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 grinned when something unexpectedly sprang to life....
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Tutorials
I love the small discoveries that happen when you stop to look closely: a...
DIY Projects
I love finding small ways to turn ordinary objects into pockets of surprise....
Creative Tools
I love tiny scenes that feel larger than life — a single glowing window on a...
DIY Projects
I first got hooked on anamorphic illusions when I saw a tiny warped drawing sit...
I love making small paintings that feel expansive — pieces that, at arm’s length, glow with the same presence you’d expect from a larger canvas. There’s a little sleight-of-hand to it: you don’t need more surface area to create depth,...
I have a soft spot for experiments that misbehave. There’s a distinct kind of magic that comes out of a failed attempt — a smudge that looks like a map, a torn edge that suggests a silhouette, a mechanism that squeaks in a way that feels...
I love tiny devices that make an idea feel like a small miracle. A pocket-sized thaumatrope is exactly that: two simple images that seem to animate when spun. It’s one of the oldest optical toys — Victorian parlour entertainment — and it’s a...
I love the challenge of telling a whole tiny story in a very small space — a single-minute sequence that still manages to surprise, amuse or linger. Over the years I’ve turned many of these micro-narratives into postcards: compact, tactile...
I love a simple trick that looks like magic, and this little paper automaton — a flipping bird that needs no glue — is one of my favourite quick projects to teach and to make when I want an instant charm hit from humble materials. It’s the...
I used to think collage was just cutting and sticking — a happy mess of paper and glue. Over the years I’ve learned that a handful of small, inexpensive tools can quietly transform that mess into something much more deliberate and, yes, a little...
I love a small, tactile trick — something that makes a viewer pause and tilt their head, then smile when the hidden thing is revealed. This project is one of my favourites for that exact reason: a magic picture frame that looks like a normal...
I love little tricks that feel like small, domestic miracles: a message that appears and vanishes, an ink that fades like a ghost. Disappearing ink effects are perfect for that — they’re cheap, safe (when done sensibly) and wonderfully...
I’ve always been drawn to the slightly imperfect, inky warmth of vintage lithographs — the ghostly registration shifts, the subtle halftone screens, and the way colours sit on the paper like old memories. Recreating that look using a modern...
I love small, quick projects that still feel like miniature acts of magic. This pop-up scene uses a single sheet of paper and can be made in under 20 minutes — perfect for an afternoon break, a handmade note, or a tiny theatrical surprise tucked...