artist interview – inkling prints…

SWOON!!  We have all fallen in love with etsy great Inkling Prints.  Designer Kiran was kind enough to give us the scoop on what inspires her, where she’s been, and where she going…

Hi, I’m Kiran and I started Inkling Prints in July last year. I used to spend time doodling in my sketch books, not knowing what to do with my doodles. Then one day, I was browsing through Amazon and I came across a book by Lotta Jansdotter. I ordered it immediately! It arrived one beautiful spring morning. I was sat on the sofa, by the window, with the sun streaming in and I was totally inspired to create my own hand printed items. After months of researching and experimenting with different paints and fabrics, I finally opened my Etsy shop in November 2009.

what three to five words would you use to describe your work?
bold, colourful, simple

what inspires you?
I was born and lived in Singapore til 5 years ago when I moved to England. The colours, the vibrancy, the intricacy and detail that you find in almost everything there has inspired me. After moving to England, I realised I was also very much drawn to nature. I love looking at all the different flowers, plants and trees. And then waiting eagerly in winter for spring when everything is fresh, green and colourful again.
what was your first job? when/how did you know you wanted a career in art?
My first job was as a graphic/product designer at a shop designing stationary for children. We had a little office at the back of the shop and I designed all sorts of things from posters to t-shirts to trimmers to hang on walls. It was good fun as I also got to meet my young customers sometimes.
My late dad used to draw with me. He very much encouraged and supported me throughout art school, staying up late with me to finish off projects, encouraging me and believing that I could do it.

finish this sentence. I could eat___ all day.
waffles with ice-cream

design books/blogs you can’t live without
Books: Lotta Jansdotter -  How to Print with Anything and Lena Corwin – Printing by Hand
Blogs: http://jezzeblog.blogspot.com/ and http://camillaengman.blogspot.com/

what do you do when you are not doing art?
I’m running around the house chasing my 2 year old daughter Jill, with my one hand pulling my hair out, the other hand trying to grab her and screaming ‘Nooooo!!’, all at the the same time and finally tripping over the dog and falling.

name one thing about you that would shock the outside world.
When I was young, I found a can in my dad’s tools cupboard. It had a cute elephant on it. I went into the cupboard, shut the door, opened the can and found this yellow gooo in it. I sniffed it. Wow! I was caught by my parents and warned, never to sniff glue again. I was only 7. So, I wasn’t punished. Maybe that’s why my brain is slightly messed up now – I’m so totally disorganised!

finish this sentence. If I could time travel, I would arrive…
In the 1940’s to meet my husband’s grandmother Tirzah Ravilious, who was a brilliant artist. Her husband was a war artist and she had to cope with being a mum to 3 kids. But she also produced such beautiful art in her short lifetime. I’d like to know what inspired her.

what’s next?
New designs. Prints on paper. New studio space. Hopefully, somewhere which will give me enough space to print and lots of space to store my products. In the meanwhile, I am trying to
concentrate on photographing all my work and also launching my own website.