It's been a while.....

It's been a while since I posted anything here or written any guest posts, as I've been so busy working away through the day and paper cutting in the evenings.

I'm working towards a re-launch of all things Mr Yen for August, which means preparing everything for this, while also making sure I have some things ready for Christmas by July, which will mean I can get press releases and promo pieces out as soon as possible for magazines in time for December.

I'm really excited to re-launch, with completely brand new products, new branding, new photographs and new styling! I hope you will all love the new designs and you can see a little peek of two of them below - the botanical silhouette which can be customised and the botanical paper lace....which brings me on to my next point....if you would like any of the pieces currently in the shop, then act fast as they will be discontinued mid July.

See you soon with another update on the re-launch!

WIP Wednesday - Papercut Leaf Necklaces

Hello!

This week I've been working on an idea that I've been wanting to try for a while...papercut leaf necklaces! I have had these leaf designs for a while and have wanted to adapt them for this purpose for a long time - it's just been one of those things that I have put to the bottom of the to do list. Well, on Monday I decided it was time to get them made!

They are now available in the shop here at an affordable introductory price and if you don't want to use them as a necklace you could always make a mobile with them!

I would love to see what you've been working on this week, so why not a leave a comment below with a link we can all visit!

WIP Wednesday

Hello!

For today's WIP Wednesday I thought it would be a nice idea to show you what I managed to get done on the laser cutting machine last week at Duke Studios (thanks James and Laura!)

I designed this piece the week before to test out using the laser cutting machine and while I was testing it out on paper, I used elements of the design on acrylic and leather too. Playing around with this machine and different materials gives me so many ideas for products....I think the acrylic would make great coasters and the leather would make great bookmarks!

While I was getting my test pieces cut, here's what I was given by Duke Studios - two small lasercut Duke logos. Don't they look great?! - I love the detail and the depth you can achieve with the laser cutter!

WIP Wednesday

For todays WIP Wednesday post I've been working on creating a papercut design to be lasercut at Duke Studios - who I will post more about early next week. This will be the first of my designs that I will try out on a laser cutting machine, so I hope it works out and that I've done it right!

This design is made up of several leaves in a circular shape, with extra dots and spots added in between the leaves. As this is the first time I have created something for a lasercutter I don't know if this is too detailed or if little bits will get cut off, but I will let you know how it works out....now, it's time to finish it off and I will upload photos of it as soon as it's been cut out.

WIP Wednesday - Exhibition Papercut and Letterpress Gift Tags

For this weeks WIP Wednesday I thought I would show you what I've been working on....I've been creating a completely unique and one of a kind papercut for the We Are Raw exhibition. I was recently asked by We Are Raw if I would contribute a papercut piece to their 5th birthday exhibition and I said yes!

You can see all the other contributors here and all of the money raised from the collaborative artworks will be going to the local charity the Wood Street Mission, helping children and families that live in difficult circumstances.

I thought I would use this as an opportunity to experiment with my style and design something that is heavily influenced by Papel Picado - the traditional Mexican craft of papercutting.

Something else that I have been doing this week is taking photos of the NEW Mr Yen Letterpress gift tags! I have been planning to create these for a while and have finally had them printed and listed for sale here! I wanted something meaningful and simple so they don't distract from the gift they are attached to - but also enhance the gift giving experience by adding a tactile element. So you can now have your very own set of four gift tags, with a choice of either grey or white ribbon and all for a very reasonable price!

WIP Wednesday

Hello how are you today? This week is flying by so quickly for me, but I think that's because I've been so busy taking new photographs of every product I have for the shop! I decided the black and white photos weren't really working out - sales decreased, people always asked to see colour versions and generally the interest in products had gone.

So - I didn't waste any time in looking for inspiration and and started to look around for a new angle to try styling the photographs in. I wanted to make sure people knew that they were buying a papercut unframed and I wanted to show the delicate details without distraction. I ended up finding a few pieces of this wood and decided to use them. They had slight wear and tear and a nice texture, with some great typography to boot, so I was sold as soon as I saw them - plus I think the texture adds just enough interest as to not distract from the papercuts.

So after a full two days taking photographs and editing most of them, I am now just editing photographs of all the Mr Yen greeting cards - which should all be uploaded by the end of the week.

Hope to se you back here tomorrow for a Thursday Finds post!

Monday Morning - New Photographs!

Good Morning!

This weekend I found this piece of wood with some great typography on it and it inspired me to take some experimental new product photos. I've also included a sneaky look at a new framed design that will be available later this week in the Mr Yen shop. 

These new framed pieces (shown in the first image) will be made up from the offcuts of this papercut and will be the first Mr Yen papercuts to be sold as framed!

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This week I'm completing one of my #SixMonthPlan goals too - I'm am working on finishing a wholesale order for my first stockist outside the UK! I will reveal who/where later in the week once the order is complete and shipped out, but I'm quite excited to have my work stocked there!

Hope you have a productive day and I will see you back here tomorrow for an Inspiration Tuesday post!

Handmade Type - New Papercut Design

I just thought I would make a little announcement about a new papercut design that I created for the book Handmade Type Workshop, created by Charlotte Rivers and published by Thames & Hudson.

You can see the papercut below, which is in the shop now!

As soon as I get my hands on the book I will be back to do a review on it as I know of a few other talented people who have contributed to it too. I created this papercut design as a tutorial for the book and I'm so excited to have my work published in an actual book - thanks so much Charlotte for asking me to take part!

You can see an interview I did here for the Thames & Hudson blog on the book Handmade Type Workshop.

Monday Morning - New Beginnings

Hello!

It's a new month and a new week, which means a new to do list with lots of things coming up this month! The Mr Yen newsletter is going to be sent out later today, with a free desktop calendar and a little treat to do with the Mr Yen stationery. You can sign up here to find out what the treat is when the newsletter goes out later today!

A little peek of whats coming soon!

I also thought I should update you on my development so far on my #SixMonthPlan...

* I'm in the process of arranging two Christmas window displays for this year! (one in Edinburgh and another in London!)

* I have been contacted by some very interesting people to create a few paper goodies for a wedding photo shoot.

* I have a potential new stockist in Canada

* I'm finishing up my application form for the Arts market in November to send out this week.

Still on my list, to achieve before the end of the year...

* A papercut book cover design.

* A papercut illustration for a cosmetic company.

* A few papercut illustrations for some editorial work.

* To create a papercut installation.

* To have my work displayed in a local business as an installation or art piece.

* To work with a paper company to promote their business using my papercuts

I am still working towards these goals and would love to secure more of them by the end of this month, so if you have any information on how to go about creating/doing any of these things I would appreciate any help I can get...you can send me emails here - and if you would like me to create any of these things for you, you can see my portfolio website here and get in touch here.

Have a great Monday and I hope you're having a great start to the month!

WIP Wednesday

Hello!

Hope you're having a great week so far!

This week I've been planning some details for my six month plan - mostly which companies I would like to work with on each goal, plus I have already had a few offers to create papercut Christmas window displays for two companies so far, which I've said yes to both - proof that the internet is amazing! If you have a twitter account you can follow my progress by using the following hashtag #SixMonthPlan. I would love to see your six month plans too if you feel like joining in!

I have also created the papercut that you see above - which uses this card design on an A4 format, for a potential new stockist which is local to me. It will also be going into the Mr Yen shop soon too!

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On a side note, I have had this blog for over three years now (I can't believe how quick those years have gone!) so I have decided to open it up to sponsors. I am still in the process of creating a sponsor information pack which I can send out to potential new sponsors, but in the mean time I have added a clickable banner in the side bar which you can click to register your interest (up there at the top right!) or you can just leave a comment below and I will add you to my list.

Hope to see you back here tomorrow for my Thursday Finds post!

weekend goodness

This weekend I had a little experiment with tiny papercut offcuts, from my customisable name and date papercuts, in a magnetic acrylic frame. I will take some better photos through the week so you can see the frame clearer.

What do you think?

WIP Wednesday

This weeks WIP Wednesday is experimenting with grey & white envelopes, hand cut lace designs, white ribbon and book pages.

All will be revealed soon!

weekend goodness

Hello - I hope you're having a nice weekend!

Me and Toby were ill all day yesterday and so I didn't go into work at Muji...but that gave me a chance to have some time to draw. These are just a few quick sketches of leaves - that I had drawn in my second year of university - and I have been editing them to turn them into papercut templates.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!