During our recent Sonoran Desert Field Arts Bootcamp in Aravaipa Canyon, I watched artist Patricia Larenas draw a beautiful landscapito in her journal and turn it into an interactive feature by overlaying a door that the viewer opens to reveal the landscape.

Magic! I immediately thought of many other ways to incorporate cut-a-way panels: day sky / night sky; tree trunk / woodpecker hole-nest; creek or ocean surface / underwater life; gopher or ant mount / underground chambers; snow surface / animal tunnels or stream . . . it’s really endless, the only limit your imagination.

The technique and tools are pretty simple, too. In my field bag I keep a plastic-handled scalpel with cover (or search for “bread lame tool”), a small vial of PVA glue (= Elmer’s glue), and a small glue-spreading brush (from the bookmaking arts).

Create your “top” or “visible” view first, keeping in mind any space you need to leave for what you envision for the “underside” or “unseen” view, which you complete on the next page. Eyeball marker points to align the scenes up and pencil them in so you stay within scale and match features.

When finished with both drawings, lightly sketch with pencil the door/s you want to open, and also mark the hinges (the uncut part) so you don’t get over-enthusiastic and cut through them.

Once you triple-check the door placement and cut lines, place a piece of thin cardboard (such as from a cereal box; I keep a 9x6 piece in the back of my journal) between the pages, and use the scalpel to cut your door/s.

Finally, spread a thin layer of PVA glue on the back of the first page and carefully press to the second page, aligning the corners and smoothing everything flat. Let dry. Then I cover the cut-a-way part with a sheet of paper and lightly spritz the back side of the doors with water, close them, and then place my Perspex Palette on top of that, and a weight on top of the palette and let dry. This helps ensure the door lays flat again.

I would love to see your results if you try creating cut-a-ways for the “unseen” views!