Making Pop-ups: Materials

Making Pop-ups: Materials

One of the questions we’re most frequently asked at RobertSabuda.com is “What materials does Robert use when making pop-ups?” So we went straight to the source to get the answers from Robert just for YOU! Now get busy and make those pop-ups!

Paper:

When we are designing pop-ups we use a heavy weight card stock that can be purchased in most office supply stores in the U.S. (although I’m sure you can get very similar stock overseas). We buy our card stock at Staples for about $12.00. It is Hammermill brand white card stock, 8.5” x 11”, 110 lb weight, and comes in 250 sheet packages. The weight is almost identical to the weight of commercial stock used when manufacturing pop-up books.

Glue:

We use white, water-based glue manufactured by Anchor called “Pam-x White.” The main reason we use this glue is because it is archival (will last a long time without degrading) and rumor has it that this glue is “rodent proof.” Not that we have rodents in the studio, but this may prevent insects from eating away at our pop-ups! You do NOT need to use this special glue to make pop-ups. A simple, white, water based glue, like Elmer's, is perfectly fine. Do not use oil-based glues (that smell very strong) or glue guns because these types of glue are not archival and will deteriorate after a few years.

Pam-x glue comes in a huge jug so we pour it into a smaller container that would normally hold ketchup, then pour that into an even smaller plastic bottle. We really love this small bottle (shown at far right) because it has a very fine tip and a cap that screws back on tightly. This bottle is available from The Art Store in New York City (phone: 212-533-2444. The SKU number for this bottle is 945667 and it costs about $1.20.

Cutting and burnishing:

You can find craft knifes at any art or office supply store. We use x-acto knifes. You can also get a variety of handles to hold the blades. Ours are rubber. The tool we use for scoring or burnishing our card stock is a bit unusual. We use “Susan Bates Silvalume 7” Double Point Knitting Needles - 6mm diameter.” These can be purchased from many places on the Internet or from a knitting supply or craft store. They are metal, long lasting and cheap. They come in packs of four and are very reasonable.