I Spy...

Hello all!

Soon we'll have some cool pop-up peaks for you from the upcoming DC SUPERHEROES: THE ULTIMATE POP-UP - but first, I've got some more glimpses of the greatest city in the world (at least to me), New York City! I consider myself New Yorker now and I'm proud of it! I'm constantly amazed by what I see walking through the city streets - the colors, the shapes, the images - and my latest habit is to capture them in photo. Here's the latest from what I hope will continue indefinitely...

















That is all! For now...

XO Matthew

Lookee here...

One of my favorite catalogs is Anthropologie. Not only do they carry amazing clothing and home decor, but their art design within the catalogs (and stores!) is incredible! Check out this page from the September 2010-- they have one of our pop up books as a prop!

XO Jess

Morning Stroll, Day 1 & 2

Hello Everyone -

The Labor Day weekend is behind us, autumn is rapidly approaching, and back to work for everyone (pop-up book makers included) - a bittersweet end to a FANTASTIC summer, if I do
say so myself.

So, I've been super lazy ALL summer and it's time I got back into sharing more. I often take a morning stroll before work, to gather my thoughts and look at the fantastic world around me. New York City is really amazing, you know - so many odd, funny, fabulous things to see. Inspiration lies hind every corner. That being said, here's what I've found that sparks my interest...

...a crochet bike cozy - seriously...

...this color pink is naturally occurring pink - no Photoshop here, baby...

...radical ride - can you imagine the Transformer this bike could turn into?

...red velvet whoopee pie - need I say more?

...a new robot friend made of recycled appliances...

... and I just love graffiti art, no matter the subject matter. NYC rocks.

XO Matthew

It's THAT time again...

After two years of waiting, scheming, planning, and nail biting, I am excited to see that the Movable Book Society will be holding it’s eight biennial conference in Portland, Oregon at the end of this month.

Established in 1993 by Ann Montanaro, the Movable Book Society has grown into the premiere organization for pop-up book enthusiasts. I had the good fortune to get involved with this non-profit group in 2000, and this will be the fifth conference I will have the pleasure to attend. Besides the informative quarterly newsletters, I anxiously look forward to this gathering of movable book collectors, artists, paper engineers and fans.

I assume that I am preaching to the choir on this one, but if you are interested in pop-ups (and why else would you be at this blog) you should consider joining the MBS. If you find yourself in the Portland area this month and would like more info on the conference be sure to check here.

~Kyle

Paul Stickland

I recently got word from U.K. based paper engineer, Paul Stickland, that he has launched a new blog. Simply titled, PopUps! is a place for all pop-up creators, both young and old, to share their work. So get inspired, get exposure and get popping!

I have been a fan of Paul’s work for many years. In fact, I remember getting his Dinosaur Roar! And Swamp Stomp! for my birthday a long time ago. He has some exciting new projects coming out soon so check back on his websites or keep and eye on his first blog. () If you already own all of his pop-up books be sure to check out his online store for other fun finds like T-shirts or the jazzy hi-top sneakers.

~Kyle

All HURTS aren't so bad, you know...

Along with everyone else in the studio, I'm a big music fan and listen to tunes ALL DAY LONG. Now, the other designers here don't necessarily have the same taste as I do, and thank goodness (for them) my desk is in a seperate room!

I've been waiting all summer for the British electronic duo HURTS to release their full length album "Happiness", and it finally arrived this Tuesday! Brilliant, moody, rich, very much 80's inspired alterna-pop - it's been on repeat non-stop. Poor Kyle and Jess...




- XO MR

The Orchard

I listen to a lot of music through out my day, and while I'm not all knowing I do know this: I like Ra Ra Riot's new album 'The Orchard'. Yep. Definitely check it out, especially if you like albums that you can get lost in and repeat for a couple of hours.

TV Memories

We all have faint childhood memories that seem to come to the forefront of our minds randomly. One of mine is of a cartoon I remembered watching taped on one of my many VHS tapes. There was only one episode of the show and I vaguely remembered it had to do with flowers. Years later, looking back I knew that it was from Japan because of the style of animation. So with a lot of help of my fiancé, we found the TV show! Hana no Ko Lunlun or The Flower Angel was a Japanese cartoon that ran in 1979 till 1980 and was dubbed in many languages. I cannot find it on Region 1 DVDs (yet) but you can see a bit of it here!

XX Jess

23 Sandy Gallery

It’s already September! That means that my beloved summer season is coming to a close and I must steel myself against the impending cold. It has been a very busy few months in New York City (which is proved by the relative lack of posts) but I am now hoping things will settle down and I can bring you more good news on the pop-up front. In fact, I just received two press releases for concurrent pop-up book shows at 23 Sandy Gallery. This Portland, OR based art space is run by the wonderful artist, Laura Russell, () who creates amazing artist books when she is not curating impressive exhibitions. You can learn more about Laura and the details of the pop-up shows at her blog.

September 22 - October 30, 2010

Pop-Up Now! A Juried Exhibition of Movable Books

Pop-up books captivate and excite the child in all of us. They come to life as three-dimensional works of art hidden inside the pages of a book. Pop-Up Now! will feature handmade artist books that pop-up, move, slide, twirl, whirl, light up, or even sound off. This juried exhibition of handmade movable artist books will be held at 23 Sandy Gallery in conjunction with the biennial conference of the Movable Book Society to be held in Portland, September 23-25, 2010.

September 22 - October 30, 2010

Handmade Paper in Motion

Number nine in Hand Papermaking's series of distinctive portfolios of handmade papers, Handmade Paper in Motion is an extraordinary collection of collaborative artwork—14 pieces by 28 artists working in teams—features pop-ups, movable devices, and other forms of dynamic paper engineering, all using handmade paper designed and made specifically for each edition. 23 Sandy Gallery is pleased to present the debut exhibition of this remarkable portfolio in conjunction with Pop-Up Now! Proceeds from the sale of Handmade Paper in Motion benefit Hand Papermaking, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing traditional and contemporary ideas in the art of hand papermaking.

~Kyle

Been busy these past few months but...

Hello Pop-Up Studio Readers,

Sorry for the lapse in blog entries these past few months - it's been pretty hectic this summer. Lots of changes in the studio and pop-up projects to finish! Needless to say, all is well and many new books are coming in the near future, including...

DC Super Heroes: The Ultimate Pop-Up Book - to be released October 5, 2010....


and the cover art from the final book in the Encyclopedia Mythologica series - Dragons & Monsters (Spring 2011)!

And that's just a taste of what's ahead! Lots more details on the making of each of these books to come and as well as some teasers on more future projects.

XO Matthew Reinhart


PS - This is my niece Lillian - cute pigtails, huh? I think she just might make an appearance or two in future books...

Smithsonian Pop-up Exhibit

I was excited to learn that June 14th marked the opening of a new exhibit from the Smithsonian Institute called “Paper Engineering: Fold, Pull, Pop and Turn” ()at the National Museum of American History.

I have been following the progress of the exhibition for a few months through an informative blog they launched to showcase various books and backstage stories.

Stephen Van Dyk, the show curator, carefully considered the 1200+ collection of pop-up and movable books in the Smithsonian Libraries before settling on 53 prime examples of paper engineering. The dizzying beauty of the volvelles in Peter Apian’s Astronomicum Ceaesareum start off a timeline of movables that include works from pop-up masters like Meggendorfer, Nister, Dean, Lentz and Kubasta. The current crop of masterful pop-up artists are also on display so look out for titles from Robert Sabuda, Matthew Reinhart, David Carter and others.

Not only are works from Bruce Foster and Chuck Fisher in the exhibition but they make another appearance in the running video that describes much of the pop-up making process. You can take a look at one of the videos here on Youtube.

“Paper Engineering: Fold, Pull, Pop and Turn” will be at the National Museum of American History until Fall 2011 so you have plenty of time to arrange that must-see trip to D.C.

~Kyle

Anton and Atlas

Last month I was lucky enough to swing through BookExpoAmerica at the Javits Center in New York City. I always love to attend this book fair each year to get a sense of what new pop-up books will be released and what the dozens of publishers and printers have to show off. Sadly, my tour of the floor was cut short after a great chat with paper engineer Gene Vosough. I had to hustle off to meet with Ellen Rubin, thepopuplady, Matthew Reinhart, and Bulgarian paper engineer, Anton Radevsky. I was very excited to meet with Anton as I have marveled at his paper engineering feats as he tackled subjects like Space Craft, Architecture or the Wild West.

Anton Radevsky was visiting Manhattan for the first time and was eager to meet some fellow paper engineers and talk shop while he showed us his latest tour de force pop-up book Voyage to the Heart of Matter. His book is a collaboration with CERN in Switzerland to share the story of the Atlas experiment and the Large Hadron Collider.


Voyage to the Heart of Matter is an ambitious pop-up book about an ambitious scientific project to discover the beginning of the universe. This complex experiment is broken down into bite size sections to help kids (and adults) understand what it takes to make protons travel near the speed of light. The book has just been released in the UK but the 2nd edition is set to be in U.S. bookstores in the next two months, so I have to keep waiting for my own copy.

~Kyle

I like Domino!

Even though this book came out a couple years ago, it is still probably one of my favorites! Domino: The Book of Decorating was created by the editors from Domino Magazine (which sadly is no longer with us). The book basically has all the best articles from the magazine on how to decorate a small entryway, the bedroom, living room, etc. It even has in the back how to calculate how much paint you'll need to paint a room or just a wall. But what the best part of the book is the photos! I love decorating books and magazines for the photos. I tend to find inspiration from them. Whether it's the wallpaper or a small trinket, I usually find something amazing!

Enjoy!
-Jess

Etch-A-Sketch King

To be named the king of something is a bold title, but George Vlosich deserves this title. He is also know as the king of Etch a Sketch. Yes. Etch a Sketch. As you can see from the one he did of New York, this guy knows his way around those two little knobs. Vlosich's creations has been on television, museums, magazines, and even the White House!

Check out more of his Etch a Sketch work on his website:

http://www.gvetchedintime.com/

-Jess

I'm a Cyborg, but that's OK

As I was trawling through the interwebs this week I came across a very cute virtual pop-up book. I’m always excited when my different interests align so it was a delightful bonus to find that the virtual pop-up book was created as a promotional for one of my favorite Korean directors, Chan-Wook Park. I’m a Cyborg, but that’s OK was released in 2006 and has yet to have make it’s way to the U.S. or Netflix, but I have my fingers crossed. You can learn more about the film at IMDB and Wikipedia.



The virtual pop-up book is quirky creation from the Korean design firm D.O.E.S. which stands for “dreams of electric sheep” and references Phillip K. Dick’s seminal work that spawned one of my favorite movies, Bladerunner. Based on the preview of their 2010 reel it seems they are no strangers to the virtual pop-up book and have created another version of the pop-up book for LG. You can also check out their fun cut paper animation for the LG Cyon Lollipop and don’t forget to see the “making film” section for a behind the scenes look at all the hard work they put in.

Getting back to the charming virtual pop-up book, the viewer can explore three chapters and interact with the characters on each of the spreads in fun ways. While they cheated on the physics of the constructions, it works well with the surreal nature of the project. The pop-up book closes with an appendix that promises three make-your-own masks based on the movie, but I was disheartened to find that the links were no longer available. Guess I will have to make my own bunny mask. Now all that is left is for me track down a copy of the movie this weekend because the pop-up promo sure sold me.

~Kyle

A pretty book about an ugly duckling

On a recent trip to Virginia I came across this pop-up book in a used bookstore and I just had to pick it up!

Besides the pop-ups, the illustrations have a very nice line quality that I admire. The paper engineering was done by Clare and Jack Segnit and Dennis K. Meyer.

I hate to give away the ending of the book, but the pop-up on the final spread is so nice I couldn't resist showing it! It's very simple but also elegant and effective.

The photo doesn't completely do it justice - take a look at this book if you get a chance!

-Shelby

Libros Moviles in Spain

I just learned of a new pop-up exhibit that opened last week in Andalucia, Spain. More specifically at the Teatro Auditorio in the Southern resort town of Roquetas de Mar. The movable books in the show come from the extensive collection of Ana Maria Ortega Palacios and her husband Alvaro Gutierrez Banos.



I have had the good fortune to meet with these lovely collectors on past occasions and know that this exhibition will be tastefully presented with many rare books selected from their 1,700 title holdings. I learned the show is divided in two sections. One side of the hall represents a general history of movable books dating back hundreds of years with impressive examples of Meggendorfers, Nisters, Kubasta, Wehr and other masters of the Golden Age of Pop-ups. As the exhibition continues, viewers can peer into twelve cases to see different book formats and explosive mechanism used by various paper engineers.

The exhibit is slated to run from April through June, which gives me time to save up for a trip to Spain.

~Kyle

P.S. Spanish articles covering the opening can be found here and here.

We all fit together.

Check out these cool Lego animals. Lego artist Sean Kenney has set up this exhibition at the Philadelphia zoo to raise awareness about endangered species the world over. The exhibition also focuses on teaching children and adults the importance of recycling and lowering your environmental impact.



http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/04/lego-artisan-creates-endangered-species-for-zoo.php

Looks like it's time for a quick trip to Phily!
Simon

Fun at the MoCCA Festival!

Last weekend I attended the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art Festival and I had a great time! I originally decided to go because one of my favorite webcomic artists was there (Kate Beaton), but I realized as I arrived that it was just the sort of event that some of my old college friends would be at.

Sure enough, as I walked into the room I saw my friend Marc showing off his illustrations at a table. He pointed me to some great places to browse and I ended up spending tons of money on books and posters as well as a little robot magnet that my friend Alisa made.

One of my favorite things about the festival is that artists had to represent their own work. This meant that there were mainly independent comic artists and cartoonists there - and it was cool to know that whenever I bought something, I was buying it directly from the artist!

I'll definitely go back next year.
-Shelby

Play With Your Food

Some really great photos from the Sydney International Food Festival of international flags made of food! Definitely check out the photos and try to guess which country is which!




Jess