I love the little surprises that happen when a flat surface suddenly looks like liquid—when paint, paper or a tiny vignette becomes a glossy pool of reflected light. Lately I’ve been photographing small “resin water” scenes for postcard-sized dioramas and tutorials, and I’ve developed a...
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Tutorials
I love the quiet little shock of a tiny figure suddenly flipping through the...
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...
I often get asked how a small idea — a doodle in the corner of my sketchbook — becomes a little mechanical prop that actually moves. Designing tiny paper-and-cardboard mechanisms is one of my favourite ways to combine storytelling and craft: you...
I have a soft spot for things that transform the ordinary into something a little magical — a cereal box becomes a stage, a bit of wire becomes a puppet armature, and a bedside lamp turns into a spotlight. This shadow puppet theater is one of...
I often get asked how to translate a studio tutorial—one that I designed for a quiet, curious afternoon in my own workspace—into something that works for a classroom full of makers ranging from seven to seventeen. Over the years of running...
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...