We are very excited to reveal our first collaboration with Intangible Objects, also known as Illustrator Lydia Hignett. To mark the launch of the collection, we caught up with the Wirral based Artist about her inspirations and plans for 2022.
Q. Did you always want to be an illustrator, and who and what were your early inspirations?
A. I haven't always wanted to be an illustrator, but I have always been interested in Art, and had many crafty phases such as sewing, knitting and origami. I think my main influence as a kid was Anime, mainly studio Ghibli films like spirited away, I would to sit and draw the characters as i watched the films. I also used to sit for hours and make little digital flipnotes on an app on my Nintendo DS called flipnote hatena, which got me even more interested in drawing as well as animation.
From then on I just kept drawing and doodling, and doing a fine art A level led me to do illustration at uni rather than fine art, because it just made me realise how much i was bored by recreating an image realistically, it’s just so much more fun and original to just take the essence of something and turn it into something less literal, I feel like illustration is more broad and creatively freeing.
Q. You are often asked to commission murals, what building would you like to see your work on?
A. I absolutely love doing murals, being able to see my creation on such a large scale gives it a massive audience impact rather than just on Instagram. I’m not sure about specific buildings, but i think i just want to be able to get bigger and bigger with my murals, and even get some in places other than Liverpool, another country would be cool. I’m yet to do a large outdoor mural on the side of a building, I think thats my next goal.
Q. Is this your first fashion collaboration, and how do you feel about people wearing your art?
I have worked on textiles before and its something I plan to do more of. I love seeing people wearing my art. I also think it’s a great way of getting people investing in creative independents , because I think many people want something more tangible and applicable to their life as something they can use or wear rather than just buying a print to hang on a wall.
Q. Travel is getting easier, where will you go to feel inspired?
A. I plan on travelling as much as I can this year, it is one of my New Years resolutions. I don’t travel enough of considering how much joy it brings me! I would love to go Berlin and back to Amsterdam, I haven’t been since becoming an illustrator so it will be interesting to go back and have a new viewpoint on all the street art and inspiration, maybe even do some drawing, and food!
Where is top of my bucket list? Japan.