Because we love art and travel, we were naturally drawn to Rich McCor’s paper cutout project that took him all over Europe. He’s transformed Big Ben, the London Eye, and even iconic landmarks in Paris, Copenhagen and Amsterdam. And he’s only getting started! Just last week Rich launched a Kickstarter campaign so we can all get creative with our photos.
We spoke to him on the eve of his trip out to Ireland, wanting to know just what inspired him to start his paper cutout project and what we can expect to see next.
First, we want to know what inspired you to start your paper cutout project. Had you been creating cutouts before this project?
‘I began getting into paper-craft a few years ago after seeing a stop-motion animation which blew my mind. It featured a whole set and scenery crafted from paper and I loved the whimsy and the details in it. So I started making my own stop motions and getting crafty with a scalpel and bits of paper.
‘Alongside this, there had always been an interest in photography and it only occurred me to back in Spring to combine the two. My first piece of ‘non-destructive vandalism’ was on Big Ben- I used a paper cut-out of a wristwatch to make the iconic landmark look a little more modern. it went from there and I started doing more photos in London’.
You started your project in London but you’ve been able to travel all over Europe! Tell us more about this.
‘One day on the bus home I had a message on Instagram from Lonely Planet. They said they’d noticed my photos and loved what I did. If I’m honest I thought it was a hoax, but then we chatted over email and a few weeks later I found myself travelling around Europe taking photos for them. I’m a keen traveller anyway, so the whole experience was a total blast and led me to looking at incredible cities in a different way’.
Have you been surprised by the popularity of your photos?
‘Absolutely. A couple of months ago I got excited about hitting 5k followers- it had been a slow process of building a following. Then when my photos were shared through websites and newspapers, my followers climbed incredibly fast. I went from 5k to 60k in a few weeks. I’m now just shy of 90k which is insane. It was just a geeky photography hobby at first, and now it’s led to some really exciting opportunities’.
Tell us about your just-launched Kickstarter project. Why did you turn to Kickstarter and what can people expect when pledging?
‘People were asking me whether I sold my photos or made postcards, but because my IG grew so rapidly I wasn’t expecting there to be a market so I hadn’t planned anything. I then had the idea of creating pre-made cut-outs kits, so that anyone can create their own creative photos. I’ll be designing them so that anyone can use them, even if they don’t live near any wacky architecture.
‘I don’t know whether this will be a popular idea or not, so that’s why Kickstarter is a great platform because it’ll only come to life if there’s an interest in it. I hope there is though, I think Instagram and Facebook have ignited an interest in photography amongst a new generation, and the cut-outs are a way of making photos that stand out’.
How cool is that? A simple idea turned Rich McCor’s work into a viral hit. Wanna make your own quirky photos like Rich? Check out his Kickstarter project here and be sure to follow more of his work on Instagram.
Meet Me Under The Mistletoe #Coventgardenchristmas #Coventgarden #Coventgardenldn #Meetmeunderthemistletoe #MichaelHowell @coventgardenldn #paperboyo #creativephotography #christmas #igerslondon #shutup_london #prettycitylondon #london #christmaspresent #londonlife #londonpop #visitlondon #instalondon #instaart #ilovelondon #instagoodmyphoto #instaphoto #couple #art #silhouette #love #kiss #kissing #cute #instagram #kickstarter
A photo posted by Rich McCor (@paperboyo) on
Nov 20, 2015 at 6:53am PST
Nearly didn’t post this one, then I showed it to a friend and she smiled. That changed my mind. So here it is- Hakuna Matata 
By the way, I’m making some of the photos available as prints & postcards. Keep an eye out on here for more details this week if you’re keen #cliff #lionking #simba #disney #gozo #visitgozo #malta #lovemalta #maltaphotography #visitmalta #instamalta #igersmalta #wanderlust #travel #adventure #passionpassport #sand #travelandlife #intrepidtravel #bestintravel #holiday #vacation #beauty #photography #bluesky #silhouette #paperart #craft #hakunamatata #instagram
A photo posted by Rich McCor (@paperboyo) on
Nov 10, 2015 at 9:40am PST
I’m in Malta this week. I’ll probably mostly be sat by the pool reading Hunter S. Thompson novels whilst I’m here (but there’s always time to make it look like there’s a sea monster trapped inside the Siege Bell Tower) #siegebelltower #valletta #malta #lovemalta #maltaphotography #visitmalta #instamalta #igersmalta #octopus #seamonster #paper #cutout #silhouette #wanderlust #travel #adventure #passionpassport #architecture #travelandlife #intrepidtravel #bestintravel #architecturelovers #bluesky #instagram
A photo posted by Rich McCor (@paperboyo) on
Nov 2, 2015 at 10:46am PST
Because the Prime Meridian passes just west of the 02 (originally The Millennium Dome), the designer decided to include a few features as a nod to Greenwich Mean Time. It has 12 supports that jut out from the top that represent the months of the year. The diameter of the dome is 365 metres to represent the days of the year. The centre point is 52 metres tall to represent the weeks in a year. Clever huh? Shot for #lpkids (@lonelyplanet’s brand for little adventurers) #lonelyplanet #adventure #travel #theglobewanderer #wanderlust #passionpassport #lifeofadventure #london #instalondon #lovegreatbritain #visitlondon #birthday #paperart #candles #passport #silhouette #cake #baking #birthday #o2 #greenwich #clock #theo2 #architecture #architecturelovers #upatthe02 #instagram
A photo posted by Rich McCor (@paperboyo) on
Oct 29, 2015 at 1:02am PDT
It’s possible that the Hunchback of Notre Dame was, in fact, real. In the 1820’s, when restoration began on the cathedral after the French Revolution, there was a “humpbacked stone carver” according to the memoirs of Henry Sibson. Henry was a sculptor who worked at Notre Dame at the same time that Victor Hugo began writing his famous novel #quasimodo #notredame #paris #parisjetaime #parisian #topparisphoto #visitparis #parismaville #igersparis #loves_paris #igersfrance #hunchbackofnotredame #wanderlust #travel #adventure #passionpassport #instagram #cathedral #intrepidtravel #adventure #instagoodmyphoto #victorhugo #bestintravel #paperart #loves_paris #fact #silhouette #architecture #architecturelovers
A photo posted by Rich McCor (@paperboyo) on
Oct 24, 2015 at 6:43am PDT
The Little Mermaid taking a selfie; Shot for #lpkids (@lonelyplanet’s brand for little adventurers). Hans Christian Anderson (who wrote the fairy tale) always took some unusual pieces of equipment with him when he travelled, including a rope in case a fire broke out and he was forced to escape through a window. Fortunately he never needed it #lonelyplanet #copenhagen #denmark #kopenhagen #visitcopenhagen #selfiestick #sea #paperart #sky #VisitDenmark #somewhereincopenhagen #citytrip #instaart #igerscopenhagen #wanderlust #travel #adventure #travelbreak #travelandlife #intrepidtravel
#bestintravel #passionpassport #disney #hanschristiananderson #thelittlemermaid #selfie #Denlillehavfrue #cutout #paper
A photo posted by Rich McCor (@paperboyo) on
Oct 9, 2015 at 11:33pm PDT
The post Now you can get your own quirky paper cutouts on Kickstarter! appeared first on Lost At E Minor: For creative people.