Beyond the Text

I had the privilege to attend the opening reception to a wonderful artist book exhibit last night and the Grolier Club. The inventive book artist, Shawn Sheehy invited me to join him at the event where we met up with the always cheery, Ed Hutchins and Ellen Rubin, the popuplady. The gallery was packed wall to wall with artists, book collectors and book lovers but I was able to squeeze off one photo of Sheehy next to his work.



"Beyond the Text: Artists’ Books from the Collection of Robert J. Ruben," includes over 60 examples of accordion books, codices, scrolls, box books, pop-ups and tunnel books, in every variety of mixed media. Some are by artists of international renown, others by new artists forging their creative paths. Some of the books have previously known texts, others new texts or no texts at all, and the subject matter ranges from political, argumentative, ironic, lyrical, to tragic.

In speaking with the very pleasant Dr. Robert J. Ruben, I learned that this show represents about ten percent of his notable collection, which he has been amassing since he picked up his first artist book in 1952. Ruben has two intellectual centers to his life: medicine and books. A leader in the medical field of Otolaryngology, Ruben has also been an ardent student and collector of artists' books for twenty-five years, and a similar exhibition of his artists' books, "Beyond the Text", was held at Adelphi University a few years ago.

This exhibition is accompanied by an impressive catalog with beautiful full-page color illustrations of each book. The catalog is a joint effort of the art historian, Yvonne Korshak, PhD and the collector, Robert Ruben, MD and is available for purchase at the venue. The show will be on exhibit at the Grolier Club, Second Floor Gallery, 47 East 60th Street, NY, NY, 10022, from March 25th through May 28th, 2010, Monday through Friday, 10 am to 5 pm. The exhibition is free of charge and open to the public so you have no excuse not to see it for yourself.

-Kyle

Art of the Arduino

This Saturday at NYCResistor we are hosting an art show of pieces that use the Arduino, a customizable microprocessor that lets you incorporate electronics into basically anything you can dream up.

One of the pieces in the show is by artist Edith Kollath, titled "thinking i'd last forever". They are books that breathe! Bre made this video a while back for another show that she was in:

Things - Edith Kollath Creates Books that Breathe from Bre Pettis on Vimeo.

So cool! I can't wait for the show on Saturday!

Edith's website: http://www.edithkollath.net/

-Shelby

Fashion follows function

I am not too aware of the fashion world as a whole, but I do like good design no matter what avenue it is on. Check out these cool 'bike to work' pants, with built in reflectors so you can bike safer on your way home at night. Any time something can fulfill two or more functions in one object it gets my vote.

http://www.cordarounds.com/bike-to-work/

You might own another pair of pants after these, but you only have one skull.

Ride safe,
Simon

Folded Spring

I usually take a stroll through SoHo to get to work in the morning. I absolutely love passing all the window displays with a cup of coffee in hand. The other morning I saw that Kate's Paperie had put up giant paper flowers in their windows (If you're in the city, definitely check them out on Spring St)! They really are stunning pieces of work. Check out my photo below of one of the windows.



Also, on Kate's Paperie website you can download a template and make a wonderful paper daisy!
http://www.katespaperie.com/ideas_and_inspiration/category/inspirational_crafts/daisy/article/daisy

Jess

Gods & Heroes in the Washington Post

This review appeared on Sunday, March 21, 2010 in The Washington Post:

GODS AND HEROES
By Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart
Candlewick. $29.99, ages 5 and up

From initial startle to final analysis ("How did they do that?"), a well-made pop-up book is all about surprise; it's a further astonishment when the text is worth reading. Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart have dedicated "Gods and Heroes" to "all the educators who have supported our work over the years," and they have crafted concise and lively versions of many of the world's ancient myths and legends. But the ingenious paper structures that emerge from every spread and collapse back again are the big draw. First up -- literally -- is the Egyptian god Horus, whose falcon head extends over the top of the book and whose long human-like legs extend below. On the same spread, smaller and tucked away in corners, are no fewer than four other 3-D scenes, and this is a typical page in this exuberant book. In addition to the Egyptian pantheon, Sabuda and Reinhart pay tribute to such luminaries as the Greek gods, goddesses and heroes, Gilgamesh, the Norse "masters of battle" (including Odin with his flaming red beard and bright purple garment), the Polynesian volcano goddess Pele, China's Heavenly Grandfather, and the Aztec Empire's plumed serpent Quetzalcoatl. They all loomed large for centuries, and now they pop up in a big way.

-Abby McGanney Nolan

Pop-ettes

I like odd things, even more so when they are made out of paper. This should not be too surprising by now. So I was really pleased when I came across these little oddities shown here.



These rubber band-activated paper toys come in four bizarre flavors, which I have dubbed clown, devil, yokel and shrew. I’m guessing these are not the original monikers nor the first stereotypes little boys and girls clamber after at the toy store. I’m also guessing they are from the 1970’s based on the artwork and original packaging.



In some ways, the box is even better than the toys. I don’t know if I’m more scared by the heavy lidded children or the “new-astonishing” pop-up Pop-ettes. Needless to say, I could find no information on these little critters or the manufacturer on the Internet, but maybe that is just as well. I can’t imagine these being a big seller or that many sets survived the ages. Which is a pity as there must have been a second “animals” version with the coveted tiger Pop-ette. So in the interest of posterity I introduce you and the rest of the web to these unique pop-up toys. “They snap! They Pop! They Chatter!” boasts the packaging for these four puppets. These Pop-ettes do more than that…they totally freak me out, and I love them for it.

-Kyle

6 Easy Pieces

I picked this book up the other day and I've been reading it in every spare moment I get:



Feynman was a pretty crazy guy! When I was younger I read his autobiography, "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" and it definitely changed some of the ways I look at the world and approach problem solving.

"Six Easy Pieces" is amazing! Feynman's discussion about atoms, the electromagnetic field and energy is actually pretty easy to understand (as the title would lead you to believe) and he provides plenty of analogies to help you visualize the concepts. I haven't gotten to the chapter on the theory of gravitation yet but I can't wait!

-Shelby

The Collector - Continued

Last year, I had posted about my Kidrobot Dunny collection and I have acquired one of my favorites! This little magical guy is from the company Shawnimals. Definitely check out their website. They have created an entire world of characters-- including a map of the world! The best land is Moustachio Territory (well, in my opinion). Enjoy exploring Shawnimals!

http://www.shawnimals.com/

Jess

Sesame Street

If they had this when I was watching Sesame Street I'd be a rocket scientist by now.



Its the lovely Feist making her famous song 1,2,3,4 adaptable to cognitive learning skills and counting monsters. As well as imprinting herself on the impressionable minds of the next generation.

Plop the kids down in front of the old computer and enjoy!

Simon

Interviews on Inquirer.net

from the Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 13, 2010:

What inspires you?

Robert: I think that inspiration comes from the experiences of my everyday life. I’ll read about something or someone and say “wouldn’t that make a wonderful book?” I’m also inspired by other authors and artists like Matthew Reinhart. Since we work together in the same studio, sometimes I’ll see him make an amazing piece of art and I’ll get so excited and inspired that I have to get right back to work creating!

Matthew: Everything around me —whether the gargoyles on buildings, food packaging in the grocery store or even good music.

How much do you love your job?

Robert: I am thankful every day to have such a wonderful, fun, challenging job. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else!

Matthew: Very much—wouldn’t trade it for anything."

Read the rest of the interview here!


One of our good friends in the pop-up collecting world, Adie Pena, was also interviewed:

"Adie, who runs PLW, an advertising firm based in Makati, has been collecting pop-up books for about 18 years now. “It all started in 1987 when I came across a pop-up print ad of the famous San Francisco Transamerica Building in Time magazine. It simply blew my mind. Here was a child’s medium that actually made my heart skip a beat.”

Continue reading here!

Soon to be Spring

Spring is just around the corner, or so I am told, and it's never too early to see the blooms at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. But if you're like me and it's still too cold to hang around outside, you can always enjoy the garden's inside attractions: artist Emilie Clark's new show 'My Garden Pets' is having an open reception on Sunday, March 14th from 1 - 3 pm. These cool water colors show a neat cross-section of any garden's seedy underbelly.





The show is open until the 31st of May. (And there is a rumor the garden is free on weekdays during the winter but you didn't hear it from me.)

Stay warm,
Simon

Thomas Allen

I don’t write fan letters often. In fact, I can count them on one finger. Yet, a few months ago, I visited Foley Gallery in Chelsea for the latest exhibit from Thomas Allen. I was so blown away by his latest and (final!?!) series that I had to let him know how much I appreciated the art. He mentioned that his creations are inspired by pop-ups so I thought it only fitting to take a piece of his full circle and make a pop-up out of one of his images.



Allen is one of my favorite artists and it’s not hard to see why I’m head over heels for his work. He cuts and manipulates old pulp book covers into arresting compositions and then photographs them with selective focusing and great lighting. I first learned about his work when the studio received a copy of the great Uncovered book from Aperture in 2007, and I have been following the artist ever since.

The cut paper…the dime-store detective novels…the clever arrangements…it’s like the work is genetically engineered to appeal to many of my diverging interests. I cannot wait to see what Thomas Allen decides to do next!

-Kyle

Paper Artist Charles Clary

I recently found out about this artist from an article on Wired's website so I looked him up. Charles Clary's work is slightly similar to Jen Stark's, in that he uses layers of cut-outs in paper to show depth in his pieces. However, his shapes are more organic, and extremely mesmerizing!



Can you believe it's hand-cut?

MANY more pictures of Charles's work can be found on his blog:
http://percusiveart.blogspot.com/

-Shelby

Maira Kalman

In one of the design blogs I follow, I found out about this exhibition at the Julie Saul Gallery in NYC. The exhibition is of Maira Kalman whom I am not familiar with... though it seems that I may have seen her work before. She has illustrated many New Yorker covers, children's books, and even backgrounds for theater! I'm going to visit this exhibition of her work that is mainly in gouache and of her travels.

http://www.saulgallery.com/

http://www.mairakalman.com/home.html

Jess

Gods & Heroes in the Boston Globe

Sunday, March 7 2010:

"I, along with the rest of the children’s book world, have long been an admirer of the exquisite paper-engineered books of Matthew Reinhart and Robert Sabuda. To call them pop-ups is a gross understatement of their intricate complexity and art. From “Alice in Wonderland’’ to winter scenes to encyclopedias of dinosaurs, Reinhart and Sabuda have created some of this century’s most marvelous books. But “Encyclopedia Mythologica: Gods and Heroes’’ may well be their best work yet."

Read the rest of the review here!

Printing with Paper, Not Ink

There has been a lot of talk among my friends about 3D printing lately, especially since some fellow members at NYCResistor have a company called Makerbot which sells a DIY kit for a 3D plastic printer you can build yourself.

But now a company has made one that uses paper as its raw material instead of plastic! Check out the examples of what it can do around 2:03 in this video:



More info at Mcor Technologies' website: http://www.mcortechnologies.com/

-Shelby

Posters are Not Dead

Heads of State are a great design duo. Just like one of my previous posts on Jolby, Heads of State are a true collaboration. One of the designers lives on the West Coast, while the other lives in the East. They produce some of the best music posters out there, in my humble opinion. Check them out here:

https://www.theheadsofstate.com

Enjoy!
Jess

Jim Tierney

I received a letter from a former student that recently graduated from Pratt Institute. This is pretty rare as I can barely get my current students to contact me. Dylan was a welcome addition to my paper engineering course and brought an enthusiasm to the class that matched his ambitious designs. It looks like his zeal continues to this day when he shared a link to an amazing book cover designer.


Jim Tierney is currently an illustration student at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. For his senior thesis he has reimagined the book design of four famous Jules Verne tales. Each of the titles utilizes a different material or technique that compliments the theme of the book. Some have volvelles or pull tabs, while others employ clever diecut or transparent overlays. Check out his blog for some great close-ups of the covers, bookwraps and endpapers. There is even a great video that I first saw at Faceout Books that shows these books in action.

No need to wish Jim luck as I am positive he will find many commissions for his beautiful book designs now that he is graduating. I just hope Dylan and the rest of my students keep me posted when a publisher picks these up and I can get my own copy to display on my shelves.

-Kyle

Double Vision

Check out these stereoscopes of life in late 19th century Meiji-period Japan. Photographer T. Enami (1859-1929) captured these images that show many different scenes of daily life in the towns and countryside.

http://pinktentacle.com/2009/10/animated-stereoviews-of-old-japan/

The 3D quality of the animation of these images together makes the people look move contemporary in a way that old black and white photos fall short.

Simon

Fractal Fun

A few weeks ago I came across this cool looking vegetable, called a Romanesco Broccoli. It was just sitting in the grocery store bin, looking like alien fruit. Upon closer examination (and research) I discovered that its structure really is a fractal one: the pattern repeats itself all the way down, smaller and smaller every time.


It really reignited my interest in fractals - and guess what I found today on our reference shelves here at the studio?A book about making fractal pop-up designs! You can bet I'll be taking this home for a few days!

-Shelby

Flanimals

Apparently, someone can’t take a joke.
British comedian, Ricky Gervais hosted the 2010 Golden Globes award ceremony last month and raised eyebrows with some of his off-color quips. A few days later we learned that twelve thousand copies of his latest Flanimals Pop-up book was reported missing from the publisher’s warehouse.

There are a few theories of who may have hijacked the shipment. It’s possible that the cargo just disappeared like lost luggage at an airport. Or maybe thieves stole to merchandise thinking they lifted Plasma TVs and ended up with boxes of books. Some folks suggest that Ricky had a hand in this as an elaborate publicity stunt. He countered with his own suspicions when he stated, “This is obviously a misguided Flanimal Rights Group or an organized gang of eight-year-olds,” Personally, I have my eye on an evil consortium of slighted actors that wanted revenge on Gervais after his remarks at the Globes. Ringleader, Steve Carell was even quoted telling Gervais, “I will break you.”

Well played Mr. Carell, well played.

More details of the heist can be found in this article in Publishers Weekly.

Despite the lost, a full release of Flanimals Pop-Up will hit U.S. bookshelves on March 9. If you can’t wait that long you can get a quick sneak peek of the book in this YouTube video starring Ricky himself.



-Kyle

Shades of Spring (and Fall)

All right. Even though it's snowing outside here in the city, Spring fashions are out in the stores and rolling down the runways are fashions for Fall 2010! Amazing, isn't it? So I thought I'd share my love for color, fashion, and pantone with you all!

Every fashion season (so twice a year) Pantone comes out with color predictions. Here are the Fall fashion 2010 predictions:

And once a year, Pantone comes out with a color for the year. This year, turquoise. A blue that evokes warmth and relaxes the viewer. Pantone's description of this year's color is as follows:
"Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigoration aspects of green, Turquoise inspires thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a comforting escape from the everyday troubles of the world."

I love that one color can radiate such a feeling. A picture truly is worth a thousand words. You can also check out the Fall fashion guide here: http://www.pantone.com/pages/pantone/index.aspx

Jess

More than just a label...

Imagine your assignment for a packaging class: use one sheet of paper to make a 3D wine label. Sounds interesting, doesn't it? After seeing some student work in an article I found I just had to share it with the rest of the paper enthusiasts out there! So check out the full article on The Dieline blog.

Cheers!
Jess

Paper Boats

In the year 2000, as Matthew Reinhart was completing his second pop-up book, Pop-Up Book Of Nightmares, he was asked by Melcher Media to do some paper engineering experiments with a new plastic paper. Melcher Media is book production firm or packager and acts as a small publishing house imprint to develop new books in a variety of formats. Once the book is developed they bring it to various publishers who will then take on the product and get it to the bookshelves.

Taking advantage of the obvious properties of the plastic paper, Reinhart was able to create a few early models of boat hulls before moving onto new projects. Just think of it – paper boats in dazzling colors and shapes that can have a lifetime of action on both bathtubs and backyard ponds.

The book found new life under paper engineer Willy Bullocks (credited for the design of the excellent Max's Machines Pop-up Book) and the final result was released in 2001.

The Amazing Book Of Paper Boats 18 different boat patterns printed on waterproof paper for the viewer to cut, “fold and float”. The book also provides some history to the boat designs as well as explicit directions for constructing your watercrafts. Since I just received my copy this week, I have yet to test the buoyancy of the designs but I can always start with the ‘Ocean Liner’ which bears a resemblance to the Titanic so if I spring a leak it will look planned.

- Kyle

A good find...

I was in a bookstore in my neighborhood this weekend and I stumbled upon a book that grabbed my attention. What can I say it was the color that got me. I am a sucker for contrast and that dusty blue is hands down my favorite hue. Not to mention the neat red symbol on the cover.



So I bought it for a whopping 10 dollars! Getting it home are realized it from 1904, which makes it 106 years old! Oldest thing I own. I looked more closely and found it was written by a guy named Hugo B. Froehlich, A former instructor at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn - my Alma Mater.



The book is full of beautiful Art Nouveau images and poetry, as well as simple techniques for improving your drawing and color skills.




This book is such a good random find that I am really happy to own.

Have fun at your used bookstore.

Simon

A new year & a little peek into the future...

Hi pop-up fans!

Been a CRAZY BUSY winter - and everyone in the studio has been scrambling to finish up our fall projects and get started on the next ones. It never seems to end, but we (at least I) like it that way!

Encyclopedia Mythologica: Gods and Heroes releases in a few weeks - more peeks of that book to come next week. As always, I've already moved onto my next project and here's a little sneak peek at what's (hopefully) coming in Spring of 2011...

First the sketch -



- then the color art.



XO Matthew

Blog at last!

I wanted to showcase my new favorite website - Strange maps...

It has all kinds of maps and graphs and information exchanges - if you are into that kind of stuff - I, of course, am. Just demonstrate the depth and variety of this oddly intriguing blog, here are two choice entries of late:

Potential of White Christmases This Year...



and Nebraskan Looking At Nebraska Looking At Nebraska.


Enjoy!

Simon

UPS Holiday

I know this is a little late but I just received a link to an excellent pop-up advertisement. This is a holiday spot for UPS that builds on the ingenious animated cardboard campaign that was created by Psyop, a multimedia design firm that takes it’s name from the mysterious government organization. Be sure to view the other amazing UPS Store animations at their website or Youtube channel.



What I love about many of the current digitally animated pop-ups are the attention to details and the creator’s desire to follow the physics of actual books. Psyop found a good middle ground when they developed these explosive environments and then asked me to consult on merging them with traditional paper engineered mechanics. It was exciting to work with the team and I can take no credit for the imaginative vision and impeccable execution, but you bet I will be keeping an eye on them to see what magical worlds they create next.

-Kyle

One thing I've discovered...

One thing I've been discovering about paper engineering is that the principles can expand to other materials really easily. For example, this spoon folded from...wood?


- Shelby

Bling Bling!

It has been a bit of time since we've all blogged last, but I figured we should start this year's post with some great news:

I just got ENGAGED! Needless to say, I'm very excited.

Planning the wedding, however has proven quite a daunting task...

XO!

Jessica

Inspired

I'll be honest-- I don't really read a lot of books without pictures. And same goes for blogs. I like pictures, it's as simple as that. One of the blogs that I constantly read is Doodlers Anonymous. It's such a great blog filled with all sorts of artists and their sketches, doodles, and zines. Doodlers Anonymous gives me a bit of motivation to get the sketch book out and doodle.

Right now I'm all about Jolby. A collaboration between two friends, Josh Kenyon and Colby Nichols who are separated by miles. Check out their website:

http://www.jolbyandfriends.com

and check out doodlers anonymous:
http://doodlersanonymous.com

Jess

Paper Toys from Korea

Last month, I announced my initiation into the world of paper toys when two of my models were included in Papercuts. Around that time I received a cool gift from my sister that she brought back from a quick trip to Korea.


According to the information on the back of the postcard:

“guan jian shou was two generals endangering the world but were intimidated by Dizang Wang’s Buddhism and Dizang Wang’s guards. These two observed good and evil in the world and in turn they prolong good people’s life and shorten bad people’s life.”

These little guys came from the Answer Ideas Studio, which is based out of Taiwan.
The Studio has developed dozens of paper toys ranging from figures to everyday objects with varying degrees of difficulty. Each model is cut from a single card and does not require any glue, and constructing my tiny guards took little more than an hour.

Now as they guard my messy table I catch myself glancing over at them and hoping they are prolonging my life. If I stay good I may have more time to make a few more paper models.

-Kyle

Creature Chart

I recently came across this cool chart showing the intersections of species that create mythical creatures.

I never knew the Australian Echidna was named after a part-snake, part-human monster! Creepy...

Here is the source of this image.

-Shelby

Out Wolfed

This is a great story about legalizing hunting of the newly reintroduced wolf population in Idaho and Montana.  It's controversial as these wolves have just been moved off the endangered species list.  The video is really great because it takes the point of view of the hunters, the animal rights activists, the lawmakers and the people who have to deal with the wolves in there yards and daily lives.

Not to mention the wolves, who no one can seem to catch anyway.

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/09/10/us/1247464505754/open-season-on-idaho-wolves-.html

- Simon

One Fat Frog

A few weeks ago I had a chance to meet famous book creator/funny man, Mo Willems.  I literally cornered him at a signing and asked about his latest book.  After developing successful picture book series involving pigeons, piggies and pachyderms, Mo has set his sights on the humble frog.  Not just any frog but a frog SO big she can’t fit inside the book.

Mo teamed up with Bruce Foster to create the first ever “Pop Out” book.  Big Frog Can’t Fit In was released this week by Hyperion and I was fortunate enough to get a copy for myself.  The nine-inch by nine inch book comes in a tall resealable bag with an additional orange box that protects the dangling froggie toes from getting smashed on the bookshelf.  The six spreads feature oversized pop-ups and playful pull tabs designed out of sturdy heavyweight paper.  (This book has the potential to stand up to some very curious little hands.)  I am also very impressed with how the positive storyline is integrated with the pop-ups.  You can tell Mo and Bruce really had fun making this book.

In fact when I asked Bruce about his experience with the book and the collaboration he had this to say. “Mo was great to work with. Very funny guy.  When they called me with his idea I had to slap my head like in the V-8 commercials, ‘Why didn’t I think of that?!!’ Ha.”

One of my favorite details of the book involves Big Frog flashing a gold tooth as she shrinks on the page.  It’s the little things like this that make the book worthy of reading over and over at bedtime. (or playtime, or anytime!)

Now that the pop-out book is out Mo and Bruce are had at work in a variety of different projects.  Keep an eye on Mo’s blog to get a taste of what’s to come out of his studio. As for Bruce Foster, well he is the most prolific paper engineer I have ever met. This month FOUR new titles he paper engineered are coming out: Big Frog Can’t Fit In, The Sound of Music, Angels and the Sports Illustrated Kid's Wow! The Pop Up Book of Sports.  I’m looking forward to seeing them all!

-Kyle 

The Legend of Zela

It’s October. That means I can’t pretend that summer is still here. To reinforce this reality the temperature dropped and I had to break out the sweaters. I miss the warmth. I miss the summer. It makes me wish I was in sunny Florida right now instead of leaning against the cold winds. If I was in Florida I would be able to stop by the Scissors: Pop-up exhibition at the Florida Craftsmen Gallery. You may remember some of the details from my Call for Entries post in June. I made a small contribution to this show, possibly the smallest in the world.

The Legend of Zela portrays the epic tale of a battle between Julius Caesar and Pharnaces II that took place in 47 B.C. Quoting from his now famous decree- “I came, I saw, I conquered” the book carries the reader from Caesar entering northern Turkey, sizing up his main rival from Pontus, and defeating him at the hilltop town of Zela. This miniature pop-up book, measuring a half inch tall by a quarter inch wide, is the result of my pursuit to share big personalities, events or monuments in a small format. To my knowledge, The Legend of Zela is the smallest pop-up book ever created. This title was created in July of 2009 using inkjet printing on heavyweight photo paper, and is an edition of five for each day of the one-sided battle.

This little guy is in good company as I recognized works from Maria Winkler, Shawn Sheehy and Matthew Shlian (that’s a detail of his work on the postcard above!) The exhibition is on display until Halloween and if anyone visits the gallery be sure to snap a few photos and send them to me and I will upload them on the blog.

-Kyle

Where's the cake?

I have a very severe tree nut allergy, so it can be troublesome when we want to get baked goods for the studio - most bakeries will not guarantee that their products are nut free. It is usually a gamble whether I should try those amazing cupcakes someone sent us or not. (Jess and Simon know this firsthand - last year at Jess's after-work birthday party, I accidentally had a bite of nutella cake and ended up in the emergency room! It was pretty scary for all of us.)

Anyway, we like to get a cake when someone in the studio has a birthday, so today for my birthday Robert and Matthew went several extra miles and MADE me my cake! Check it out:

Wow! It's incredible! And it tasted as good as it looks - Robert made it from scratch (it was chocolate), and he and Matthew decorated it (Matthew did those cool flowers, the lettering and some of the edging). This is probably the most beautiful cake (and one of the yummiest) I've ever had. Thank you so much R & M!!

-Shelby

Paper Flowers

"Everything begins on paper.  Without paper I would be lost!"  And Karl Lagerfeld is right.  Chanel's 2009 Spring-Summer 2009 Haute Couture line begins on paper and ends in paper.  I found a couple pictures within some of the workshops that have 'Trail' the all white pop up book open for inspiration!  Not only the clothing pieces were inspired by paper, but also elaborate headpieces and wonderful 3D paper sets!  It's such an amazing thing to see other people use paper in 3 dimensional ways other than just books.

You can read more about Chanel's line here:

http://www.chanel.com/fashion/8-fashion-trends--pop-up-decor-0,51#8-fashion-trends--pop-up-decor-0,51

To see more photos check out this website as well:

http://www.fileti.com/photographer/index.php?gallery=commissioned&album=CHANEL

Jess

The Collector

So over the past few years, I've started to collect small plastic figures called Dunny (insert joyous squeal here).  Actually, the truth is I'm infatuated with Dunnies.  The choosing of the box, the excitement of not knowing-- Is it one I have?  Is it a secret one?  Will it be awesome?  Aaaah.  Dunnies.  My collection has started to spill off of a shelf and onto my desk.  Below is a photo of my newest acquisitions.  The pizza delivery one is probably my favorite right now.

Kidrobot puts these amazing limited edition blind box series out.  The blind box concept is just like Cracker Jacks but better-- a surprise toy is in the box and I don't have to eat all the Cracker Jacks to get to the toy.  Many artists have jumped on board to design their own Dunny-- Gary Baseman, Amanda Visell, Huck Gee, and many many more!


Check out Kidrobot's site here:

http://www.kidrobot.com

Happy Collecting!
Jess

My new favorite club

I recently discovered a "hacker collective" called NYC Resistor. They are a group of people that are passionate about the DIY movement, and every week they host a craft night. Every Thursday night, people come from all over the New York city area to work on their projects together. I must say, it's pretty exciting! Everyone is working on different things, from robots to knitting and everything in between, and they are all happy to share about their projects or help you with your own.

One of my favorite sights the last time I went was this sign someone had tacked up:

-Shelby

I got a Papercut

I recently received a pleasant surprise in the mail.  One of my favorite paper artists, Matthew Shlian, has just released his latest self-published title, Papercuts.  This cool papercraft book has over 15 models that you can copy, cut and create.  The templates are well laid out and include some instructions and smaller diagrams to identify all those little cuts and folds.  The designs range in complexity but should not take more than an hour to build.  The characters are quirky and make a welcome addition to a few of the other papercraft collections that have hit the shelves this year.

I was able to get a sneak peek of some of these critters a few months ago when Matthew asked me and a select group of designers to adapt and design some additional papercraft figures that are included in the accompanying bonus disc.  Drawing inspiration from his Chef and Sasquatch designs, I developed my first two papercraft designs.

Radiohead is a classic cathedral radio from the 1930s.  Twist his nose dial to change the frequency and watch his eyes roll around in his head.

Pinhead comes with adjustable arms and four different moods allowing you to customize and build ten pins before knocking them over in a few frames of desktop bowling.

If you are interested in these little guys and many more fun papercraft projects, the signed Papercuts books can be purchased directly from Matthew’s excellent website.

-Kyle