Draw, cut, fold, and glue: With a series of drawings or construction paper cut outs, scissors or an X-acto knife, glue or tape, and some extra paper or poster board, you can create a peephole or tunnel book, a multilayered three dimensional scene that has depth and perspective.
Artist Andrea Patin demonstrates in this starter tunnel book crafting video from the Dougherty Arts Center, part of Austin, Texas‘ Parks and Rec channel. A description from Smithsonian Libraries:
“Tunnel books or peep shows are a series of cut-paper panels placed one behind the other, creating the illusion of depth and perspective. Often, these are engineered like an accordion, with the two boards pulling apart and the illustrated panels lined up and viewed through a front peep-hole or viewer.”
Details, more layers, and different formats can make the scene even more immersive and mesmerizing. Find more examples of peephole and tunnel books here.
Then watch these related videos next:
• Walt Disney Studio’s multiplane camera technology
• How the V&A recreated an 18th-century Mechanical Theatre
• Easy paper card pop-up tutorials for kids
• Paper Folding with Matt Shlian and Sesame Street
• How to make a paper umbrella that opens and closes
• Haruki Nakamura’s surprising paper karakuri animals
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