Inspiration

In every interview (not that there are loads, but y'know!) I get asked where my inspiration comes from.
The obvious answer is books, old stories like Alice In Wonderland and the Grimm Fairy Tales, but when I actually thought about it inspiration really does come from everywhere. I have pinned down a few obvious sources that might make you say "oooh yeeh, I see!"....
The first ever hand drawn papercut design was this one. I sat one night in my living room with an empty sketchbook and a freshly sharpened pencil and chewed it a bit. I looked around...and spotted my lampshade. Pretty isn't it? It gave me to kick up the bum to actually draw something and to create Bird...

You can even see the position of the red bird at the top hanging from the branch used in the final design. You'd never think it looking at both the lampshade and the finished picture, but that's where it started.
At the time Mr P and I were listening to Josh Pyke's 'Middle Of The Hill' song every day - y'know how you get hooked on one song and play it to death? Well, that was ours and although not particularly relavent to our lives we DID live on a hill, so this papercut was born. This remains the only papercut I have ever kept and displayed as it shows our family...

I only just Googled for this song cover now - funny to see it's similar haha! Have a listen on You Tube though, you might like it. It's this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d1kfwC72Ps0

A friend was needed to develop Bird's character. There are only so many ways you can display birds in trees y'see and so Bunny was born. Why a bunny? I always shrugged and said "dunno!" but I was being daft as it dawned on me a year or so later that I woke up every morning looking at this large print hanging on the chimney breast of my then bedroom - "Hare In Boxer Shorts"...doh! So I guess this is where Bunny came from...actually trying on clothes would make a great cut! *gets pencil out*...

More recently I've been collecting my old childhood story books. Matilda Jane was one of my favourites. I base my recent designs on the layout of these pages, see? The wording surrounded by decoration outside of a 'frame'. I now have all my old books in the studio next to me to dip into for inspiration.

Jess & Brown Bear really do exist!!

Earlier this year there was a Facebook search for Brown Bear who had been lost by this little girl, Jess, on a trip to the hospital. It went viral and yes, she was eventually reunited with her beloved bear. She takes him everywhere with her. Jess doesn't speak a lot so I found this little relationship between her and her bear really quite touching, like they have a secret world together. *waves to Jess*...

 These are a selection of cards that are sitting on my desk at the moment sent to me by lovely PP friends. The cupcake looks super scrummy for a bit o'cardboard doesn't it? So it gave me the idea for this recent miniature - with a Wonderland twist ;)

Speaking of Wonderland, I make so many Alice inspired pieces because I myself am Alice inspired. Meet some of my, um, skin...? (and there's that cake, again!)

So really inspiration can whack you in the face at anytime from anywhere. Who knows what makes you draw one thing over another? If you create too then have a look at your work and see if you can see where the first spark of an idea came from.
Cheerio!
P xxx