Paper Turkey Day

Happy Thanksgiving! The perfect Turkey is at your fingertips. This paper Turkey was created using the free program Blender to do the modeling, and the paper model making software Pepakura to translate the model into a paper pattern. The whole process is explained in a video hosted by Bre Pettis from Make Magazine's Weekend Project. The pattern can be downloaded free as a pdf. It's a worthy Thanksgiving project. Great for Vegetarians too!

Paper Mechanics Resources

I have been asked for some good resources on making your own paper automata, so I thought I'd post the books I know of that are out on the market. These are resources for strictly mechanical toys, and not pop-up books, origami books, or origami Architecture. There are plenty of pop-up instructional books out, many of which are very good, but it becomes harder to find books on automata.

1. Cardboard Engineering Source Book by Rob Ives
This book has ten projects with instructions and guides you through the basics so you can elaborate on them and make models of your own. A great book. Find it at Flying-Pig.

2. Cabaret Mechanical Movement published by CMT
This book guides you through the most basic principles of creating automata, explaining levers, cranks, cams and laying a foundation for understanding models and how they work. It can be found on their Shop website along with a few of the other books listed here and some great show catalogs and information. If you are just starting out and want the very basics, it is essential.

3. A Handbook of Paper Automata Mechanisms by Walter Ruffler, published by Tarquin
This book, like the Cardboard Engineering Sourcebook, explains many of the priciples of paper automata, and includes hands-on examples, so you can create models that illustrate these priciples and understand them better. This book is great as well, and can be found on Amazon.com (ISBN: 1899618589)

4. Automata and Mechanical Toys by Rodney Peppe
This book features a history of automata and profiles 21 makers, while showing some of the priciples as well. This book focuses more on wooden automata rather than cardboard or paper models, but is a nice book to have around. Can be found on Amazon.com . ( ISBN: 1861265107)Rodney has also published another book on creating specific wooden automata toys, Making Mechanical Toys. (ISBN: 1861267231 )

5. Amazing Machines by Keith Good
Mechanisms using simple supplies. Available through CMT's Automata shop.

6. Up-Pops - Paper Engineering with Rubber Bands by Mark Hiner
A fun book on models that seem to "pop" using rubber bands. Fun and easy models to make.
Can be found on Amazon.com (ISBN: 0906212790)


If you are creative, there are all kinds of other books that may not be specifically about paper automata, but can be applied to experimenting with paper mechanics. The book Five hundred and Seven Mechanical Movements (ISBN:1933998024), for example, illustrates the mechanisms behind many simple machines. If you become very good at working with cardboard, you can use these movements and simple pictures as starting point for ideas to make you own innovative paper models.

If any one has other suggestions of Automata (not pop-up) books to add to this list, add them to the comments section!

Illustrator Paper Art - Part 2

Fun simple papercraft from Lou Lou Illustrations. Great graphics can be found here along with three free downloads featuring fun illustrations.

Illustrators Stepping up to the (paper) Plate - part 1

It is pretty cool to see illustrators venturing out and making models based on their art.

Inspired by the paper toys he was seeing on paperforest, Illustrator Matt Hawkins decided to try his hand at a model of his own. He decided to take one of his cartoon characters, Melvin, and create a paper model of him. You can download it free on his website. It is a great little model, and a good way to spread the word about his comics and art as well.

I myself have been wanting to take a character and make a toy of my own too...I'll have a piece in Giant Robot San Francisco's Holiday Show this month. Perhaps it will be my first stab at trying to make a paper sculpture or toy of my own. I can't guarantee success, but it will definitely be interesting.

Shocking and Beautiful

"Shocking" refers to the fact that I'm posting two entries in the same week, and "Beautiful" refers to the paper art of Su Blackwell. Looking at these two paper-cutting gallery artists one after the other makes me want to throw away my paintbrushes altogether and reach for the scissors. Quite inspiring. Click here to visit Su's website. (Found via a lovely blog called "Oh Joy!".)