• Home
  • About

ArtPlantae Today

Connecting artists, naturalists, and educators

Feeds:
Posts
Comments
« Study the Art of Scientific Illustration
Botanical Artist Conducts Free Workshop for Children »

Teaching Ecology with Pop-Up Books

September 1, 2012 by Tania Marien

Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed). © Shawn Sheehy. All rights reserved

Say the phrase “pop-up book” to people and often the first thing to pop (pun intended) into people’s minds are children’s books with animal characters, pull tabs and that creaky noise pop-up books tend to make.

However pop-up books are not just for children. In fact, the earliest form of this book was created for adults, not children (Van Dyk et al., 2010). And while we may like to think that pop-ups are a modern-day invention, this format has been in existence for 800 years (Van Dyk et al., 2010).

Shawn Sheehy is an environmental educator and a book artist whose specialty is pop-up books about the environment. Through his work, Shawn brings attention to ecosystems and ecological topics such as population dynamics, resource allocation and speciation.

Shawn has a degree in education and a Masters of Fine Art in Book and Paper Arts. He has taught English to second graders in Mexico, environmental studies at YMCA camp, and various community-level arts and crafts classes.

Shawn began teaching classes in the book arts while in grad school. Over the years, he gradually shifted the focus of his classes to paper engineering because he likes the challenge of teaching this subject.

Shawn’s next workshop will occur on September 27 in Salt Lake City. His workshop will precede the meeting of the Moveable Book Society. In this workshop, Shawn says he will “focus on integrating pop-up structures with movable structures, with the goal of creating a sense of animation in the pop-ups.”

Shawn will also teach two classes about vegetable pop-up cards on October 26 and November 2 at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Then in April 2013, he will teach his wildflower workshop at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Information about these learning opportunities can be viewed in Shawn’s listing at Classes Near You > Illinois.

Join me in welcoming Shawn Sheehy, our featured guest for September!



Literature Cited

Van Dyk, Stephen, Elizabeth Broman, Ellen G. K. Rubin, Ann Montanaro and Elizabeth Periale. 2010. Paper Engineering: Fold, Pull, Pop and Turn. Brochure. The Smithsonian Libraries Exhibition Gallery, National Museum of American History. Washington, DC. June 2010 – October 2011. Web. http://www.sil.si.edu/pdf/FPPT_brochure.pdf [accessed 31 August 2012]

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Like this:

Like Loading...

Related

Posted in botanical art, Education, Learning Opportunities, Special Events | 13 Comments

13 Responses

  1. on September 1, 2012 at 12:58 AM ArtPlantae Today

    What is it about pop-up books that captures your attention? What was the topic of the first pop-up book you made?


    Shawn
    :
    As a reader of pop-up books, I love the surprise that comes with a well-made pop. As a creator, I really enjoy both the engineering and sculptural challenges of building collapsible, representational structures–and more so if they are based on shapes from the natural world. My first book was Counting on the Marsh. My first attempt was in 1997. (I revisited, revised and revamped the same title in 2000 — this is the book that you see on my website.) I created it to fulfill a requirement in a capstone design class. I chose the topic of the marsh ecosystem as a response to an environmental issue that plagues the midwest — too many white-tailed deer. At the time I made the book, the city of Madison was considering hiring hunters to cull the local deer herd, as it was negatively impacting rare species in a local marsh. It caused me to think about what it means to have a balanced ecosystem, especially in a country where so many of our ecosystems are human-managed.


  2. on September 1, 2012 at 10:47 AM Ellen G. K. Rubin

    Shawn has intelligently and artistically focused on one of the best attributes of pop-up books; their unique ability to teach. “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” The interactivity of pop-up and movables allows the reader to “do.”
    The-Popuplady


    • on September 3, 2012 at 11:04 AM Shawn Sheehy

      I definitely enjoy enriching the “novelty” in “novelty books!”


  3. on September 1, 2012 at 3:56 PM Anne Lawson

    I love the contrast I your work between the exquisite detail and graphic simplicity. Can you describe how you distill the elements to achieve this?


    • on September 3, 2012 at 10:55 AM Shawn Sheehy

      Part of the strategy is to establish a finite color palette and stick with it. Most of my pop-up books are made with handmade paper–I make it all in one batch, and then I only work from that batch. It helps maintain discipline the choices. Also, you notice I don’t illustrate at all. All of the shapes and images come from cut paper. That reduces detail and makes me very choosy about where I’m willing to invest time in fussy cutting. Additionally, I’m a professional graphic designer, so it is in my academic training to reduce images to essential graphic shapes.


  4. on September 3, 2012 at 5:08 AM ArtPlantae Today


    You say you use pop-ups to “facilitate the delivery of a potentially distasteful message.” What are some of the distasteful messages you have presented through pop-up books?

    Shawn:

    I think what might be most distressing is the idea that there are too many people for most ecosystems to operate in the way in which they evolved. I personally don’t like to think of myself as part of an “infestation” species — but it’s the name we humans give to other species who are consuming more than their share of supplies, so I suppose we have to own it for ourselves. Also, because of our own numbers, we’re causing an extinction event that is numbered among the largest in Earth’s history (this is the topic I treat in Beyond the 6th Extinction.) Folks don’t like to think about how many other species are dying off to make our way of life possible, if they think about it at all. And then there is the “evolution” thing: Beyond the 6th Extinction is an evolution book. Its premise is based on the scientific principles of natural selection. If folks are uncomfortable with the science of evolution, they might be uncomfortable with the book.


  5. on September 5, 2012 at 5:14 AM ArtPlantae Today


    While reading about the history of pop-ups, I learned there are different types of formats. The two general labels, though, appear to be “pop-up” or “moveable book”. Do designers of these interactive books prefer one label over the other?

    Shawn:

    This one is sticky. Technically, “pop-up” structures are those that actuate at the turning of the page, and “movable” structures are those that actuate after the page is turned and require the turning of a wheel or pulling of a tab. Since there is limited academic treatment of the form (Ann Montanaro, founder of the Movable Book Society, is a notable exception) there is no set of terms that is universally accepted and used. Brits are active in the field (Duncan Birmingham and Paul Johnson are great examples) and have terms that are different from American terms. Many paper engineers come from the trade publishing world, a smaller but notable set come from the book art world (some, like me, bridge the gap) and those two communities use different terms for the same ideas. There has been some effort made in the past to publish an agreed upon vocabulary of terms, but I don’t know the status of that project.


  6. on September 5, 2012 at 5:55 AM ArtPlantae Today

    Readers, you may also be interested in knowing about Pop-Ups and Movable Books by Ann Montanaro. It is an index of books published between 1991 and 1997.


  7. on September 7, 2012 at 8:00 AM ArtPlantae Today

    You created a pop-up field guide of North American wildflowers highlighting twelve genera and twelve plant families. Where did the idea for a field guide originate? Why did you decide upon these specific plants for the field guide?


    Shawn
    :

    I first developed these studies as content for my wildflowers workshop, which I launched in the interest of reaching workshop populations outside of the book arts community. Several months later I bound them together into the field guide–and thought it would be fun (and add literary value) to add additional context to the blooms by writing and including the essay on the “Language of Flowers.” Adding the essay makes the field guide more like my other books — instead of simply being a formal study, it’s an exploration of concept. I’m again holding up biological evolution (reproductive structures that differentiated in a specific ecosystem) against cultural evolution (a shift in the assignment of meaning to symbol.)

    Obviously, I had to choose plants that are native to the midwest. Within that set, I was looking to represent as much diversity as possible: in structure, in color, in habitat. Also, because they originated as workshop material, I wanted to use the flowers to teach as many different engineering structures as possible. I chose floral structures that facilitated that intent, while avoiding structures that would be too fussy or too redundant.



    NOTE
    : Thirty copies of this field guide were created. Shawn’s field guide can be purchased from Priscilla Juvelis at Juvelis Books, at Vamp & Tramp Booksellers, LLC, and from Shawn himself.

    Also available are handmade flower cards based on the North American field guide. Cards can be purchased from Abecedarian Gallery in Denver, CO and from Kalamazoo Book Arts Center in Kalamazoo, MI. They can also be purchased by contacting Shawn directly. There are twelve cards from which to choose. The six simpler cards are $20 each and the six complex cards are $30 each.


  8. on September 10, 2012 at 7:05 AM ArtPlantae Today

    When planning the field guide, did you take a storyboard approach and draw your ideas out on flat sheets of paper, or did you do pop-up sketching? (Readers, pop-up sketching is creating paper models freehand without measuring.)

    Shawn:

    I typically think through everything in my sketchbook, though much of this is in text and not drawings. I do a number of very rough drawings for each structure to explore possible avenues of engineering, but when I get down to it I’m sketching in 3 dimensions with card and glue.


  9. on September 12, 2012 at 8:31 AM ArtPlantae Today

    I can’t help but think that you look at the world through the eyes of a paper engineer. When you look at plants, animals and landscapes, do you think pull strips, flaps and foundation shapes?


    Shawn
    :

    You are correct, but it’s the other way around: when I look at an interesting engineering structure, I think about what sorts of plants or animals I could build and move using that structure.


  10. on September 14, 2012 at 6:11 AM ArtPlantae Today

    How do you fix a pop-up book? Do you have any tips for parents or teachers? What should one be mindful of when they sit down to repair a child’s book?


    Shawn
    :

    Attempting an at-home repair is a great opportunity to explore the structure of the piece, and perhaps reveal its weak points. Using thin, strong acid-free paper (kozo sheets are great and can be purchased from many online retailers) and an acid-free glue (PVA, a.k.a. book binder’s glue or Jade) is best.

    Many of these books are ephemeral — they’re not meant to last forever. It’s easier and cheaper to replace most contemporary books. Torn books can be taken apart and explored to learn structure.

    However, if one has a book that can’t be easily replaced, or has historical value, then I’d recommend hiring a professional to do the repair. Many home-executed repairs end up doing additional damage in the long run. Online searches for book conservators or repair specialists will yield lots of great options.


  11. on September 22, 2012 at 7:49 PM ArtPlantae Today

    Dear All,

    I just came across an abstract for an article about volvelles and movable diagrams. If you’re interested, here is a link to the abstract:

    http://library.oxfordjournals.org/content/13/3/316.abstract?etoc



Comments are closed.

  • I’m curious about…

  • What Readers Are Reading Now

    • California
    • Washington DC
    • Graphite Artist Writes About Techniques to Achieve Realism in Botanical Art
    • Anna Knights Creates Botanical Paintings with Captivating Detail
    • Florida
  • Plants & You

  • Featured Guests

    Wendy Hollender (interview)

    Wendy Hollender

    Gilly Shaeffer

    Today’s Botanical Artists

    Society of Botanical Artists

    Billy Showell (interview)

    Billy Showell

    Sarah Simblet (webinar)

    Robin Brickman

    Mark Granlund

    Wendy Hollender (webinar)

    Diane Cardaci

    Katie Lee (webinar)

    Bruce L. Cunningham (webinar)

    Jane LaFazio (interview)

    Jane LaFazio

    Mally Francis (interview)

    Kandis Elliot

    Anne-Marie Evans

    Margaret Best

    Elaine Searle

    Mindy Lighthipe

    Niki Simpson

    Anna (Knights) Mason

    Helen Allen

    Birmingham Society of
    Botanical Artists

    Hazel West-Sherring

    John Muir Laws

    Martin J. Allen

    Institute for Analytical Plant Illustration

    Mairi Gillies

    Georgius Everhardus Rumphius

    Liz Leech

    Valerie Littlewood

    Heeyoung Kim

    Anna Laurent

    Linda Ann Vorobik

    Shawn Sheehy

    Gary Hoyle

    Katie Zimmerman

    Mariella Baldwin

    Anita Walsmit Sachs

    Ruth Ava Lyons

    Katie Zimmerman

    Kellie Cox-Brady

    Jennifer Landin

    Laurence Hill

    Gretchen Kai Halpert

    Susan Leopold

    Tina Scopa

  • Global Impact

    Botanists and illustrators strive to document conifers around the world.

  • Nature Near You

    Global Directory of Botanical Gardens
    Botanic Gardens Conservation International
    Search for a Garden

    National Park Service
    Search for national parks at the National Park Service website.www.nps.gov

    National Environmental Education Foundation's Nature Center Guide.
    Find Your Nature Center

    Rails-to-Trails
    Find a trail for hiking, walking, cycling or inline skating. The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and its volunteers work to convert unused railroads into trails for healthful outdoor activities.
    Search their national TrailLink database to locate a trail near you.

    Sierra Club Trails
    Locate trails for hiking, cycling, climbing, and many other outdoor activities.
    Search Sierra Club Trails

  • © 2007-2022 by Tania Marien. All rights reserved.
    Contact Tania

    Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Artists retain the copyright to their work.

    The ArtPlantae® logo is a registered trademark.

Create a website or blog at WordPress.com

WPThemes.


  • Follow Following
    • ArtPlantae Today
    • Join 1,788 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • ArtPlantae Today
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Copy shortlink
    • Report this content
    • View post in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...
 

    %d bloggers like this: