Tutorials

Step-by-step: paint convincing iridescent book covers with interference medium and dry‑brushing for miniature props

I love tiny things that feel like they hold secrets — miniature books are one of my favourite props for dioramas, still lifes and stop-motion setups. One detail that instantly makes a small book...

Read more... →

Teach a 45‑minute workshop to make a solderless LED halo with coin cells for tiny theatrical props

I love teaching short hands-on sessions that leave people with something enchanting to take home, and a 45‑minute solderless LED halo for tiny theatrical props is one of my favourites. It’s...

Read more... →

How to design a three-card flipbook that teaches timing and character motion to beginners

I love simple tools that reveal surprising motion, and a three-card flipbook is one of my favourite pocket-sized experiments. It’s small, fast to make, and brilliantly instructive for beginners...

Read more... →

How to photograph miniature reflective water with a smartphone and two inexpensive diffusers

I’m obsessed with tiny, believable worlds — and one small trick I return to again and again is photographing miniature water. When you get the light and reflections right, a scrap of resin or a...

Read more... →

Teach a 30-minute paper automaton workshop for kids 8–12 using three reusable templates

Running a quick, joyful paper automaton workshop for kids aged 8–12 is one of my favourite ways to introduce mechanical thinking, storytelling and a bit of theatre to a classroom or birthday party....

Read more... →

Photo recipe: capture silky reflections on resin water without a light tent using household diffusers

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...

Read more... →

How to rig a pocket automaton with invisible thread so a character performs a clean loop without tangle

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,...

Read more... →

How to photograph a tabletop diorama with a smartphone to capture cinematic depth and creamy bokeh

I love photographing small worlds. A tabletop diorama is a stage where light, scale and story meet, and with a smartphone you can make images that feel cinematic and tactile — rich depth, soft...

Read more... →

How to design a 10-minute cardboard automaton lesson for mixed-age groups using three fail-safe steps

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...

Read more... →

Can you fake glass in tiny sculptures with thin resin sheet and acrylic gloss

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...

Read more... →