Emily Sutton's ever-popular 3D die-cut cards have some new neighbours. Joining the Antiques Shop, Bakery and Fruit & Veg Shop are three new designs: a Bookshop, a Pet Emporium and a Parisian Café. Each one reveals a miniature world, full of the detail Emily is known for: crowded shelves, hand-lettered signs and characters going about their day.
Shops and streets have been at the heart of Emily's work since her student days, and each of the new designs is built from real places she has drawn over the years. We asked her to tell us more about where the ideas came from.
"For pretty much as long as I can remember, I've found shop fronts and high streets to be excellent sources of inspiration. As a young student, I was introduced to the work of Eric Ravilious via his illustrations for High Street, which really sparked my enthusiasm for the subject. A few years later, my degree show at Edinburgh College of Art was all about the British high street. I filled sketchbooks with drawings of shops, markets and other details, and the project culminated in a three-dimensional cardboard street with pencilled detailing, fabric awnings, and painted and embroidered cars and figures. Since then I've drawn and painted probably hundreds of shops, both in the UK and further afield. I find it very satisfying to draw the details of their window displays and beautiful signage, and I love scouting out unfamiliar towns and cities to find new venues; the more particular and arcane the better!
The latest three Shop Set cards in my range for Art Angels all incorporate details from some of my favourite shops. Having made many drawing trips to Paris, I knew that I wanted to create a Parisian Café. I used references from the photos and sketches I'd made over the years – a decorative ceiling, a particular wooden bar, an assortment of characters – and pieced them together to form the finished image.
Living in York, the city of bookshops, I had plenty of material to draw from. I also took inspiration from a curved staircase at a particularly beautiful bookshop in Whitby.
The third card – my personal favourite – is the Pet Emporium. I'm completely dog-obsessed (and love all animals in general), so this one was a total joy to paint. I even managed to feature my beloved dog Mouse in the scene, as well as my pals' pup Edgar Allan, who can be seen getting his hair brushed on the grooming table."
Together, the six cards now line up into a street of their own. They're perfect for sending, and just as good propped on a shelf or mantelpiece as a little piece of art in their own right.
Explore the Collection →
Emily Sutton studio portrait by Esme Mai.
