Welcome to my monthly interview feature! I’m so
excited to be interviewing all the fabulous artists, illustrators and designers
I’ve meet over the years (both personally and virtually!) and sharing their
artwork and experiences here on Bird Meets Worm. Look for a new interview on
the first Tuesday of every month.
This month I’m so excited to be catching up with
the amazing Paper Engineer, Renee Jablow! Renee and I became friends while
working together at Intervisual Books, a novelty children’s book publisher. It
was amazing working on so many titles together! Renee
lives in Los Angeles where she creates pop-ups and paper novelties for
publishing, advertising, and packaging. She learned the art of paper
engineering at Intervisual Books (Piggy Toes Press) where she worked for
thirteen years. She is credited with paper engineering more than sixty pop-up
and novelty books. In 2009, Renee was nominated for a Grammy for "Best
Recording Package" for The Ditty Bops' "Summer Rains" pop-up CD
package. You can visit more of her work here!
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| Check out this adorable Dogs At Sea pop-up card! |
Q: You are a paper engineer, which is an unusual career. Tell us
all about what a paper engineer does and how you came to be one professionally.
A: A paper engineer designs pop-ups and
mechanisms using paper. While these paper designs are most often created for
children's books, they can also be found in greeting cards, packaging,
calendars, advertising, and promotional materials.
I learned how to be a paper engineer
while at the novelty book company, Intervisual Books. I started out as an
intern in their art department putting together pop-up books to be used as
sales samples. After a couple months, I was hired on full-time. I eventually
worked my way up to manager of the Paper Engineering department.
I'm currently a freelance paper
engineer working with private clients as well as publishers. My most recently
published books are Silly Skeletons by Jumping Jack Press and Shapes
by Reader's Digest.
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| Perfect for Halloween! Shake your skeleton! |
Q: Tell us a bit about how you begin a new paper engineering
project and what your artistic process is like.
A: Every project is different and most
people aren't familiar with how a pop-up is made. So, I first determine the
best course of action based on my client's needs and understanding of the
process. Usually, my client will supply me with a sketch of what they want the
pop-up to look like. I'll then create a rough mock-up based on the sketch. As I
engineer, I draw templates for all the pieces in Adobe Illustrator. The next
stage is to have an artist create finished art, which I use to build a color
mock-up. I make sure all the pop-ups and mechanisms still work properly with
the final art applied.
If needed, I'll then assist my client
to get their project produced. This involves finding vendors that are capable
of printing, die-cutting, and hand assembly. While most projects I've produced
have been done in Asia, I've also produced some domestically.
Q: You have paper engineered over 60 children’s books. Which book
is your most favorite and why?
A: I do have a special place in my
heart for Harry Potter Hogwarts School: A Magical 3-D Carousel published
by Scholastic. Besides being a Harry Potter fan, this book came along at a time
when Intervisual was doing fewer pop-up books. I was excited to work on a more
complex pop-up and have the opportunity to work with the editor at Scholastic.
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| Harry Potter magic, indeed!! |
Q: Novelty books have always been a mainstay of your craft. What
do you see for their future as more and more young children are turning to apps
and e-books?
A: I do think that times are hard for
novelty books. While children are redirecting their attention to apps and
e-books, I think the larger problem is economic. With online merchants like
Amazon, there are fewer bookstores and even fewer people are going to them.
Even if a video of a pop-up book is available online, it does not replace
handling the actual book. And, there are fewer novelty books out there from
which to choose. The cost to manufacture these kinds of books has rapidly
increased to the point that publishers are rather reluctant to publish
them.
With all this being said, I do think
there will always be a place for novelty books. Apps and e-books can't replace
the tactile experience and sense of wonderment a child has as he or she turns
each page to discover a tab to pull or a scene pop-up.
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| Happy pop-ups make celebrations more fun! |
Q: You are a grammy-nominated artist! (So super cool!!) Tell us
about the project you worked on that was nominated and what the experience was
like.
A: The project was creating pop-up
packaging for the album, Summer Rains, by The Ditty Bops. Amanda Barrett
and Abby DeWald of The Ditty Bops are very creative and wanted to do unique
packaging for their first independent album after recording two albums on the
Warner Bros. label. Along with their photographer/graphic designer Rick
Whitmore, we created a CD package with a pull-tab on the front, pop-up in the
center, and revolving wheel in the back. It was important to The Ditty Bops
that this package be made using eco-friendly materials and processes, so we
produced it locally with recycled paper and soy ink.
We were all absolutely thrilled to be
nominated for a Grammy in the "Best Recording Package" category. We
unfortunately didn't win the Grammy, but we did get to attend the award show!
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| Ditty Bops super cool packaging! |
Q: Describe your most perfect Sunday.
A: I think more than a particular
activity, my most perfect Sunday would be spending time with people I love.
And, hopefully it would include something chocolaty!
Thank you, Renee, for chatting up with us
here on Bird Meets Worm! We can’t wait to run out and pick up a copy of your
latest book! XO