I’ve had a big rejig of my website recently, which involved purging some old prints and adding lots of new work. I’ve also partnered with a lovely new print fulfilment company who can print much larger than me and in different formats. It’s been a long time coming.
When working on children’s prints I thought a lot about what kids would like to look at, but also what parents would like their kids to look at, since they would more likely be buying them - inspiring kids with themes like big dreams, exploring, friendship, independence, protest, as well as just cute kittens. Do you remember what art you loved as a child? In my mid-noughties blogging days we were influenced by the Scandi look. Everything was minimal and monochrome. It was beautifully designed and very stylish, but I remember thinking, do kids really like it? So I’m trying to find the balance.
While researching children’s prints, I noticed something I hadn’t before - there are rarely any people or faces in them. Plenty of animals, and alphabets are still hugely popular (I’m working on it!) but not many humans. I suppose it’s because the work should be universal - you want your children to relate to the art as much as possible, which is harder when you’re looking at someone who doesn’t look like you. I made a few exceptions in this collection, as I fell in love with the red-haired girl stomping through treasure-strewn mud in Curious Explorers, and the girl in Dream Big, an editorial illustration I made a couple of years ago. Without the little girl looking up at the huge paintings, the concept would lose its meaning.
Back when you could get a Le Creuset saucepan for £12.50, children’s room art was more often in the wallpaper, the bed linen or chair design. Picture books had a lasting effect on my memory, but I don’t remember children’s ‘wall art’ being a thing, so my art for children is probably more influenced by book illustration than anything else.
Later, to adorn our teen walls we collected postcards from the National Portrait Gallery, posters of Michael J Fox and tore out magazine pages of the supermodels. Remember this guy? We had him.
One lasting image I do remember from my childhood was a poster of this Modigliani painting. So maybe my red-haired girl has stayed in the back of my mind all along.
Now save me please, I’ve gone down an 80s Habitat rabbit hole.
I’d love to hear about art you had on your childhood or teen bedroom walls, or what you look for as a parent. Thanks for reading!