You might have seen his brilliant, intricately cut horror leaves last year and now he’s back with another round for the month of October ahead of Halloween. Yes, it’s PorkChops Papercuts aka Ben! We caught up with Ben to chat all things paper-cutting – including his new Porktober challenge, his inspiration and just how hard it is to cut patterns into flimsy leaves (spoiler alert: pretty damn hard).
Hi Ben! So how did you get into paper-cutting and how long have you been doing it?
I discovered paper-cutting by chance in 2013 whilst flicking through some art and craft books from the library. A friend was getting married and I was a bit skint, so I looked in some books for inspiration to make a wedding present. I hadn’t done anything artistic since school and my expectations were low but as soon as I picked up A Beginner’s Guide to Paper Craft, I had a feeling I could do it.
I copied a design, framed it, and was pleased to have made a hand-made gift which looked great. I started to design my own paper-cuts and began picking up commissions from friends and then from friends of friends and then from complete strangers, and PorkChops continued to grow from there.
We have to ask – where did the name PorkChops come from?
I’ve told this story a million times. My fault for choosing the name, I suppose! So I used to be called ‘BenCuts’ but that was really boring and forgettable so I started a lengthy brainstorming process for a new name. A friend used to call me ‘Court’ in school (he still does) as it’s a shortened version of my surname, Courtney. That became ‘Pork’ over time. I thought ‘what about PorkChops’ as a more memorable alternative to BenCuts and this was the best I could come up with. I actually still like the name after all these years. Fun fact: I called my mate ‘Egg’ in school (and still do).
We are obsessed with your horror leaves (as are lots of other people by the looks of your Instagram posts!) – what gave you the idea to abandon paper and cut foliage instead? And how much harder/time-consuming is it to work with such flimsy material?
Thanks very much! I think I’m obsessed with leaves myself. In autumn, my head is always scanning the ground for a good one and I’ve usually got a found leaf in my hand or stuffed in my pocket whenever I walk anywhere. I dabbled with cutting leaves a couple of times as they are paper-like but I didn’t really explore the medium until I took part in the annual October drawing challenge on Instagram. To those who don’t know, many people commit to drawing one piece of art every day in October following one-word prompts set by established pages or artists to follow for inspiration.
In October 2020, I set myself the challenge of drawing every day and posting the results on Instagram. On October 1st, I went outside and saw a really fat leaf and carved ‘October 1st’ into it and that was my first one. On October 2nd, I thought that I could do a leaf every day and it just grew from there. I was asking my followers on Instagram for my daily prompts and these were usually spooky-themed. By the end of the project, I was cutting scenes from horror films and the interest in my page really took off.
Paper-cutting is tricky in itself but leaf-cutting is a whole other ball game. Leaves don’t behave like flat paper. There are veins and stems and they break much more easily. Each leaf is different. Over the last few years, I’ve worked out which are the best ones to use, how to prepare them, how to lean into their structure with the design to keep them strong, making sure they hold together. I try to keep the designs simple enough to make in one sitting as I need to do one every day, but they can take anywhere from 30 minutes to three hours depending on the design.
Love that! You sold the leaves online before – are you going to be doing more of that this Halloween? Is there one that you would never ever sell?
I did sell most of the leaves but still have lots of originals for sale in my Etsy shop. I will be selling the leaves I create this October, yes. There is one leaf which just has the typeface from Friday 13th, which I absolutely love as the colour of the leaf is stunning and the stalk has dried in a really nice curl. I’d still sell it though as I just want my work out there to be enjoyed.
It seems like you really know your horror films, do you have a favourite?
I’m no expert on the genre and there are so many horror films that I’m yet to see but I do love them. I love anything that moves you and a good horror film can be beautifully shot and cinematic but also it can physically move you out of your seat with a jump scare. I made the decision to focus on Halloween and horror a few years back and I feel I’ve only just scratched the surface. There are so many films on my must-watch list and so much art I plan to make based on horror films. My favourite horror film of all time has got to be Halloween (1978). It’s a masterpiece. Beautifully shot on a low budget, great mythology, iconic scenes, a chilling score and the most bad-ass horror villain there is. There’s actually not much blood at all in this film but it still delivers to this day and really freaks me out. I’m obsessed with it and try to watch it every year.
Is the spooky season your favourite time of year then? What does a Porkchops Papercuts Halloween look like? (Will we see you out trick or treating around Brighton any time soon?)
Yes! Halloween is like my Christmas. I get very excited about it even in summer. I love the drama of the change of season at this time of year and I’ve always loved drawing monsters and Halloween-related things. I really just enjoy the season and don’t do that much on Halloween night. I have the challenge each day in October, attempt to watch a lot of horror films from my list throughout the month and try to release a new Halloween garland each year, which you can also buy in my shop. I used to take my daughter trick or treating or throw a little party for her friends at home but she’s getting to the stage where she would rather be out trick or treating with her friends. I usually carve a pumpkin with her and watch Halloween in the evening and I’m more than happy with that.
What else are you working on and where can we see it?
So, this year, I’m selling my work at the Stanley Road Department Store pop-up which is located bang in the middle of town in Market Street, Brighton. There are plenty of Halloween products but also prints, postcards and original paper-cuts for sale. It’s a must-see if you’re in Brighton with work from many local artists and makers and it’s a real vibe inside. Do check it out, you won’t be disappointed [Ed: we totally agree, it’s great!]. I’ll also be running some paper-cutting and leaf cutting workshops in October at the store and there are plans to make a Halloween grotto inside, too.
I’m also selling at a new Open House in November/December called Easy Tiger which is on Springfield Road, Brighton. I’m excited to be there too and the collection of artists who’ll be there are all kind of spooky like me.
And I’m hoping to put on an exhibition of this year’s horror leaves from my PorkTober challenge at some point, so I’m going to be very very busy! [Everyone can get involved in the challenge – see the details and the prompts in the below Instagram post.]
You must need a tonne of patience and a very steady hand – for anyone interested in paper-cutting, what’s the best way to get started?
The best way to get started is to join one of my workshops this October/early November! They are super chilled and such a fun evening. We usually have a bunch of set ideas of things to make and there is scope to freestyle and design your own, too. People usually go home with at least three creations and lots of ideas and inspiration.
And now for some quick-fire questions…
What are your top three inspiring Instagram accounts you think we should follow and why?
@jasonedmistonart blows my mind. Such a talent and horror-inspired, too. @creepyduckdesign is an inspiration. I’d love to design film posters myself. I also really like silly stuff and @albert_cancook is just a really fast-paced cooking page which I love.
If you could only eat at one restaurant in Brighton, Hove or Sussex, where would it be & why?
I really like Pizza 500. It’s so unpretentious but the pizza there is amazing! They have a sweet dog that hangs out there and the restaurant is located under the railway bridge so you often get a noisy train going overhead. It’s a bit rough but I love it for that.
And finally, what would your perfect day in the city look like?
So perfect day in the city would be to take Dotty the dog around Blakers Park and Preston Park in the morning. Do a workout at FMG Project (totally into this at the moment). I’d then go to the Flour Pot Bakery on Sydney street for a coffee, pastry and to sketch some ideas or do some journalling. I’d then have a swim in the sea (sans pollution) and a sunbathe on the beach (repeat until hungry). I’d go for a walk around the North Laine area and have a roast (it’s a Sunday) in one of the pubs there that took my fancy then watch a new film in the Duke of York’s. Bliss!
Thanks, Ben! You can buy Ben’s work here and see his latest Porktober challenge leaves here. And if you’re interested in having a go at paper-cutting yourself, we’ll be posting details of his workshops as soon as they’re available.
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