Lisa Hassell with Illustrator Stephen Chan

Inkygoodness are a busy bunch. Since 2008, they have been showcasing UK’s finest upcoming character designers and illustrators, by organising events in Birmingham, Bristol to Berlin. We caught up with founder Lisa Hassell, last month just before their super feature show at Pictoplasma.

Hello, can you let the readers know a little more about what Inkygoodness is?

Inkygoodness is an art collective, founded by our passion for illustration and character design, developed during our degree courses and lots of trips to exhibitions and creative events over the last few years. The initiative started off as a small exhibition showing just our own work back in 2008, and quickly evolved into group shows with our friends and other like-minded creatives. We want to showcase new and emerging talent in this discipline alongside more established artists working in the field, offering a unique oppotunity for networking and collaboration, and allowing up and coming artists a platform to promote themselves from.

Can you explain the Character Totem project please and how it came about?

We were keen to do something a little bit different for the next Inkygoodness project. Pitching to Pictoplasma was our sole aim, but we knew we had to think outside the box to secure a spot on the Character Walk, one of the most prestigious gallery opportunities out there.

We had been talking about doing an installation for a while, but we weren’t sure what form it would take, other than customising objects, or cut-outs. We also wanted to create a show that would be fun to do, and of course incorporating character design, which is central to the Pictoplasma event. Pulling these elements together gave us the concept of the Character Totem.

Who will we be seeing at the show?

We are very fortunate to have met and befriended a wealth of talented artists and illustrators, many of whom have been involved with Inkygoodness at past events. Our background in illustration has really shaped the creative output of Inkygoodness and our understanding of the type of artists we want to work with. This year we are happy to be reunited with McBess, Felt Mistress and Good Wives & Warriors, Jason Devine, Toyfactory in addition to selection of up and coming artists such as Hannah Baber, Neil Keating and Liam Barrett.

Do you have any favourites?!

Oooh that’s a hard one as they are all so great! Liam Barrett’s piece is absolutely stunning, he’s a remarkable talent given his age. We love the plush Totem by Felt Mistress too. We can’t wait to unpack the Totems in Berlin and put the show together, its almost too hard to pick any in particular.

Our Colour Me Totem project has also attracted a wonderful selection of entries. We weren’t sure if it was really going to take off, but we’ve been very impressed with the standard of work so far and our favourites will be at the show!

Did you ever think that your projects would go international? It must be very exciting exhibiting in Berlin!

Absolutely, and incredibly exciting to be in this position. Hosting an international event has always been on our agenda – although, after just two years, it has come along a lot sooner than we could have hoped for! We’re thrilled to be exhibiting in Berlin, particularly as part of Pictoplasma – an event we’ve attended for the last 4 years. It’s an honor and a privilege to be rubbing shoulders with the best in the industry.

Berlin is such an eclectic and arty city especially from a creative perspective, we can’t wait to attend Pictoplasma and cant believe this year we are exhibiting!!

What is the next big plan after the Totem project?

That’s an interesting question! We’re open to new opportunities and collaborations that may present themselves after Pictoplasma – anything is possible. The last few years have been a lot of fun, we feel we have achieved a lot in a very short space of time, and our goal is to continue to work hard, build our reputation and eventually concentrate on Inkygoodness full time. We’re keen to diversify and try other avenues to showcase new talent, be it publishing, apparel or more events. We’re excited to see where the future takes us.

How can arty types found out more and get involved in your projects?

Our blog is a good place to start, we love blogging about projects we’re working on! We also feature artists from time to time, so its always worth sending in examples of work. Plus, we’re always happy receive submissions from interested artists & illustrators – we keep every e-mail submission on file and always make that our first point of call when we start a new project.

What next?

Travelling the world, organising bigger projects, it would be great to do something simillar to Pictoplasma in the UK even! We’re very keen to move into publishing later this year too – an Inkygoodness book would be amazing.

Check out all the events over on the Inkygoodness site and stay up to date with daily goings on their twitter and Facebook pages.

Tweet This Post