My design process begins with a rough drawing in my sketch book, often inspired by a place I have visited, a beautiful pattern, an interesting building, an exhibit in a museum or an image in a magazine. Wherever it comes from I get it down quickly and spend a considerable amount of time reworking it in my studio to make an interesting composition.

I then have to ensure that it joins together to work as a papercut so it is often redrawn  before being hand cut in thick black Italian paper. I really like the sharp lines made by the scalpel and the contrast and boldness of the solid black paper. The line reminds me of the lead lines on a piece of traditional stained glass.

If the design is successful and I'm happy with it, I'll create a digital file. This is a long and laborious process and entails me sitting at my computer for hours and sometimes days and weeks plotting each cut line individually with my mouse. The finished file is then sent to a laser cutting machine or I can cut smaller pieces with my plotter.

Once the paper has been cut it is taken back to my studio to be assembled. This involves selecting a block of solid intense colour and placing it within the composition. Finally I carefully mount the black line on top of the colour onto acid free mount board in relief to create the shadows which I love.