Study in black and white
Idea
This is another card in which I came up with the mechanism first, and then I had to figure out the subject matter. The mechanism creates many triangles, so I decide to go abstract. First I tried triangles of primary colors and attached various pieces randomly to the mechanism. Then I had many cut-out triangles, and finally, I landed on one cut-out per triangle, with an alternating black and white pattern.
For each cut-out triangle, the color below it is the opposite color. Of course with it being 3D, you can move it to see the same color, but the basic impression of the cut-out being the opposite color works pretty well.
Near the final assembly, I decided it needed a kick, so I added the one red triangle in the center.
Design
Since the pattern on the mechanism makes it difficult to see its parts, I’ve created a diagram below that shows the six pieces of it. The dashed lines are folds.
The main part of the mechanism is two opposing acute V folds on the top and bottom of the card, which are in blue. Then on the four secondary folds created by those pieces, I attached four more acute V folds making a total of six V folds. The green and yellow pieces are not attached and could be the same shape, but having the green piece be longer avoids a gap or potential collision of the edges.
Here’s the photo used to create the diagram above and you can see that the pattern camouflages the pieces pretty effectively (almost like WWI dazzle camouflage )
I liked the design at that point, but thought it could use something else in the middle. With the two opposing V folds, it could almost be the twisting pop-up mechanism, but that requires the opposing V folds to lie flat. After doing some experimentation, I found that I could use a variation of the twisting mechanism if I attached just the tips of the piece that twists.
If you reload this page (or open the gif in a new tab ) to watch the animation again, you can see the center piece with the red triangle twist 90° as the card opens. In the photo below you can see that the last 1cm of the center piece is attached to the top and bottom Vs, which cause that twist. So another new pop-up mechanism? (Probably not new. nothing ever is.)
Since the black parts were half of each mechanism, I used painter’s tape and a huge Sharpie Magnum marker to color the dark areas. It also gave an interesting streaky pattern to it. It does make the room stink to high heaven for a day.
This was a fun card to do, to figure out the pattern, and how to do the twist. It is also an interesting paper sculpture to photograph.
Cover
The cover is some of Howard the Younger’s pre-school artwork with a triangle added to it.
Build
- 9” x 6”
- The black was made with a Sharpie Magnum (really big) marker. Make sure you use it in a well-ventilated area (use only as directed)!
- The main mechanism is from Office Depot Bristol since it is heavier than cardstock but lighter than Strathmore Bristol.
- The base is Strathmore 300 Bristol 100lb.