Introducing Kiykera Brown

Kiykera Brown is a new Cornish designer specialising in whimsical illustrations of a burlesque nature.

Although born, raised and currently living in Cornwall she takes inspiration from nights out on the burlesque scene in Liverpool and her travels around the UK and Japan. Her favourite burlesque artist is Millie Dollar closely followed by her close friend, Miss Cherry Kitten.

Other inspiration comes from Japanese anime and manga and a love of figurative life drawing from an early age. Kiykera studied textiles, printing and design at Falmouth University and Swansea Metropolitan University and has done life drawing with Guy Noble of Central Saint Martin’s and Dr Sketchy’s Anti-Art School.

These cheeky illustrations use a combination of hand drawn and digital imagery to create a delightful 1950s inspired series of ‘modern pin-up girls’. Although slightly risqué Kiykera is very careful with the content of her drawings and is very against the over sexualisation of women in the modern world. Her drawings hark back to a much more innocent era where burlesque was very much about the dance and the tease and was a form of entertainment enjoyable by either sex.

Kiykera uses specially sourced crafters bottle tops as a vehicle for her images printing onto specialised decal paper and sealing with resin for a high quality finish. Her father’s side of the family lived for many years in Zimbabwe, where local women and children make art from bottle caps and found objects on the roadside. Gifts from her Grandmother, bought from these sellers whilst visiting in Africa, have inspired her use of found objects including recycling old lampshades, fabrics and plates for her series of home wares.

Kiykera Brown art and illustrations can be found on a range of handmade jewellery exclusive to the Here and Now Gallery and Kiykera’s own website or craft stalls. She is also working on expanding the range into home wares with lampshades, oven gloves, peg bags and decorative plates all being finalised in her studio for sale before Christmas! Many of her background images are inspired by her biro drawings of found objects and are about subverting the traditional floral prints of the textiles world. These images feature more prominently in her large prints on home wares and plates.

More information, news, new products and her blog can all be found on her website:

www.kiykerabrown.moonfruit.com

or through her facebook and twitter pages /kiykerabrown

Thank you for looking and have a lovely day!

A Forest Tale - Mini Exhibition, on now till November

Tom Hubmann is an illustrator who currently resides in Cornwall where he enjoys long walks by the sea, looking for piskies and supping tea. Tom has just finished an MA in Illustration: Authorial Practice, at the University of Falmouth.

During the winter of 2010 / 11, Tom begun work on ‘A Forest Tale’ which documents, celebrates and looks at some of the issues surrounding our relationship with trees.

The project takes the form of a mini exhibition and can best be described as being playful, with serious undertones. It includes screen prints, risograph prints, mono prints, narratives, postcards and even notebooks made entirely out of sheep poo.

Engaging the imagination in a playful manner, Tom’s work explores context, humour, wonderment and simplicity. It journeys through the realms of the unexpected, the absurd and the ‘what if?’.
Combining line drawing, pattern, texture and printmaking, the output can be quite diverse including comics, posters, tshirts and handcrafted books. He enjoys working in different formats allowing him to develop a different style to support the message of each individual project.

For forthcoming projects and recent work, please check out his website and blog.

Thank you for looking and have a lovely day.

www.brainwig.com
www.tomhubmann.blogspot.com