All things paper

New Home · 23-04-2022 4:50pm #1

Is anyone else interested in paper and paper engineering in all its forms? I thought it would be good to have a thread for posting photos of projects, tips, questions, etc. regarding pop-ups and sliceforms, origami and kirigami, cartonnage and book-binding, papier maché, paper marbling, etc.

Usual Boards rules apply.

No selling, no advertising.

looksee · 30-04-2022 9:33pm

I had an absolutely amazing time when I was a mature student doing graphic design. I loved paper engineering and making paper, both of which I managed to incorporate into my final pieces. My total favourite was a box of 'paper engineering samples'; everything including the box was hand made using different techniques. I still have it but now it is 25 years old so looking a little tired, but I will take some photos tomorrow and put them up.

New Home · 30-04-2022 10:15pm

Thank you looksee, that would be wonderful and a great source of inspiration.

New Home · 01-08-2022 10:40am

https://twitter.com/i/status/1552677318610518016

Not mine, just very cool sliceforms.

looksee · 01-10-2022 10:01pm

Several centuries ago - last April, it is now October...I said I would put up some photos of some paper engineering I did many years ago. It only feels like yesterday but the poor thing has been sitting around for 25 years so is looking a little weary, and I kinda regretted saying I would photograph it. However I did eventually take some photos but then life got in the way again and I did not get round to posting them.

So...this is a box containing 11 little books, each of which demonstrates various paper engineering and/or printing techniques. It is entirely in black and white with just a - generally hidden - splash of colour. I didn't photograph all of them as some just did not reproduce well in photographs.

Everything is made from paper and card with fabric tape binding the books and things like adhesive plastic sheet standing in for various types of gloss effects.

A simple pop-up shape lined with orange card to make it glow.

Pop-up with a pull tab to make a section flip over and show the moon/letter C.

A pull out letter H with 'expanding' tissue paper.

This one is a bit hard to see - a pop-up weather vane with a 'glossy' shadow effect. This was one of the ones that took much fiddling to get it to all fold into the book covers.

Another pull tab creating the curve which reveals a letter E on the glittery background.

Oddly this was probably the hardest to do, a sliding mechanism that reveals an S. There is a surprising amount of engineering hidden under the surface to get it to slide smoothly and accurately.