Making a pop-up cyanotype

A truly fun card making project in cyanotype – an excerpt from Carol Barton’s book The Pocket Paper Engineer.

Writer / Carol Barton

You will need several copies of the same image that can be cut apart in various layers of scenery, or several different images that can be collaged together to create one scene.

1Begin by creating an image that is a vista or background along the top half and a ground or floor along the bottom half, as shown.

2Foldthe image it in half and press along the fold. Keep the paper folded.

3Make two equal cuts into the fold where you want your first image layer to stand in front of the background. The longer these cuts, the further out from the page the image will sit.

The distance between the cuts should be less than the width of the image, and the length of the cuts should be less than the height of the image.

4Cut two more equal cuts of a different length into the fold where you want a second image layer to stand. Each additional image added to the page will require another set of cuts in the fold.

5Fold the tabs between the cuts back and forth, pressing flat.

6Return flap to flat position.

7Open the paper to 90°. Use your finger to push the tabs between the cuts forward into the center of the card, creating two pop-up boxes.

8Glue images to the front of each pop-up box to create a layered scene.

9The finished pop-up has a spacial sense that is both surreal and enchanting.

So much fun!