Pop-ups always elicit a gasp - and they’re easier than you think to make!
Learn to make simple but impressive pop-ups in
POP-UP CARD WEEK!
October 26-30
1-2pm ET
Just $15 for your entire household!
Remember your reaction to reading pop-up books as a kid, or opening pop-up cards?
Let me show you how to make them yourself!
In this 5-day class for beginners we’ll focus on skill-building, and you’ll become familiar with basic pop-up techniques so you can make them on your own.
You’ll do lots of creative exploration, make a handful of cards and even learn how to put pop-ups together into a simple book.
You can use pop-ups to create cards that make people say “wow!” for any occasion, and you’ll leave this class with the skills to keep making pop-ups from here on out.
No special art supplies needed! Just heavyweight paper (construction paper or cardstock), scissors, a glue stick, something to help fold, and stuff to draw with
WHAT YOU GET:
Five one-hour live interactive webinar classes - learn and practice basic pop-up techniques (box, beak, spiral, combinations), make some cards & on day 5, learn how to connect them into a simple book!
Access to the webinar recordings through 11/6 so you can watch on your own time if you can’t make the live classes
A private Facebook community to ask questions, share your art & connect with other participants
THE NITTY-GRITTY
Who it’s for: Adults, teens, or older kids (9+) - registration covers the whole household! Pop-ups can be challenging for younger kids on their own, and my instruction won’t target younger learners, but feel free to have your younger kids work alongside you.
When it’s happening: October 26-30, 1:00-2:00pm ET
A note on the webinar class format: Unlike a Zoom call, you’ll see and hear me, but I can’t see or hear you. However, it’s still interactive - you can ask or answer questions directly through a private chat that only I can see, and I’ll respond verbally in real time. Since we can’t all hold up our art at the end of class, I hope you’ll share pictures of your art on the Facebook group for Pop-Up Week Participants.
Watch below to see what class with me feels like!
The video above shows you: this is not a typical copy-me-exactly class.
A lot of art classes have participants follow along step-by-step the whole way, so everyone's artwork looks more or less the same.
But in my classes, once I demonstrate techniques, there’s no “right answer.” I encourage learners to branch off in all sorts of directions, and don’t expect anyone to follow the exact same path as me.
Here, after you learn the pop-up basics, there’s lots of room to get creative! As long as your pop-ups “pop,” you can make whatever you want with them.
That said: I know some learners feel anxious about free exploration and feel more comfortable following an instructor more closely. I'll offer some ideas, and if you prefer to follow along a bit more closely - or feel directly inspired by what I’m making and want to create your own variation - that’s definitely an option! But just know that I won’t be showing you things like: “Here are the steps you need to draw this exact frog/person/etc.”.
If you’re someone who feels uncomfortable drawing, feel free to bring magazines to cut out images you can glue onto the cards!
“I love taking all of Stephanie’s classes, but her Holiday Pop-Up Class last year was truly special. Making my own holiday cards was a joyful experience, and they were a huge hit with my family and friends. Stephanie is a brilliant instructor who always brings so much laughter and warmth to the room!”
I’m obviously biased when I tell you to take my classes.
So, here are some other people telling you why you should.
“This was a wonderful class! Our kitchen table was covered in a mound of construction paper and pop-ups during this multi-day class, and it was fantastic :) My child was really inspired throughout the camp, and the pop-up mania continues... This truly added a new skill to his creative repertoire that I know he’ll return to again and again. I even joined in on the fun. The teacher was kind, patient, and skilled at imparting her knowledge...100% recommended!”
THE WEEK AT A GLANCE
Attend live, or catch each day's replay - replays available through Friday, November 6.
Please note: each class begins with a demonstration. Although I'll demonstrate different techniques periodically throughout, there's also plenty of time each day where we're all just making things together, taking our projects in whatever direction we want.
We'll chat the whole time!
Monday: Basic Box
Whether used as a design element on its own or simply as a place to glue other pieces, the basic box - for all its simplicity - provides endless possibilities.Tuesday: Basic Beak
How do you make a piece of paper talk? By giving it a mouth! The basic beak - which is made from triangles that pop up, can be used to make faces, vases, or all sorts of interesting design options.Wednesday: Spirals & Zigzags
Fun decorative elements that - unlike boxes & beaks - don’t require you to actually ‘pop’ anything out of a folded piece of paper. Different mechanism and a new fun technique to explore.Thursday: Further Variations, Combinations & Work Time
We'll explore more complex variations and combinations - and spend some time making sure we have a good collection of pop-ups to work with. If you want to make a book on Friday, today's a great day to build up your stash. If you'd rather just keep making cards, that works too.Friday: Combining Pop-Ups into a Simple Book
Although you don’t HAVE to make a book, this is a really fun thing to put together. I’ll give you ideas for quite a few ways to do this, and you can either use pop-ups you created earlier in the week, or make a few quick extras in the first part of class - we’ll set aside 15 minutes at the start for that.
Meet your teacher!
I'm Stephanie, a teaching artist with almost 30 years of experience leading art classes for kids and adults throughout NYC & Philadelphia, including 25 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I’ve been teaching classes online since 2020, and leading webinar-style classes for the past two years - which have been a genuine delight. I feel a little like Mr. Rogers when I teach them - knowing I’m talking directly to you all out there even if I don’t see you!
I have always loved pop-up books, but didn’t fall in love with making them until I took a pop-up-making class in college. I’ve taught basic pop-up techniques to both kids and adults; I stick with the simplest forms, because even with those you can come up with so many creative variations.
One of the most frequent compliments I get from students is how much fun they have in class - I love helping others make art, and laugh a lot :)
Parents Explain Why Kids Love My Classes…
The Same Reasons Adults Do, Too!
“My daughter LOVED this class! It was so much fun and so satisfying. In the end she learned to make several different pop-ups and she even made a book out of them. Stephanie was kind, patient and explained things well. My daughter highly recommends this class, as do I.”
“Stephanie was patient, made sure each kid understood everything, and she even made an extra video to help them understand a difficult maneuver. My daughter has referred back to it, and made her grandma a mother’s day card. Cool class!”
FAQs
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In this webinar-format class:
Learners will be able to see and hear me (my face, and my hands demonstrating), but I won't be able to see or hear them. There’s an additional layer of privacy for them because their cameras and microphones are off, and the chat goes directly to me vs being group-wide.
Since I can’t see them, I'll ask questions to gauge understanding, and learners can ask for clarification if needed by typing into the chat panel - I'll respond verbally in real time.
Since learners can't share their work on camera during class, I hope everyone will post pictures in the private Facebook community to create our own virtual gallery!
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Pop-ups are fun for all ages! This is best for adults, teens & kids 9+; you need to be able to fold and cut well, and keep up with demonstrations. However, younger kids can definitely do simpler pop-ups, although they may need adult help. Feel free to bring the whole family and, if you're not too busy making your own cards (ha!), help them if they get stuck.
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You don’t need to be “crafty” - you just need to be willing to try something new! This is meant to be fun, not stressful.
The techniques themselves aren’t overly complex, and I’ll walk you through the basics step-by-step. Beyond the basic pop-up mechanisms, there's no “wrong” way to make a card, so you can explore away!
And rest assured, if you feel confused or stuck, you can always ask for clarification in the webinar chat.
I'll offer potential ideas, but we'll have plenty of time to make our own things so you can feel free to go off in any direction you want.
If you don't feel comfortable drawing, you can bring magazines or photos to collage with.
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You can find pop-up tutorials on YouTube, but a video won’t answer your questions in real time, make things alongside you, or cheer you on when your pop-ups come together! I vote for this :)
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Great question! In the beginning of each day, and at various points throughout class, I will demonstrate different basic techniques and ideas for ways to vary or combine different techniques. And there's going to be lots of time for you to experiment and try new things and get comfortable with how they work.
There will be time on different days where you can actually start to make your own cards, but a lot of time will be spent with you just exploring, trying new things, and figuring stuff out.
BUT, beyond the basics - It is important to note that this is not a copy-me-exactly class. I'm not going to hold up different cards and say, "All right everyone, we're making this exact card right now!"
That said, if I hold up a specific card, I will certainly outline the steps I took to make it, so curious learners can try for themselves. But I won't demonstrate step-by-step drawing so that yours looks exactly like mine. The point is giving you skills and ideas - a compass rather than an exact roadmap.
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The honest answer: I don’t know! Maybe a handful. Maybe barely any. It depends on how much time you want to spend experimenting, and how complex your pop-ups are.
The main point of this class is to teach you the basics and whet your appetite for making pop-up things - although I hope you’ll get to make at least a handful, I would say: don't count on this class to get all your holiday cards done! It's not a super-fast process. But it's fun :) -
Nothing too fancy (I’ll provide a list of supplies I like upon registration)!
Paper / scrap paper: please note that pop-ups “pop” more easily when using paper that's a little thicker - although you CAN make pop-ups with printer paper, I don't recommend starting that way! I recommend heavy construction paper like Tru-Ray, or 65 lb cardstock, over thinner paper like printer paper.
Scissors
Something to help you fold (a bone folder, a craft stick, a ruler, even the side of your glue stick).
Glue stick
Things to draw with
VERY OPTIONAL supplies include a paper cutter and/or envelopes, neither of which we'll use directly in class.. Also optional embellishments eg decorative paper, washi, magazines for collage
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Replays will be available through Friday, November 6 at 11:59 pm ET, so you can catch up at any point until then!
Links to the replays will be posted in the optional private Facebook community, and also on a Password-protected page on my website. Links to both the Facebook group and website page will be sent to registered participants.
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Nope! It’s completely optional, but since we won’t be directly engaging with each other during the webinar, it’s a great way to share photos of your art and connect with other participants.
I’ll also post replay links in that group for easy reference. -
I wanted to make it easy for new learners to join me and make stuff! $15 covers everyone in your household, so feel free to bring ‘em all.
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Registration is nonrefundable.
If for any reason you can't attend the live sessions, you can watch the replays for a full week afterwards!
Just make sure to watch them by 11:59pm ET on Friday, November 6. They will not be viewable after that.