93_Art Source.qxp_49/51 22/05/2024 16:20 Page 1
Art Source
Back to Black
With a ‘starter’ of super creative ‘Tomato Soup Saturdays’ with her Dad and three sisters as a child, Helen Black was destined for a ‘main course’ of artistry in her working life. Here the Brighton-based surface pattern designer and illustrator shares her life, loves and inspirations.
“Growing up my Mum often worked in the family hotel on Saturdays so it was my art teacher Dad who looked after us four girls at the weekend. We’d have tomato soup and Dad would provide us with drawing materials, paints and clay. We would all sit at our large, white, round table and spend hours drawing, colouring-in and creating so it was a fairly sure bet that we would all grow up to be artistic. My school art teacher Miss McGrenery was a joy and really inspired my art journey as did my Dad, who is still an artist. I went to Blackpool Art College then attended Birmingham Polytechnic (the days before it became a university) where I studied printed textiles. During holidays I would work in London Print studios which helped my path when moving to London. My first job was with a textile converter hand-painting tiny floral patterns for high street fashion stores such as Miss Selfridge, Top Shop and River Island. It was here that I met Andrea, a fellow designer, and we decided to go into business together selling prints and surface patterns to anyone who would buy them. I began to realise though that I needed to learn how to use a computer at some point as I could see this was the future so my next move was to work in retail for a supplier to Marks & Spencer, designing prints for women’s and girls’ underwear and eventually men’s underwear! I also worked for BHS and Kickers before joining a studio designing for fashion graphics. Redundancy forced my hand into becoming a freelance designer and after winning a design competition set by Tigerprint, doors started to open for me. During this time, in common with so many creative people, I suffered self-doubt about my work and style. However, appearing in the Print & Pattern Nature book helped my confidence to grow and develop my style. Above left: Bright and bold works well for Helen too. Left: Another different style from Helen.
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Far left: Helen Black. Above: This design echoes the days when Helen was hand-painting flora designs for Miss Selfridge, Top Shop and River Island. Left: A contemporary Christmas design. Below: Helen is happy creating pretty pastel designs.
Over the years my style has evolved into something which I hope gives people a little joy. I tell people that “I colour-in for a living” which is basically true. I paint with black ink and ink pens to create lots of patterns, texture and shapes then I scan these in and use Illustrator to piece it all together, not always knowing how things will turn out. I usually have a vague idea of where I want an idea to go, but sometimes happy mistakes happen. My inspiration can come from all sorts of things, but I am often inspired by illustrators from the 60s and 70s, maybe because it reminds me of those ‘Tomato Soup Saturdays’ of my childhood. I adore the work of John Alcorn, Alice and Martin Provensen, Jerome Snyder and Brian Wildsmith and there are so many modern illustrators who inspire me too. Swimming in an outdoor pool, here in my home town of Brighton is amazing for days when you need to have a think about designs and long walks along the coast help too. I have learned over the years not to compare myself to others and to be happy in what I create. You have to be yourself and enjoy the process, that’s what people can feel in your work, I think. Since freelancing I have worked with many wonderful companies on all sorts of products from party tableware to jigsaws and am excited about future collaborations. It’s always a joy seeing your designs in store, as the end goal is to make people happy. The icing on the design cake is having Hannah Curtis, from my agency Creative Sparrow, supporting my creativity, finding me wonderful briefs to work on and in general bringing out the best in me. I’m so lucky to have the career I have and I look forward to, hopefully, giving people a bit more joy in the future through my work.” l Helen Black is represented by Creative Sparrow.
If you are an artist, photographer or verse writer and would like to be considered to appear in Art Source, please contact PG’s Jakki Brown on jakkib@max-publishing.co.uk. This is an editorial feature and as such is free of charge. PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE 93