I think that one of the challenges of creating a three-dimensional books in the way that I do is the level of limitations. That has been one of the biggest challenges. By that I mean, when an artist is creating a picture book in two-dimensions, a flat two dimensional book, the sky is the limit. You can do anything you want. You can draw anything you want, you can paint anything you want. Anything. Small, big, anything you want to do.
But working with a pop-up book, a three-dimensional book, one has to obey the laws of physics. The paper will not always do what you would like it to do in your mind. That is a real challenge. You can make a staircase, sure, but can you make the staircase move? What is the paper willing to let you do. There’s also an element of time when I’m working with pop-ups because the page opens in a certain time span.
Certain things on the inside can also move at different speeds. Technically I guess I work in four dimensions because there’s an element of time. The paper is very tricky that way. Sometimes if I want the paper to move faster so it doesn’t strike something, it won’t do that. If I turn the book upside down when I’m working to try to get it to do that, it may not work that way. There are many limitations of just getting the paper to work within a three-dimensional space.
I think that’s one of the most frustrating things for some of the designers at my studio — because I have some designers who work with me there — for them to really come to terms with that. That the paper is the king in the studio, and all it’s quirks and nuances have to be obeyed with the utmost respect.
