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STORIES IN PAPER

Papercut illustrations by Ellie Chaney

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Examples of Winged Insects of the British Isles

Insect poster final

‘Examples of Winged Insects of the British Isles’, 2017.

Digital illustration using handmade papercuts.

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Happy Earth Day! Today I've added another image to my 'Deep Sea Stories' illustration series. Sperm whales usually dive to around 300 - 800 meters, but they can dive as far as 2,000 meters when hunting. This makes them one of the deepest diving mammals, and they can hold their breath for 1 - 2 hours. One of the whale species that has conical teeth rather then baleen, sperm whales mainly feed on medium sized squid, but they can also eat giant squid, colossal squid, rays and octopus. The area around a sperm whale's mouth is often covered in scars from fighting with others, but in rare cases rings of scars resembling suckers have been found on specimens suggesting battles with giant squids in the deep!

Now spring is finally here in the UK I can share this papercut commission ‘Bluetit in spring flowers’. Thank you to my client for allowing me to reproduce it as a print in my shop 🌱🌿🌺

Some little porcelain pinch pots from my ceramics class. I really like blue.

I’ve been going to a ceramics class recently and I’m really happy my porcelain sea anemone made it out of the kiln!

For anyone near by, my exhibition of sea creature papercuts and prints at Ford Park Cafe in Ulverston, Cumbria finishes on Saturday! • It’s been a good day! I completed two commissions, the sun has been out and we even managed to plant some flowers. It feels like spring is finally here! It’s been a challenging winter indeed - my daughter and I have been constantly plagued with illness for three months and frankly it’s been exhausting. I’ve found after commissions, day to day business tasks and my job I’ve not had much energy for making new work. I think sometimes you have to accept these phases, and hold on to the knowledge that they’ll be another period of creative energy soon. In the world of Instagram where it seems everyone is so endlessly productive, it can be difficult to remember that art, though wonderful, isn’t everything. I often feel like I work too slowly, but with so many other demands on my time I’m just trying to be content with doing my best 🙂 Saying that, I’m really hoping this week is the turning point for us health wise and that soon I’ll be a bit more in to the flow. Happy spring everyone! 🌱🌿 #papercut #papercutting #illustration #naturalhistoryillustration

Playing with making mandalas and bug patterns earlier in the week 🙂 #illustration #papercut #insect #naturalhistory

I’ve been busy with commissions lately, so here’s an old photo of Spiny Starfish (which I actually call ‘Jaunty Starfish’ in my head because it looks like it’s dancing) 🌟 #illustration #papercut #papercutting #nature

Papercut Paper Nautilus or Argonaut, a pelagic octopus. The female secretes a thin, paper-like shell to store her eggs in. This chamber fills with trapped air allowing her to float on the current. I'm working on adapting this papercut in to a pop-up to make a book called 'A Curious Compendium of Cephalopods' 🤔🦑🐙 #illustration #papercut #papercutting #acuriouscompendiumofcephalopods #storiesinpaper

My exhibition 'Detail in Nature' at Brockhole on Windermere comes to an end tomorrow. I'd like to thank @brockholelakedistrict for having me. I've really enjoyed exhibiting my work in such a beautiful place and have met some lovely people. If you'd like to catch my work before it comes down, it will be there until 3pm tomorrow 🙂 Photo credit: Lindsay Ward #papercut #papercutting #illustration

Next in my mini series of 'Deep Sea Stories' is the Viperfish. • There are thought to be at least 6 species of Viperfish, also known as Sloane's Fangfish, and they have been found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean. During the day they stay in the deeper ocean levels at around 1500m, but they will travel to a shallower depth at night, often following prey such as the Lanternfish on their daily migration to the oceans surface. Viperfish have a jaw that is adapted to hinge open allowing them to consume larger prey. Their teeth are so large they have to curve them around their head so they can close their mouths. Viperfish use photophores (light-producing organs) to lure prey - their dorsal fin is located behind their head and the first ray is a long spine with a photophore attached like a hanging light. They are able to turn this light on and off as they hunt. They also have photophores along the bottom of their bodies. We know relatively little about them due to the fact that they are unable to survive for longer then a brief period if captured, but it is estimated they can live for up to 30 years. • #illustration #ink #drawing #naturalhistory #deepsea #ocean #deepseastories #storiesinpaper

I spent the afternoon making a study of the Lanternfish in silver ink - a small fish that is thought to be a crucial part of the food chain throughout the ocean. Here's what I learnt about Lanternfish today: Lanternfish are one of the most common fish in the world, living in oceans worldwide. During the day they live at depths of 300m but at night travel up to the oceans surface. They are also bioluminescent, producing a glow using light organs. There are 246 species in 33 genera, and it is estimated that lanternfish make up to 65% of biomass in the deep sea. There is also a theory that they are eating vast amounts of microplastic, which is slightly concerning considering they are food for so many ocean animals! #illustration #ink #ocean #naturalhistoryillustration

My exhibition at @brockholelakedistrict ends this Wednesday. If you'd like to go you can see my art and then look out on to this beautiful view 🙂 Photo credit: Lindsey Ward

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