Project Summary
A pop-up card has a 3-D design that uses layers, gaps, flaps, and other movable elements to enhance it. Using Adobe Illustrator to create my illustrations, I faced a big challenge of understanding how to convert my illustrations from a digital 2-D design to a physical 3-D design. I also had to figure out how to attach these illustrations to the card in a way that they would flatten when folded.
Sketch
Forming An Idea
To start, I lacked direction for my project, so I turned to Pinterest for inspiration and also reviewed a list of my own ideas. From there, I settled on a winter-themed pop-up card, featuring elements such as the northern lights, snow, mountains, and the night sky. However, I felt something was missing, so I added snowy owls. Only to realize that more than one was too much, and changed the idea to just one single snowy owl, which ultimately became the centerpiece of my card's theme.
Work Before WIP
Sketches, Prototyping, and Illustrating
With my theme in mind, I began sketching out my 3D layout. I experimented with various layers, including a background, mountains, and a single snowy owl. I even considered giving the northern lights their own layer. I designed my card to open horizontally and after creating and printing out all of my illustrations, I worked on constructing my first prototype (My Work at WIP), which unfortunately fell short of my expectations. The design was not successfully 3D, with the mountains not being attached to the background and the snowy owl awkwardly sticking out from the background, resulting in a flat-looking card that wouldn't close properly. As a result, I scraped the design and started anew, determined to create something more engaging and dynamic
Work at WIP
Trial and Error
To better understand the mechanics of a popup card, I examined children's popup books about animals. There were several types of birds, each of which moved and opened their wings differently. I attempted to replicate one of the birds that I liked, but failed. So I went online and found a technique for pop up card bird wings. After watching that, I created another prototype to replicate the natural movement of a bird's wing, opening with two joints instead of one, but I only got it to work once and couldn't get it to work again. Due to this, I realized that I would have to simplify my design. So, I took some of the techniques I learned from that tutorial and applied them to my owl. Which enhanced my final design. I decided to make my card vertical rather than horizontal so that my owl could spread its wings open as the card opened. I also removed the other layers and made everything except the owl flat. This would give the owl a more engaging quality when the card is opened or closed. Lastly, I added rhinestones to the stars and to the northern lights to give them more dimension. Which complimented the illustrations as a whole.
Prototype
Mountain and Sky Progress
Snowy Owl Evolution
Digital Images Of Final Work
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, creating a pop-up card was a challenging but rewarding experience. Through trial and error, I was able to develop a design that captured the essence of my winter-themed pop-up card. I learned that creating a 3D design requires a deeper understanding of the mechanics involved, especially when it comes to attaching the illustrations to the card as well as figuring out how to get it to fold and open. Additionally, I found that looking to other sources, such as children's popup books, can provide inspiration and techniques for creating engaging and dynamic designs. I also learned the importance of simplifying my design when facing challenges, which allowed me to focus on perfecting the mechanics for my snowy owl’s movement. Moving forward, I plan to continue developing my skills, applying the need to create prototypes, and challenging myself to do something new and out of my comfort zone. Because of this experience, I feel more confident with working on more complex projects in the future.
