to say we are back!

If you have a Twitter account, do follow us and keep updated on all the new Paper Forest posts and extra paper art news not on the blog! You can find follow Paper Forest by clicking here.

And if you aren't on Twitter, it is fun, so you should join. I used to make fun of it, and now I'm pretty addicted.

Free Toy Friday: Base Folk by Macula

2011-04-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

A fun new series of papertoys from Macula, Base Folk. Several great characters all based on a simple humanoid form, my fave Rev. Psychopomp (above). Been a while since Macula has released a new toy, great to see some new stuff from him. Download for free from his site here.

Shoebox Sculptures by Chris Roberts

2011-04-27T13:59:00.000-07:00

Chris Roberts has some really nice sculptures with lots of character made of Nike shoe-boxes on his site. Thanks Zach for the link!

Minny Paper Pinata

2011-04-27T02:34:00.000-07:00

In my paper travels online, perhaps as on yours as well, I came across an adorable young man's versions of Canon's paper canary hidden inside their paper model cage. He had made the birds out of brightly colored papers and fastened them in groups in the tree branches in his back yard. I was charmed. I printed out just the canary portion of Canon's Creative Park bird cage model and started to see what I might make with these too.

I envisioned making these as fun easy mini-pinatas* that could be used as tiny gift boxes (for an engagement ring, "A little birdie to me you were the one." perhaps?)

I used the pattern to cut the three shapes needed in plain construction paper. I found taping the seams together was far less fiddly than trying to glue them. Next I used Elmers art paste gel (vegetable starch) on thin brown bag paper to seal the birdie's assembled body shape. Then the wings and body were covered in fringe cut layers of cerise tissue paper. Wire legs glued into holes made on the underside, innocent eyes inked on with marker, beak covered in yellow tissue--Voila!

These are fun to make and tuck all over the house, the feet form to fit on the lips of teacups, for example. A sweet decoration. Or perhaps as party place settings filled with little sweets!

(*a traditional Mexican party game where tissue-covered candy-filled shapes are broken open with sticks to shower the children with candies.)

(**If anyone has that young man's link, please let us know!)

A Paper Record Player. The Best Wedding Invitation Ever!

2011-04-12T21:12:00.000-07:00

You must check out designer Kelli Anderson's lovely wedding invitation design. Okay, so it is not made entirely of paper, but careful folding of the paper in this invite is used to amplify the sound of a sewing needle on a flexi-disc record. FUN! Click HERE and watch the video.

Paper Koi for Japan Relief

2011-04-11T10:59:00.000-07:00

Faced with the disaster in Japan this last month, me and my coworkers at C3 felt we needed to do something creative to help the people of Japan. Paper Koi is an ongoing project to benefit the Red Cross. For a suggested $10 donation you can download a Paper Koi, the blank template and then you can check back periodically over the coming weeks for new designs by other C3 artist. I designed the template and my pal Steve Duffendack did the surface design for the first Koi in the series, pictured above. Check out the Paper Koi site here to make your donation and download the templates. Thank you for your support on this project.

Vintage mechanical trade cards

2011-03-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

Mechanical Trade Card for Dreamland,Coney Island, ca.1900

Here you can discover a lot of different simple motions on old trade cards with his nostalgic design. The GIF pictures with his mostly two situations let us better understand the movements. See some mechanical cards from the collection of Ben Crane:
http://www.tradecards.com/scrapbook/mechanical/mechanical.html

Greets to Kyle Olmon ! You can find there a very similar card to your Valentine Chalkboard Girl you published on Febr.10, see here:
http://www.tradecards.com/scrapbook/mechanical/136.49.html

And here a part of the collection of Rene Servat(FR), see this funny sample of the vacuum cleaner L'aspirateur LUX, which movement gives back the lucent colours of the wallpaper! :
http://servat.rene.free.fr/figurine.htm (Click the title)

And here a part from an italian blog "Il favoloso mondo di carta di Toto".
http://ilfavolosomondodicartaditoto.blogspot.com/search/label/Mechanical%20Picture

Collection of Pop-ups Pops-up!

2011-03-17T14:05:00.000-07:00

A spectacular secret stash of movable books by Corrie Allegro and his wife in Victoria, Australia is definitely worth checking out. Many exceptional examples dating from the 19th Century, along with a nice overview of the movable book development through the centuries.

Neue Thierbilder, Meggendorfer, Braun und Schneiderin, Munich, 1894

From their site: The Allegro Movable Book Collection is Australia's largest and most comprehensive collection of movable and pop-up books covering over 300 years of published history. Corrie Allegro is releasing books from this collection to the public, collectors and institutions. This book site will contain articles, news and related links to the genre of 'movable' books. Simply click on the headings above and browse the various stories and articles on movable books. Articles will be added regularly so don't forget to scroll down the lists.

found via

People Too (RU)

2011-03-16T15:05:00.000-07:00

Behind People Too we find the 2 russian paper artists Alexei Lyapunov and Lena Ehrlich, based in Novosibirsk (I wrote about them earlier). Thanks to the Blog of
the Museo Los Gurruminos: Papel y Arte (click the title). There you can find 3 links, one related to the Behance Network with a great picture pool: http://www.behance.net/peopletoo

Walter Ruffler on TV

2011-03-09T13:58:00.000-08:00

"Bremer Stadtmusikanten", sand driven paper automaton, Walter Ruffler (c)

On the occasion of Walter Rufflers new exhibition "Papier in Bewegung" at Deutsches Zeitungsmuseum, Wadgassen, near Saarbrücken(DE) you can see this 3.25 TV-Movie from german TV SR. You will have the rare occasion to see Walter Ruffler with his paper machines in motion, but this podcast is time-limited (maybe 3 weeks accessable). Now the path:

http://sr-mediathek.sr-online.de/?id=2

Go to "aktueller bericht: 8.3.2011", scrolling at the right side

Click in the window and you get a content list

Click the entry "Ausstellung: Pop up"

Voila, enjoy it (best view with fullscreen) !

Papercraft 2 will release in march 2011

2011-03-06T17:00:00.000-08:00

After the famous first book 'Papercraft' we get a new continuing book with the finest papercraft all over the world (see the Gestalten publishers note clicking the title),
including a DVD with a collection of papercraft related videos.
Thanks to the blog http://strictlypaper.com/blog/

Papercraft 2 - Book Teaser Video from Gestalten on Vimeo.

Free Toy Friday: Bouru

2011-03-04T13:58:00.000-08:00

This week's free papertoy is Bouru! A collaboration between myself and illustrator and cartoonist Sam Garcia. You can download it from my site here. Enjoy!

Roadside Projects Shadow Box Kit

2011-03-03T20:12:00.000-08:00

We've posted Jayme McGowan's awesome cut paper work here before and now she has a new little craft kit so you can join in the fun.This Shadow Box kit comes with everything you need to build this whimsical piece, wood, paper, instructions, everything. Even extra stuff to customize your shadow box. What a cool idea grab a set here from Jayme's Etsy store!

Another Chance to Win Papertoy Monsters

2011-02-27T20:57:00.000-08:00

Here's another Chance to win a copy of Papertoy Monsters courtesy of Lobo's (pictured above) creator Loulou & Tummie.
Just leave a message on their facebook page for a chance to win by Friday the 4th!

Kyle Olmon: Pop-up Proposal

2011-02-26T15:01:00.000-08:00

Oh, what a nice and irresistible proposal of marriage !
Bravo, Kyle ! (Thanks to Paperblog at PAPERBOXX)

Paper House + Webcam= Giant

2011-02-25T16:59:00.000-08:00

Posting Shin's Homies reminded me of seeing this neat little project earlier this week. Midget&Giant a little paper house turns Ryui Nakamura into a giant! Clever.
Via.

Free Toy Friday: Homies by Shin

2011-02-25T16:49:00.000-08:00

Here's a fun new toy by papertoy master Shin Tanaka. It's free but you'll have to work for them, they are hidden around his website and you have to find them to get the template. Hide and Seek!

Cardboard activities at EXPLORATORIUM, SF

2011-02-20T01:42:00.000-08:00

During the month february you can find a lot of activities and shows concerning the material cardboard, see the Tinkering Studio at EXPLORATORIUM (click the title). With
the help of CIT(Cardboard Institute of Technology) the young and old participants turns the room into a cardboard landscape. A timelapse video shows the development of this process:

A Pop up book about self-esteem

2011-02-18T18:19:00.000-08:00

This is an italian video tutorial about the augmentation of self-esteem with the instrument of a pop-up-book . The surprising simple effects amplify the message. Thanks to the mexican pop-up-book blog of Hector Ugalde (click the title).

Theatre de Papier, Livre Pop-up

2011-02-17T12:38:00.000-08:00

Giant Pop Up for a theater stage, played by the korean artist Eun Young Kim Pernelle
in France (click the title).Fullscreen recommend ! Thanks to 'boutique du livre anime blog'

théâtre de papier,livre pop-up: Eun Young Kim Pernelle. 2009
Hochgeladen von dansamu. - Kunst und Animation Videos.

Paper Zombie Calendar

2011-02-11T08:27:00.000-08:00

So I'm a little late on this but here is a cool 2011 calendar with PAPER ZOMBIES!!!
Nab it from Amazon
Fold-Your-Own Zombie: 2011 Wall Calendar

The bar pianist celebrates Walter Ruffler's new book

2011-02-08T17:56:00.000-08:00

In these days will release Walter Ruffler's new book "Paper Models That Move" at
Dover Publ. (click the title) I mentioned it here last June, 2010. My pianist model
is a star of this book with 13 other models, see the website of the author. 112 pages full of technical drawings, model photos and cut-out sites, starting with an
introduction in the basics of mechanics makes the value of this recommended book.

Paper animation making of "Oi FM"

2011-02-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

See these awesome efforts to create this commercial video for the brasilian radio station OiFM. Thanks to strictlypaper FB.

Making Of Oi FM from Giroscópio Filmes on Vimeo.

Free Toy Friday: Too Early For Breakfast

2011-02-04T13:58:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday everyone! Here's another great papertoy scene from Marshall Alexander.
Free download from his site.

Rob Ives Butterfly Valentine

2011-02-03T11:32:00.000-08:00

Awesome new paper automate from Rob Ives! What a cool movement. Pendulum power!
Just in time for valentines
See the full post on his blog for download instructions.

The Move, a paper animation from Mandy Smith

2011-02-01T13:05:00.000-08:00

Another fine find from strictlypaper blog (click the title), my treasure chest of papercraft, this little 114sec.masterpiece of London/Amsterdam based Mandy Smith:

The Move, Paper Animation from Mandy Smith on Vimeo.

Kyle Bean: Mobile Phone Evolution

2011-01-30T20:14:00.000-08:00

Awesome papercraft of the british artist Kyle Bean with this paper mobiles collection of a kind of russian dolls. Clicking the title you will find more pictures and a video (not possible to embed here).
Thanks to Neatorama.

A picture collection of paper art ...

2011-01-30T20:02:00.000-08:00

for iPhone or iPad !! See the trailer for this "PAPER ART trends" application:

Paper Toy Monsters book and Giveaway!

2011-01-25T06:55:00.000-08:00

I'm really excited to announce that the seriously awesome Papertoy Monsters book from Workman is here. My good friend Castleforte has put together an amazing collection of paper beasties designed by 25 of the best papertoy designers around, and me too. All the toys in the book are precut all you gotta do is add the clue. Grab your copy here! And check out more Monster mayhem at the papertoy monster blog.
Workman has given me a couple copies of this amazing book to give away! So if you want to win one, comment on this post of what your name would be if you were a monster, be creative. The winner will be pulled at random from qualifying comments. The contest closes at Midnight central time tonight 1/25/09. Good Luck!

Free Toy Friday: Monster Maker by LouLou

2011-01-21T10:13:00.000-08:00

Talented papertoy creator and illustrator Loulou designed this cool Monster Maker that lets you design your own monster papertoy online and then print it out and build it. It's in Dutch but it's pretty easy to figure out.

Take a look in the studio of Walter Ruffler (DE)

2011-01-19T14:04:00.000-08:00

You can see a 5,5 min. long TV broadcast on Center TV Bremen, where Walter Ruffler shows some paper automata. Here's the path: click the title, search Weserzeit from 17.Januar, click "anschauen" and then track forward to 23.25 and the broadcast starts.

Free Toy Friday: Owl by 3EyedBear

2011-01-14T18:39:00.000-08:00

First new toy of the year from 3EyedBear is this delightful little owl. You can download 6 different designs from the 3EyedBear site here.

Lovely poster

2011-01-11T19:25:00.000-08:00

...of a current pop-up-exhibition in Asturias, Spain, click the title with more infos
and a catalogue (via Hector Ugalde's mexican blog "Libros Pop-Up Books Cards")

Juniper Tangpuz: Paper sculptures

2011-01-11T16:52:00.000-08:00

J.Tangpuz created movable paper sculptures, whitch he directs like a puppeteer in a kind of paper theatre. As a sample his "Fortune Teller"

And here a sample of his "Extremely Rare Paper Creatures" the Climbing Wizard Beast
(some more you can see at his Youtubechannel):

Free Toy Friday: Paper Pop

2011-01-06T19:13:00.000-08:00

For 2011 I've decided to go back to offering a free papertoy every month on my website. I did this several years ago and really missed doing it.
First up Paper Pop a tribute to Andy Warhol I designed for a holiday party favor and my day job.
Download him my site and check back every month this year for a new toy!

Yeti Calendar papercraft

2011-01-04T17:18:00.000-08:00

Kick off the new year with this awesome yeti papercraft calendar from the Curiosity Group and then check back every month for a new calendar all year long!

Ben Hopson's Workshop in Umea (SE)

2011-01-03T16:02:00.000-08:00

Ben Hopson is the founder of the discipline "Kinetic Design", what he teaches at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. He made a guest workshop in Sweden at Umea Institute for Design and he documented it with a lot of short videos (click the title).
See a sample kinetic object of a participant:

Much to see and to learn making a trip through the website of Ben Hopson !

CASE STUDY: It's the Small Comforts That Matter

2010-12-30T19:28:00.000-08:00

A sweet chipboard mousy peers out from one of the cards made for Mark to send to his loved ones this year.

Season's Greetings, Paper Foresters! Popping in to share the fun of this year's handmade Christmas card making, from concept to into-the-mail. Not only did I make our usual limited edition of 100 but this year for the first time also made up an additional series, with slight variations, of 35 for my card-making cohort, Mark Fullerton (the great guy with a laser beam that cuts any kind of card or paper!) So he could have cards to send himself instead of just generously helping me make mine each year.

This design began with a box of chipboard someone was getting rid of who thought I might like to use it. Viva la repurposing! Eco chic! Without knowing how, I started in by quickly drawing a simple mouse character in white paper and crudely crushing and folding him to fit inside a tiny woolen mitten for the "Take Comfort in Small Things" concept. (see photo on left)

These rough fold experiments became my guide in the digital file while making a dieline to send to Mark and his laser cutter. (see center photo). I wanted the character to fold up from a single plane into as much shape and attitude as possible with just a few simple cuts and scores. I changed his eyes from ovals to paisley shapes and bent his pointed nose downward for example. I emailed the finalized file to Mark along with mailing a stack of the cardboard to test. He sent the photo on the right showing how the tail extends beyond the card size. I explained the tail would be shaped to fit as the mouse was folded into 3-dimensions.

For a wintery demonstration of how the folding looks after I'd had about 20 to practice on...

I made hay while Mark was busy lasering the stacks of card mice by carving a rubber address area stamp to decorate the small brown paper bags I bought to mail the cards in. I took the same mouse art as the dieline to add a small line drawing of the little guy to the packages as a foreshadowing of the character inside. The bags were stamped with a mix of white paint and acrylic flex gel. The meece noses were touched with pink paint, and later all the eyes were dotted with a black marker and made to look sideways at the return addresses. Cute!

I then turned my attention to creating the hoards of thick woolly mittens (for our cards) and little woven stockings (for Mark's). All fabrics were found at the fabulous Mood Fabrics LA where what I came out of the store with was worlds away better than what I came in there to get. I actually found real linen, woven wool and cashmere in rich holiday tones that were perfect for the homey idea without my having to spend a year weaving the cloth for these myself!

It took me a while to get a system down for churning out consistent little mittens, the thumbs were the trickiest bit to work out, but once I hit the groove, I could whip up a batch of 30 in a few hours. But you realize, that only left me over 100 more to go!

Once the stack of flat laser cut mouse cards arrived, and all the mittens were made, then the task of assembly and finishing began. I wanted a humble message at the top of the card that suggested itself to be like a fortune from a fortune cookie to match the card style. I used my inkjet printer to print out the message onto thin, crisp, crinkly food wrapper paper bought from a restaurant supply and trimmed out the strips of words. These were then sewn with tatting thread in little x's at the top by hand. I had placed the 8 tiny little holes into the dieline file to make this step easier to get through the cardboard. It took me a while to work out how to align the strips with the holes (answer: use a bright light) and to finish fast and neat without having to take the time to make knots on the backs. (see photo on right)

It all came together in the end as each sweet friend was painted, blushed, folded, sewn into his mitten, slipped into the hand-decorated bag, sewn shut and sent on their way! Always the best part.

Last year, a Paper Forest Reader asked how she and her family could get on our holiday card list in the comments. So--we sent them one this year! (Hi, Melissa & Tim in Australia!). It was so fun giving a card to someone who loves paper and handmade things, I've had the thought to pick one person from the Forest each year, if you're up for it?

I have no idea what next year's card will be, but if you'd like to receive one, just make a comment on this post or contact me via email. (I wouldn't cry if anyone else wanted to put the Paper Forest on their handmade card list either! I'll share!)

In the meanwhile, here's a big wish from here that you stay safe, well, and appropriately warm all through the winter.

Amazing papercraft of Yumiko Matsui

2010-12-29T19:32:00.000-08:00

I am simply blown away by the amazing papercraft work of Yumiko Matsui. Above is a detail of his Coney Island model. Check out more amazing and insanely intricate work here.
-via Neatorama

Leo Bridle: Train of Thought

2010-12-26T16:25:00.000-08:00

is a 4min. multiple awarded video made from paper of the british filmmaker Leo Bridle. See the background infos too by clicking the title. (Via VIMEO)

Train of Thought from Leo Bridle on Vimeo.

Trapped At Home, waiting for the postman.

2010-12-23T08:11:00.001-08:00

I, like many of you I suspect, am stuck at home (presumably working) and waiting for the post to show, to deliver all the last minute holiday gifts I ordered on Sunday eve. I still have a few small gifts to check off my list and felt helpless until I stumbled upon Martha Stewart's best free and downloadable clip art! 49 different projects with downloads are highlighted here, and there are some nice ideas for wrapping, packaging, and gift-giving. It is, in fact, not too late! Check out the Martha Stewart site for these downloads and tons more.

New NaniBirds for the Holidays!

2010-12-23T07:03:00.001-08:00

If you are a slacker like me and still need to figure out some last-minute gifts, these little NaniBirds might be a fun little stocking stuffer. Batch four is live! It includes some great new designs and artists. Download yours at the NaniBird site.

Welcoming the New Year!

2010-12-23T06:56:00.001-08:00

Bryan at http://www.paperfoldables.com has this fun Accordion calendar for download at his site. Click here for the pdf!

Free Toy Friday: Pan di Stelle

2010-12-17T10:09:00.000-08:00

Here are some fun and stylish papertoys that would make a great little holiday project from the Pan di Stelle site.

Justine Fahd (AU) : Upon a Fold blog

2010-12-14T16:19:00.000-08:00

Sydney based graphic designer Justine Fahd makes an outstanding tasteful and esthetic
blog for papercraft (click the title). As a freelancer she controls also her homebased onlineshop 'Upon a Fold'. Via this article from The Design Files you can take a look on her home in Sydney and read an interview with her:
http://thedesignfiles.net/2010/03/sydney-home-justine-fahd-of-upon-a-fold/

Her last entry is related to Jun Mitani (JP), a nonfigurative origami artist with a rich picture pool at FLICKR:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jun_mitani/

Free Toy Friday 2011 Calendar

2010-12-10T10:01:00.000-08:00

Get ready for 2011 with a little help from 3EyedBear! This nice little calendar papertoy will keep you company all year long. Download it here.

Mindblowing Moleskine Ad

2010-12-09T19:02:00.000-08:00

MINI PLANNERS from Moleskine ® on Vimeo.

(Via NOTCOT.ORG)

Narelle Yabuka (ed.): Cardboard Book

2010-12-07T10:55:00.000-08:00

The material cardboard gives many inspirations for artists and designers. A collection of those you can find in this 320pages book, also reviewed at DESIGNBOOM, click the title) There is mentioned as publisher an/b editions. But I found on Amazon only the Gingko Press: http://www.gingkopress.com/03-gra/cardboard-book.html

A History of Pop-up and Movable Books: 700 Years of Paper Engineering

2010-12-02T05:15:00.000-08:00

See this interesting 52min.(!)lecture of Ellen G.K.Rubin,the 'Pop-up Lady' and owner of a giant collection of those books, in the course of the exhibition "fold,pull,pop and turn" at the Smithonian Libraries.
(Thanks to http://blog.paperboxx.com/ )

About Matt Shlian: Paper Cuts

2010-11-26T13:17:00.000-08:00

'Paper Cuts' from the Michigan Daily is a short portrait of Matt Shlian.
Thanks to Matt Shlians Blog (click the title).

Paper Cuts from Michigan Daily on Vimeo.

Bomboland

2010-11-24T12:18:00.000-08:00

I've been running across lots of great cut-paper illustrators lately. I Love this photo and all the cut paper illustrations of Bombo! (AKA Maurizio Santucci)
See more of his wonderful work at Bomboland and be sure to check out the pics of his gallery show at Seize Galerie last year.

Werner Nekes (Docu.): Multi thousand picture show

2010-11-23T15:26:00.000-08:00

It's a short section of this title above (Nr.4 of a six-part DVD collection MEDIA MAGICA, highly recommended, surely the best compilation of the world) and deals with "harlekinades" from 17.-19 century.
More about MEDIA MAGICA: click the title. The description of the DVDs are in english too.

Movable Books: Collection Jo Ann Reisler

2010-11-22T15:26:00.000-08:00

The Movable Books Society shows some very rare picture books from the child book antiquarian Reisler. A little visual defect for me is this confusing crossfading of the squares from picture to picture (8 minutes video)
(Thanks "boutique du livre animé")

Grand Merci pour "des pop et des up"

2010-11-22T15:11:00.000-08:00

A very white stop motion video from the french animation artists Camille Baladi and Arnaud Roi
(thanks "boutique du livre animé", click the title)

des pop et des up from upupup ! on Vimeo.

Free Toy Friday: Walking Papercraft Mech Warrior

2010-11-19T12:01:00.000-08:00

Check out this cool paper automata mech! You can download it for free from instructables.com courtesy of user J_Hodgie. You will have to register with instructables to download the pdf but that's free too.

Persil Pop Up "Making Of"

2010-11-18T13:30:00.000-08:00

The advertising company Blink, who has made this commercial, gives us a making of with a similar artful arrangement as the original ad, guided by a cute childish voice
with a strong british accent. For me the mechanical highlight: the frog tongue mechanism !

Persil - Pop Up "Making Of" from Blink on Vimeo.

Thanks to Paperblog from PAPERBOXX

Cut paper illustration by Kate Slater

2010-11-15T15:48:00.000-08:00

Really digging the cut paper illustrations of London based illustrator Kate Slater.
Check out her work here.

Free Toy Friday: Dandy Frog

2010-11-12T16:12:00.000-08:00

Here's a perfect paper project for a rainy day. Papertoy artist and illustrator Tougui is teaming up with french umbrella brand Dandy Frog on a paper toy series featuring Dandy Frogs fresh and fun designs. First up is featuring the work of artist/illustrator Skwak! Download it from Dandy Frog.

Keith Newstead: A Slippery Customer

2010-11-10T17:21:00.000-08:00

I love this kind of mechanical sketch, a bit unfinished model and then the unexpected end of the story.

And see his two more new paper machines he published on his Youtubechannel kmn000
yesterday:
"A Wolf in Sheeps Clothing"
"Scubacat"

Walter Rufflers Kite Automaton

2010-11-10T04:39:00.001-08:00

Berlin based paper modeler Lutz Pietschker describes his building experience with this model (click the title !) of Walter Ruffler - http://www.walterruffler.de/. Not forget to start the video to see the three nice movements of the completed model !

Paper Robot Carnage!

2010-11-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

Free Toy Friday: Up The Egg

2010-11-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

A fun and interchangeable papertoy collaboration from Shin Tanaka and Maarten Janssens.
You can grab the set HERE. Sounds like a whole series of mix and match fun will soon be coming soon.

Popup book without paper: PopOut ! - The Tale of Peter Rabbit

2010-11-03T10:17:00.000-07:00

A new ebook revolution becomes reality. See this example for IPad:

Thanks to "Der Schockwellenreiter"

Confess! Who Sent the (folding) Flowers?!

2010-11-03T00:18:00.000-07:00

You can imagine my surprise when I finally made it to my P.O.Box the other day and found someone had anonymously sent me a brand new 2010 pop-up title from Chronicle Press, Paper Blossoms by Ray Marshall.

It's very nicely designed, with 5 large floral spreads that really are pretty enough to use as centerpieces for a table or as decoration on a side table in a guest room, kids room, anywhere people appreciate good paper engineering.

It's a mystery, as no note was included. Was this book sent as a preview to Jaime Zollars the creator of this very popular blog to review? Could it have been sent from an appreciative recipient of the blooming rose folding flower pattern I've sent out over the last 2 years?

CONFESS! Who is this generous flower bestower? (None of my family nor friends knew anything about it.) Could this treat have come from a Paper Forester?

Thank you! It's wonderful! Should we make it a prize in some sort of PF contest?!

A wonderful kind of paper theatre

2010-10-30T04:32:00.000-07:00

Bad Things That Could Happen from This Is It on Vimeo.

Made by This-Is-It-Collective, a London based group of illustrators and animators (click the title).
Thanks Peter Glaser with his blog "Glaserei"

Free Toy Friday:Zooguu and Goobeetsa

2010-10-29T15:50:00.000-07:00

Free Toy Friday just in time for Halloween from from husband and wife team Zooguu and Goobeetsa! This great little paper squid is available at Zooguu.com and the masks below are available at goobeetsa.com.
Boo!

Guerilla Popuping in a train

2010-10-29T15:31:00.000-07:00

In analogy to the well known guerilla gardeners London based Dominic Wilcox has made a train intervention. Its from his last september project "speed creating", everyday an artwork, the second from 30. See the video:

Kyle Bean (GB) : Police Dog Hogan

2010-10-29T14:15:00.000-07:00

The british cardboard sculptor Kyle Bean has made this commercial project for the british rockband Police Dog Hogan as the mascot and used it for cover photos of the new album. See also the very interesting portfolio of the artist:
http://www.kylebean.co.uk/portfolio/
Thanks gBlog, click the title.

Free Toy Friday

2010-10-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

I'm reinstating Free Toy Friday, every week I'll post a free papertoy for you to download and build.
First up Blocks by papertoy master Marshall Alexander. You can grab it from Marshall's site as well as lots of other amazing free toys. Enjoy!

Wireframe Me

2010-10-21T16:56:00.000-07:00

Artist Eric Testroete created an extremely well designed wireframe self-portrait for his über-clever Halloween costume last year.

Be sure to read his full step-by-step of the meticulous process it took to make such an imaginative paper sculpture real!

Much kudos to Eric!

Free Pop-Up Pumpkin at RobIves.com

2010-10-21T07:02:00.000-07:00

A fun little project for Halloween! Courtesy of Rob Ives at RobIves.com

The (purely paper) Flower Shoppe

2010-10-20T06:49:00.000-07:00

THE (purely paper) FLOWER SHOPPE from David Stark Design & Production on Vimeo.

Okay, so I somehow missed this (Thanks Megan for the link!) But back in May, this amazing paper flower shop came to life. The video and pictures above will hopefully inspire something creative for all of you. I just love the concept and execution here.