A few simple tips for making pop up cards

About PopThatCard

PopThatCard is the creation of Australian Illustrator Ricko.

Rick has been drawing since he was a kid. It's Mad Magazine's fault.

A few simple tips for making pop up cards

July 11th, 2008 by ricko

I’ve updated the hints and tips page (about making pop-up-cards and other paper constructions). If you’re new to paper pop-ups then you’ll find some very simple answers to help to get you started. I’ve concentrated on some of the most common questions that people ask me. Including what kind of paper to use, how much glue to use, and tricks to getting the folds to work nicely.

A note about folding the paper. For most of the designs on this site you don’t need to ‘score’ the paper first. Scoring is when you crease the line by running along it with a blunt point. A simple way to get your card to fold well (without scoring) is to fold both ways. By that I mean folding along the dotted line, opening it again, then folding back the other way so it works like a well oiled hinge. This is one of the easiest tricks to making successful pop-up-cards. Follow the dotted line as closely as you can.

More questions…Do you need high quality paper scissors? and what kind of glue should you buy? You’ll find the answers on the hints and tips page. While on this topic, I’m currently on holidays with my family and we just bought a basic $2 pair of scissors that work as well as anything else. So, you don’t need anything expensive – just stick to the basics, take care, and have fun.

Can you write to me for help? Yes! Leave a comment on this post or contact me here.

Note: The hints and tips page doesn’t only apply to the ready-made designs and cut-outs on PopThatCard.com – They are just as useful for making other pop-ups that you find in books or that you design yourself.