Not too long ago, when  I was travelling around doing some very exciting interviews with my friends, and I promised to share my results. Obviously there was a slight delay as alas, my blooming blog went a big naughty and decided not to upload certain images etc. Therefore this wonderful interview with Scruffy kitten was delayed, but now everything is fixed and voila! Now this lady is amazeballs and is as beautiful inside as she is out ( and trust me with some models this can be a rarity!)  Good news is you will be hearing more about this lady in the up coming weeks as I delve deeper into her most current project “Scruff City”–

Hi Scruffy kitten, How art thou?

Hiiii! I’m wonderful thank you, busy busy as always!!

We’ve noticed you’ve been a busy bee, always good to see! What would you say you were about?

Me, I’m a girl that likes the alternative lifestyle and playing with my own unique style, and I apply this to my modelling life! I often have photographers asking me what items I have in my ‘shoot’ box to make mself appear alternative for a shoot, and I’m just like, ‘No, this is me, what you see is what you get.’ I don’t ‘put on’ anything, I wear this stuff and style my hair this way and mess around with my make-up like this in my own life. That’s what seems to help people pay attention to my work.
At the moment I am edging away from alternative fashion modelling to try my hand at more creative outlets, shoots with a gore or fantasy theme, or playing a character rather than just posing against a background. As much as I have enjoyed fashion modelling, I am developing as a model and as a person, and I think this can be seen in my more recent work.

Ooh, tell us a little bit about that!

I am currently involved with a project called ‘Scruff City’; a graphic novel created using a mixture of photographs and artwork, in which I play the main character, Scruff. It has been a massive learning experience for me; before this, at most I had only played a ‘character’ in the sense that I was being asked to portray certain emotions during a shoot, but now I am learning to really get into a character, know HER and how she would feel in different situations, how she would respond to troubles thrown her way. It’s very much like acting (which is something I may be looking into further down the line…) but holding an emotion and a pose for a photo rather than moving with it.
I have also, after taking a liking to a bit of a gory photoshoot, taken part in some awesomely bloody stuff in the snow very recently, to come very soon…

Tres exciting! Other than gore, what recently has inspired you?

I do a lot of research into other people’s styles of modelling, photography and artwork, and recently I have been very much inspired by darker and more gothic images. Forlorn, lost girls with vast wasted landscapes behind them, decrepit run down buildings with a lone chair in the middle of an abandoned hallway, scenes in which girls are running and fighting to save their own lives. Just today, an image that has particularly stuck with me is one of a girl in a gas mask, looking very sad, with a flower in her hand, and behind her is a scene of nothingness, barren and lonely. I have folders and folders on inspiration saved on my computer!!

What piece of clothing/item/anything do you covet most?

Boots!!! I love my boots. I have so many, and yet I still don’t have enough. Black, white, red; leather, patent, suede; zips, buckles, studs; calf-high, knee-high, thigh-high!! I can never have enough.
I also seem to buy a LOT of hiiiigh shoes, but I rarely wear them. They’re just so pretty to look at. I intend to wear them out, but don’t because I choose boots with an outfit instead. Then, I intend to save them for shoots, but there I/or the photographer choose boots too!! So they just sit there, on my shelf, looking pretty at me.

What would you recommend for people wanting to get into the modelling and “alternative” business?

Shoot, and shoot, and shoot. Keep doing it!! Work with as many people as you can, because it’s ALL about learning, and experience. I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere if I hadn’t set up an online portfolio and just started working with as many people as I could. Also, research. Know what you like the look of, what interests you, and practice it. Practice poses, take photos along with you to shoots to try, and eventually, you get your own personal feel for it. Eventually, you know what is you, and what isn’t. And you learn how to work with photographers so you get good images. Saying that, every photographer is different, just like every model is different, so I guess, another bit of advice; always be up for trying something new!!
But I guess, the most important bit of advice I could give anyone, is be comfortable with what you are doing. You could apply that to a few things. For example, if you only feel comfortable shooting fully clothed, don’t shoot lingerie, or nude. If you feel nervous, or awkward, it will show in the photos, and it’s a waste of time for everybody. That said, everyone gets nervous from time to time (the first half hour of a shoot I’m usually full of nerves!!) so just loosen up, and have fun. Have a giggle.

Finally lovely lady, where can we find thee? 

My facebook page for my fans: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Scruffy-Kitten/166430023408914?fref=ts

My PurplePort for people that would like to work with me: http://purpleport.com/portfolio/ScruffyKitten/?referrer=ScruffyKitten

You like pugs, tell us about that!

Haha, it started with a free cuddly toy of a pug that had a MASSIVE head and a tiny body. It was my little baby  Since then, I’ve discovered how much love I have for the little critters! I think they are the most adorable things, ever. Wanna win my heart over? Give me something pug-related

Fair enough! –

Thank you Sam, and thank you readers! The next exciting interview will be the always amazing and slightly unhinged Karen Bevan, Radio assistant producer for the BBC.  I will also be catching up with Steve Todd again when he films me in my cookery show cameo next week, exciting times BBz!

Love Love BP Xx