Tina Walker reached out a few months ago to see if I was up for another StencilGirl challenge, this time a stenciled pop up art book, and I said “Yes!!!”
However, I have no idea how to make a pop up art book. After a YouTube video called “Pop Up Books for Beginners” I still had no idea, so the plan is to use the easiest mechanism that I could find (called a right angle V-fold) to create my pop up book.
Pop Up Art Book Supply List:
- Nathalie Kalbach’s Art Deco Wallpaper Stencil
- Blank Art Journal (I found mine at Daiso, but this link is pretty close)
- DecoArt Americana paint- True Blue
- DecoArt Americana paint- Peacock Teal
- DecoArt Americana paint- Bahama Blue
- DecoArt Americana paint- Green Tree
- Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks, Set 1
- Watercolor paper and scrap paper
- iCraft Mixed-Media Sheets, Lightweight
- Dauber painters
- Glue/Mixed-media adhesive
Paint an assortment of fan shapes onto your pages with the Art Deco Wallpaper stencil, dauber painters, and all the Americana paint colors. Start with the darkest colors and work your way to the lightest colors. Leave as much or as little of the kraft paper visible as you’d like.
Next, you’ll want to create the mechanics of your pop up book, or the thing that pops up when you open the book. Below is a YouTube video that can help you get set up making pop up folds. It’s not exactly riveting content, but it’s definitely informative and can help you see a little clearer than in my own video.
Next, I created a few sheets of waves using the iCraft Mixed-Media Sheets. I made one sheet in each Americana paint color, so I would have some options when I created my waves later in my pop up book. I then started layering the pieces of my book onto the pop up on each page.
The mermaids, sea serpent, and the bathtub illustration were colored with Dina Wakley Scribble Sticks that I blended with water. They are pretty simple illustrations that I think helped the overall look of the book, so that they didn’t over-complicate the look. The mermaids were inspired by Mary Blair’s concept art for Peter Pan.
All the elements, including the pop up on each page, were glued down with a mixed-media adhesive. Normal glue would have worked as well.
Overall, I think this book was a really interesting challenge because I was forced to work with an obstacle (the pop up) and find a way to make it my own. I probably could have spent an entire weekend adding to the elements of the book, but in the end, I have a cohesive book that tells the story of the girl who fell asleep in the bathtub.