I wish I thought of that II

clockwork mouse unisex sweatshirt

            Huzzah I finally have a second one of these!

I came across Kathy and Eileen's work when I was selling a few illustrations at Electric Kitsch and had to try really hard not to spend all my money on their stuff! I ended up buying their fox tote bag and a turtle pillow as a gift for Will.

This might sound a little weird but there's a certain creepiness to some of Eileen and Kathy's illustrations and I mean that as a compliment; the reason why I bought the fox tote bag was because I liked how the fox looked a tad evil!

I e.mailed them a while ago and this is what they had to say, enjoy!

First off, tell us a bit about yourselves!

Hello, we are the two Co-Founders of Y.h Clothing, Cathy and Eileen, we are identical twins and are based in London. Y.h Clothing is a handcut and handprinted lino apparel brand, and its name is formed by our two Chinese names, Yin and Hing. Cathy loves colour and studied a BA in English Language and Communication at King's College London before getting back into art, and Eileen studied a BA in Illustration at Middlesex University and likes cleanliness and potatoes.

Have both of you always been interested in art and what prompted you to start your own brand?

We have both always loved art and drawing since we were little! Alongside Y.h Clothing, we're both respectively Freelance Illustrators (you can check out our Illustrations on our Facebook pages (www.facebook.com/CathyKwanIllustration and www.facebook.com/eileenkaihingkwanillustration). We are also members of The Drawn Chorus Collective (www.facebook.com/DrawnChorusCollective), where we have just finished a group exhibition called, 'The Greatest Show On Earth', showcasing illustrative re-imaginings of circuses, freak shows and fairs in Literature alongside many other talented Illustrators - we're now looking forward to our next show in Summer 2014!

Y.h Clothing was thought up over a charming cup of tea together. The idea was to create a handprinted brand that had a true handmade touch to each product. Unlike most handprinted apparel brands that screenprint their products, Y.h Clothing uses lino (or linoleum in full) printing. To those unfamiliar with lino printing, it's a printmaking technique where the design is cut into a plate of lino, and is then inked, and in our case, hand burnished and printed onto fabric (or paper). So when you buy something from Y.h, we can proudly say that each design is designed, illustrated, hand linocut and handprinted by us two Illustrators. 

Who or what inspires your artistic technique, brand and style?

Y.h Clothing aims to create peculiar and beautiful designs for individuals looking for something a little different. The design process is done together, so what inspires us respectively, inspires and affects the final designs. Bold shapes with fine lines. Strange yet beautiful subjects. 

Arthur Tote Bag

What are the main differences between both of your artistic styles? 

The indisputable main difference is the use of colour. On one hand, Cathy's art is bold and brazen with colour; and is inspired by all things retro, Japanese pop art and pop culture. On the other hand, Eileen's work is romantic yet inspired by things that scare her and is muted black and white pencil; she adores detail and fine lines. However, despite our styles being strikingly different, our work also carries subtle similarities; such as peculiar shapes and forms and lithe characters.

What advice would you give to anyone trying to start their own brand and to those looking to improve their artistic skills?

Spend time planning and developing your brand and product - what makes you special? Who is your target audience? Is your product something people would want? If it's handmade, how will you affordably produce stock? Etc. Don't rush things at the beginning. If you're working alongside a business partner, similar to us, then communication and compromise are very important - set targets and continuously check that you're both on the same page! And lastly, be ready and willing to overcome all kinds of obstacles. Y.h Clothing is still growing, but after several collections and with our recently launched, Autumn/Winter '13 Collection "Tick Tock Tick Tock" - which in both design and look has been our favourite collection so far - it's been a blast! (Please check it out www.yhclothing.co.uk)

For improving artistic skills, it sounds cliche, but practise practise practise. Draw for at least a few hours a day. Keep challenging yourself. Also, look for what interests you as a creative and as an individual; these can range from other artists, to music and hobbies. It all leads to what fine tunes and defines your own artistic style and identity.

Awesome Bear Christmas Decorations sold at a craft fair

Thanks so much to Cathy and Aileen, make sure you check out their Facebook and Twitter to see what they're up too!
I hope you love Y.H as much as I do!

What do I like?

First off, I'm on Bloglovin YAY!

One of my favourite Etsy shops is one called Wit and Whistle, I love the style and originality of it all, It's the sort of shop where I think "Dammit! I wish I thought of that!" But I didn't and I've thought of my own idea's that I'm really happy with, but you know, that said I have been a little bored of drawing all the same stuff recently and wanna think of some new ideas. I have come up with a few like 'Malcolm the Moustached Manatee',   'Hypno Penguin' and the 'Gentleman is nice to' illustrations and I'd like to think of more.

A Gentleman illustration that needs to be improved upon

I was creeping through the Wit and Whistle blog and noticed that Amanda (the lady behind it all) had been drawing plants around her house, now, I live in a shitty flat (in a wonderful location) with three boys and we're all students so lovely plants, or indeed anything lovely at all is not what you'd find here. I figured she must like plants at least so I decided to think about what I like, it's simple but a good place to start.  I think that's what's important when trying to be creative in any sort of sense, nothing will be original if the object you're drawing or the occasion you're writing about isn't personal to you in some sort of way. Originality is something that's really important to me, as much as I sometime's wish I had come up with another artists idea i'd never want to do anything dodgy and nick them or anything. I wouldn't even want to get TOO inspired by them (if that makes sense) as I want my illustrations to be completely my own, artists like Amanda inspire me to keep creating my own original style, so that maybe as time moves on and as I hopefully improve someone else will look at one of my illustrations and think 'I wish I thought of that!'

Holy Moley Congratulations card from Wit and Whistle
(I wish I thought of that!)

So... What do I like then?

Animals

This is an obvious one - specifically manatees, walruses, puppies, turtles, penguins bears and many more.

Giant pairs of pants

And I mean it. Top shop have been selling really awesome pants lately, like moomin ones and spacey type ones too that I just can't help but buy. I once accidentally bought a pair a few sizes too big and they were so. Damned. Comfortable.

Chocolate

A very stereotypically girlish choice, but i'm addicted. I was thinking I could incorporate this into an Easter card or illustration.

Tina Fey

WHY AM I NOT TINA FEY?

Baking

Cakes specifically, and cheesecakes... oh dear cravings hath begun!

Sunflowers

I'm not really a plant or flowery person but I do enjoy a sunflower, I think because they're big like my face. I tried drawing some last night but I wasn't particularly impressed with myself. But I will persevere.

Tree's

There are some really cool ones in Greenwich Park, which is just around the corner from me. I should really make the most of this whilst I'm still in London.


That's all I can think of at the moment and now I'm feeling inspired and hungry for cake. It's weird, this is the first time I've gone into a blog post feeling grumpy and felt much better afterwards specifically because of what I wrote.... so yeah, yay blogs!

I'm going to put a pretty dress on, go into central London and draw some pants.

A

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