Many Hands artist Sister Arrow raced around the illustration degree shows Rare, Mixed Special & Now What last Thursday night and found a few favourites. Over the next few days we will be featuring her best ones.

Charlotte Mei - http://charlottemei.com/

Such fantastically fun illustration from Charlotte on a delightful selection of ceramic plates, some cut into odd shapes that add even more personality and a really endearing aesthetic to her work. Deceptively cute, when you look deeper you feel there are darker layers to what she’s saying.

Aaron Ziggy Cook - http://cookaaron.blogspot.co.uk/

Employing subversive, fun and playful ideas, I have enjoyed Aaron’s blogposts for a while so it was good to see his final work at the show. Accomplished use of materials and technology makes for an excellent low brow humour / fine art finish contrast.

Grace Helmer - http://www.gracehelmer.co.uk/

Grace’s illustration is full of atmosphere and intrigue. Using expert tone, texture and confident brushstrokes, she makes links between science, circumstance and a kind of static eeriness in between. Viewing her painted and drawn images is an unsettling and interesting experience not to be missed.

Next up is Owen Gildersleeve on the joys of creative freedom and Chrissy Macdonald’s latest 3D ventures…

‘Let’s Do Brunch’ - Owen Gildersleeve / Giclee Print

Let’s Do Brunch is the first chance I’ve had to do personal work for ages, so it was nice being able to do something for myself rather than a client for a change. I also had fun exploring all the types of type!

‘Zoo Flask’ - Sister Arrow / Riso Print

I really like Sister Arrow’s Zoo Flask. Her colour palette is really nice and exciting, and I really like her line work and her print work in general. It’s really playful, with a nice overlay of colours and good compositions.

‘Collage Costume Studies’  - Chrissie Macdonald / Wood, Paper, Acrylic, Copper

Chrissie Macdonald’s wooden collage series (part of Peepshow collective). I’ve always been a big fan of Chrissie’s work, and I like how it’s moving in a new direction. Her earlier work was more paper cut, and now she’s using different materials and more abstract imagery. It’s more playful and experimental, with an interesting exploration of characters.

First up is Sister Arrow on her obsession with snuff bottles and fisherman…

‘China Snuff’ - Sister Arrow / Riso Print

I think, of my own work, I like China Snuff the best. Maybe it’s because it’s my newest, but I’m also obsessed with snuff bottles at the moment. It also involves an interesting combination of processes, because it’s a risograph print with two layers of screen print on top, one green and one pink gloss, which is really subtle. 

‘The Room’ - Ryan Todd (Silk Screen Print)

I love The Room by Ryan Todd, because the more you look at it the more you see, like the enormous light switch, and the leg in the window, and look, there’s a banana in the cabinet! It’s quite subversive and playful at the same time, plus it’s a great use of colour on a coloured paper background.

“Fishermen” (2012) - Matthew the Horse / Riso Print

Fisherman by Matthew the Horse (part of Pick Me Up Selects) is a beautiful example of Matthew’s ability to capture and recreate the character of humans. I’ve always loved his work, and I particularly like this piece because of the dimples and the idiosyncrasies of the people. When I was a little girl in Cornwall I always thought I’d marry a fisherman, because they’re hairy and they smoke pipes, plus I like the sea and I like fish, so I like it for that reason as well!