I love the quiet little shock of a tiny figure suddenly flipping through the air as if pushed by some secret breeze. Getting that flip to read as a single clean loop — with the thread invisible, the movement smooth and the mechanics entirely hidden in your pocket automaton — takes a mix of...
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DIY Projects
I love tiny theatrical moments — the quiet drama of a stage, the surprise of...
Tutorials
I love photographing small worlds. A tabletop diorama is a stage where light,...
DIY Projects
I love the soft, dreamy look of sun‑bleached cyanotypes — those faded...
Tutorials
I teach a lot of short, pop-up workshops where people of wildly different ages...
I love the soft, dreamy look of sun‑bleached cyanotypes — those faded indigo prints that feel like memories captured on paper. But sometimes you want that same weathered, botanical, salty texture on a prop or in a collage without dealing with...
I teach a lot of short, pop-up workshops where people of wildly different ages and abilities come together around one tiny, brilliant problem: how to make a little cardboard automaton that moves. Ten minutes sounds impossibly brief, but with a...
I love making miniature water because it’s one of those deceptively simple effects that can transform a small scene into something believable and alive. Over the years I’ve settled on a workflow that pairs clear poured epoxy for depth and...
I love making small, peculiar objects that ask you to lean in. This whispering box is one of those pieces: a humble recycled tin that, when opened, seems to breathe a secret sound — a soft click, a distant bell, or a barely-there voice. The trick...
I like to keep a small maker’s kit with me almost all the time — tucked into a coat pocket, a camera bag, or the little pouch of my tote. It’s not a full studio (thankfully), but it’s enough to fix a torn postcard, rig a tiny prop for a...
I love the little illusion of glass in scaled-down worlds: a tiny bottle that looks like it could hold a drop of moonlight, a window in a paper house that catches the sun, or a miniature globe with a glossy, convincing surface. Over the years I’ve...
I love small projects that teach a technique and a mindset at the same time. A homemade thaumatrope is one of those perfect, tiny bridges between drawing, simple mechanics and the kind of patient repetition that builds confidence. Below I’ll walk...
I love small mechanical surprises — those tiny moments when something ordinary folds, flips or peels away to reveal a little secret. This hidden-hinge technique using a soda can tab and scrapbook paper is one of my favourite low-tech tricks for...
I stage tiny scenes — paper dioramas, miniature puppets, and small-scale sculptures — so the quality of light matters more than you might expect. Even a cheap keychain LED can be transformed into a soft, even wash that makes paint read...
I remember the first time I introduced paper mechanics to a roomful of people ranging from six to sixty. There was a hum of concentration, a flurry of scissors, and — thank goodness — a handful of moments where everyone stopped, looked up and...