Rob Ryan’s laser-cut prints are clever, quirky and, above all, romantic. Huma Qureshi finds out if the artist is such a softie in real life – and learns some simple paper-cutting skills
Is artist Rob Ryan the most romantic man in the UK? Judging by his wistful screen- and laser-cut prints, you’d think so. I’ve got a framed version of Can we, Shall we? on my shelves and it makes me exhale with sweet longing every time I read it, while his latest laser-cut print (available exclusively from the V&A) reads: “I can’t forget and I never will. You smiled at me and from nothing something came. Now the world is new to me again. I will remember still you smiled at me and now I dream a dream of good.” Sigh.
As I head over to his east London studio, I’m expecting to meet a modern-day Byron, sensitive and dashing. But instead there’s a cheeky bearded chappy in a bright retro T-shirt with a raucous giggle: meet Mister Rob (as his website refers to him).
“When people ask my wife if I’m romantic, she just sort of smiles this forced polite smile as if she’s saying ‘Hmm, if only you knew the half of it,'” he laughed. “But then every piece isn’t all about her or me; they’re just stories. The words I come up with are just words, not poetry. Some of it’s happy, some of it’s sad, some of it’s mysterious.”
Ryan had been screen-printing for years before he started the silhouette-style and minutely detailed paper- and laser-cut pieces for which he is now known. “I just fancied doing something a bit simpler – all you need it a pencil, paper and a blade,” he said. “It’s not about colour or perspective, it’s all about silhouette and shape.”
Earlier this year, he was commissioned to do a cover for Stylist magazine, and he’s also collaborated with Paul Smith on limited-edition ceramics and childrenswear. But this month could be his busiest yet, with the release of The Gift (a fairytale-style book about a girl’s journey through life by Carol Ann Duffy with illustrations by Ryan); John Lewis’s launch of an exclusive Rob Ryan range, featuring notepads, mugs and vases; and two shows to prepare for.
Still, in the midst of this busy schedule, Ryan managed to make time for the Guardian and taught us a thing or two about the fine art of paper-cutting. Follow the how-to guide below to find out how you can take a scalpel to a piece of paper and make something pretty.
How to make a paper-cut ornament necklacee
Ryan thought long and hard about what to teach us to make, and came up with the idea of making little chain-like necklaces to hang off bottles and ornaments – “sort of like those old decanter bottles and Brut aftershave bottles”, he explained. The paper necklaces would work cutely as labels for bottles and jars containing homemade foodie gifts, or you could do as Ryan did (and apparently does – he swears all the ornaments in his house wear these things) and find a figurine to dress up for no real reason other than to poke fun at it once it’s done.
What you need
Coloured paper of a good thickness
Piece of string
Pencil
Scalpel
Scalpel blade size 3 with 10A blades (Ryan uses Swan Martin scalpels and blades)
Masking tape
Ornament to put the necklace on
What to do
1. Attach the blade to the scalpel very, very carefully. Then wrap masking tape carefully around the blade, exposing just the tip – this will enable you to cut out the fiddly little bits without cutting your fingers.
2. Whether you’re making a necklace-label for a bottle or an ornament, you first have to measure how long the necklace needs to be. Take the piece of string and measure the neck of your bottle/ornament to calculate the length. Then loop the measured string on to your paper in the oval shape of a necklace and draw around it to make the template.
3. Draw the pendant on to the necklace – Rob made a bell shape. Then make the necklace thicker by drawing a chain-line effect.
4. Next, begin cutting the necklace out with the scalpel, starting with the small fiddly bits (ie the centre of the paper chain).
5. Write your “label” on the pendant – whatever you write, draw the letters in thick capitals so that they can be cut out to leave a silhouette effect. (Ryan opted for “Life’s too long”, but feel free to make it more upbeat.) Now carefully cut the letters out.
6. And voila! Ryan made a bright pink necklace for a kitsch cat figurine. But, of course, it can be anything you want.
• Rob Ryan is appearing at the TAG Fine Arts show at the Air Gallery in London from Monday 1 November to Saturday 20 November.
