Robert James Sabuda (born 8 March 1965) is a leading children's
pop-up bookThe epithet pop-up is often applied to any three-dimensional or movable book, although properly the umbrella term movable book covers pop-ups, transformations, tunnel books, volvelles, flaps, pull-tabs, pop-outs, pull-downs, and more, each of which performs in a different manner...
artist and
paper engineerPaper Science & Engineering is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering that deals with the application of physical science with mathematics to the process of converting renewable bio-resources into useful and valuable products...
. His recent books, such as those depicting the stories of
The Wonderful Wizard of OzThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W.W. Denslow. It was originally published by the George M...
and Alice in Wonderland, have received wide popular and critical acclaim.
Sabuda was born in
PinckneyPinckney is a village in Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,141 at the 2000 census.Three miles west of Pinckney, on Patterson Lake Road, is the famous tourist destination of Hell, Michigan.-Geography:...
,
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
,
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
. He was skilled as an artist from a very young age, and he attended the
Pratt InstitutePratt Institute is a specialized private college in New York City with campuses in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Utica, New York. Pratt is one of the leading art schools in the United States and offers programs in art, architecture, fashion design, illustration, interior design, digital arts, creative...
in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
. His specific interest in 3-D paper engineering (i.e.,
pop-up bookThe epithet pop-up is often applied to any three-dimensional or movable book, although properly the umbrella term movable book covers pop-ups, transformations, tunnel books, volvelles, flaps, pull-tabs, pop-outs, pull-downs, and more, each of which performs in a different manner...
s) was sparked by a book he received that was illustrated by
Vojtech KubastaVojtěch Kubašta was a Czech architect and artist.Vojtěch Robert Vladimír Kubašta was born in Vienna. His family moved to Prague when he was four years old and he lived there his entire life. He demonstrated his artistic talent at the age of four. He had a great desire to become an artist. His...
.
Robert James Sabuda (born 8 March 1965) is a leading children's
pop-up bookThe epithet pop-up is often applied to any three-dimensional or movable book, although properly the umbrella term movable book covers pop-ups, transformations, tunnel books, volvelles, flaps, pull-tabs, pop-outs, pull-downs, and more, each of which performs in a different manner...
artist and
paper engineerPaper Science & Engineering is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering that deals with the application of physical science with mathematics to the process of converting renewable bio-resources into useful and valuable products...
. His recent books, such as those depicting the stories of
The Wonderful Wizard of OzThe Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children's novel written by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W.W. Denslow. It was originally published by the George M...
and Alice in Wonderland, have received wide popular and critical acclaim.
Biography
Sabuda was born in
PinckneyPinckney is a village in Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,141 at the 2000 census.Three miles west of Pinckney, on Patterson Lake Road, is the famous tourist destination of Hell, Michigan.-Geography:...
,
MichiganMichigan is a Midwestern state of the United States of America. It was named after Lake Michigan, whose name is a French adaptation of the Ojibwe term mishigama, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
,
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
. He was skilled as an artist from a very young age, and he attended the
Pratt InstitutePratt Institute is a specialized private college in New York City with campuses in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Utica, New York. Pratt is one of the leading art schools in the United States and offers programs in art, architecture, fashion design, illustration, interior design, digital arts, creative...
in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
. His specific interest in 3-D paper engineering (i.e.,
pop-up bookThe epithet pop-up is often applied to any three-dimensional or movable book, although properly the umbrella term movable book covers pop-ups, transformations, tunnel books, volvelles, flaps, pull-tabs, pop-outs, pull-downs, and more, each of which performs in a different manner...
s) was sparked by a book he received that was illustrated by
Vojtech KubastaVojtěch Kubašta was a Czech architect and artist.Vojtěch Robert Vladimír Kubašta was born in Vienna. His family moved to Prague when he was four years old and he lived there his entire life. He demonstrated his artistic talent at the age of four. He had a great desire to become an artist. His...
. His interest in children's book illustration began with an internship at
Dial Books for Young Readers while attending the Pratt Institute. Initially working as a package designer, he illustrated his first children's book series, of "Bulky Board Books", in 1987. Wide recognition only came his way after he started designing pop-up books for children in 1994.
Sabuda has experimented with modes of illustration in a conventionally conservative genre, using techniques including:
- faux stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to the material of coloured glass or the craft of working with it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term "stained glass" has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches, cathedrals, chapels, and other significant buildings...
(Arthur and the Sword )
- batik
Batik is cloth which traditionally uses a manual wax-resist dyeing technique. Due to modern advances in the textile industry, the term has been extended to include fabrics which incorporate traditional batik patterns even if they are not produced using the wax-resist dyeing techniques...
(Blizzard's Robe )
- papyrus
Papyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
-textured illustrations (Tutankhamen's Gift )
- mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted directly on a wall, ceiling, or other large permanent surface.-History:Murals of sorts date to Upper Paleolithic times such as the paintings in the Chauvet Cave in Ardèche department of southern France...
s (Saint Valentine )
Sabuda presently works from his studio in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
with his partner
Matthew ReinhartMatthew Christian Reinhart is a leading children's pop-up book artist/author. His most recent books, including Star Wars: The Pop-up Guide to the Galaxy, Encyclopedia Mythologica: Fairies and Other Magical Creatures , and Brava, Strega Nona! have received much popular and critical...
, and he is involved in a wide variety of projects that involve movable paper. He has also released a video of his working style. Sabuda has also been awarded the
Meggendorfer Prize three times. This prize was instituted by the
Movable Book Society of America in honor of
Lothar MeggendorferLothar Meggendorfer was a German illustrator and writer known for his superb pop-up books....
.
First Editions
Illustrations
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Other Pop-Ups
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Authored Articles
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Printed references
Newspaper Biography
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Newspaper articles:
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News References
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Critical Acclaim
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Web references
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External links