Pie Town Press · Booklet process

From paper to fold-out mockup

I’d already researched Meg’s work and built the site wireframe when she came over. She flipped through her paper booklet and I took a quick video. The first mockup came together in about eight hours, a quick turnaround so she could see her idea on screen. It’s a first pass, with pages to turn, pieces to move and a postcard to send.

Meg’s original flip-through

I used the clip to see what the paper did in her hands. Where did it bend? What stayed on the page? What could someone pick up and put back?

Meg’s paper prototype. A 28-second silent excerpt from the reference recording. Open excerpt
See what I made from this See how I built it See the work graph

Choosing what went on the pages

I went back to the artwork I’d been looking at for the site. Some pieces could go into the booklet whole. Others gave me something to work from when I needed a sample activity, a sticker or a postcard.

Meg’s painting Lady by the Lake Black-and-white coloring study based on Lady by the Lake
A reference for coloring. I used Lady by the Lake as the reference for a line study on the activity spread. The line study and brush lettering are proposed treatments for this mockup.
The spread with the paintings Me and You and Little Whispers
Two pages for the artwork. I placed gallery photographs of Me and You and Little Whispers on facing pages so you can see each piece in full.

Making the stickers peel

I tried heads from Meg’s paintings, then went back to the short-necked black-and-white characters in her booklet for the final sticker studies. Claude built the peel so a corner curls up before the whole piece lifts. The shadow shifts as the paper comes away.

Peel, lift, settle. A short excerpt from the Pal of the Month spread.
An alternate arrangement of the three black-and-white sticker faces
Move the same three faces. The reader lets you try three arrangements on the same spread.

Making the fold and lift

I separated the paper and the illustrated cutout into layers. The paper bends at the crease while the character follows the fold, then lifts away and comes back. The same paper texture and book shadow stay in place as the figure moves.

Gray spread open with the cutout resting against the paper
Rest. The character sits against the gray paper.
The spread tilted at the crease with the cutout following the fold
Fold. The crease moves and the character follows it.
The illustrated character lifted clear of the page with a soft cast shadow
Lift. The cutout rises and its shadow pulls away from the paper.

Turning the page

For the flat spreads, the right-hand page swings across the spine and the next page is already waiting underneath. The reader uses that same idea when you choose another spread.

From activity to artwork. Watch the front and back of the turning sheet as the next spread comes into view.

Giving the booklet a reading order

I put the character first, then the surprise of opening the fold. After that, there’s room to draw or color, two pages to spend with Meg’s work, and a postcard to send to somebody.

  1. 01–02Meet the Pal and move the stickers
  2. 03–04Open the fold and lift the character
  3. 05–06Draw, write or color
  4. 07–08See two of Meg’s paintings
  5. 09–10Color and address a postcard
Activity pages with open drawing panels, Meg’s painting Three and a line study to color
Room to make something. I kept the open drawing spaces, used Three on the landscape page and paired it with the coloring study.
Sideways postcard front with a portrait to color and reverse with an address block and a floral detail
Something to mail. Turn the booklet sideways for the postcard. One face has a portrait to color. The reverse leaves room for a note and address, with one small detail from Meg’s flower painting.

The finished mockup

This is the whole booklet, cover to back, as a first-build prototype. It can work as a check for Meg, a reference for a printer or a preview for subscribers of what one month might hold. Watch it here, or open the reader and turn the pages yourself.

First-build prototype. 47 seconds of page turns, peeling stickers, the lift-out and the postcard. Open video
Turn the pages See it in the mail club