In the wake of news about a certain multinational corporation shamelessly stealing intellectual property from independent designers who weren’t “big enough” to matter, we were reminded of why it’s important to give artists our backing. So, we scoured the streets — or more so the digital lanes of Facebook and Instagram — for local imaginations worth following and getting to know. The result is an eclectic pick of illustrators and designers we think could very well be the next Jeepjeep, Wisut or Sundae Kids.
KHAE
Creator: “Khae” Pimkhae Kaewpusri
It was instant follow the minute we saw her illustration about friendship and leg hairs. If you love illustrators like Sundae Kids and Tuna Dunn who capture reality in comics so lovable they’ll get you laughing at the lemons life has dealt you, you need to add Khae to your feed. Although a newbie to the Facebook blogging community, this illustrator makes our list over dozens of skillful doodlers because she’s no copycat and has something interesting to say.
Interesting fact: When Khae first started her page, she was too cheap to invest in a digital pen and for a while used a regular mouse to make her illustrations. Girllll!
Follow at: http://fb.com/mspimkhae, ig@mspimkhae.
JULI BAKER AND SUMMER
Creator: “Phaan” Chanaradee Chatrakul Na Ayudhya
Her style is the antithesis of precision and austerity and is everything society needs right now. Inspired by what she calls “naive art”, or art that involves no rules or technical skill, Juli Baker and Summer’s works thrive on carefree strokes and a madness of colour. Behind the moniker is a fresh art grad named Phaan, who’s been keeping busy since finishing school. Not only is she a fulltime fashion and film columnist now, she’s been doing artworks for brands like Noe & Zoe, the album art for Plastic Plastic’s Stay At Home, and most recently painted a mural on The Hub Saidek foundation near Hualamphong. If you’d like to own a little Juli Baker and Summer, she’s got a regular collection of stickers, postcards and tees for sale on Facebook.
Interesting fact: Beatlemania is alive and well in this 22-year-old (as if we couldn’t already tell). She may or may not have nicked a rock from Ringo Starr’s house to keep as memorabilia…
Follow at: http://julibakerandsummer.wordpress.com, http://fb.com/julibakerandsummer, ig@julibakerandsummer.
NEW YEAR
Creator: “New Year” Paphakorn Srikunrayakorn
New Year is a chronic doodler who lets us in on exactly what her mind is thinking when she looks at random, everyday objects. She’ll show you, for instance, how rubber bands can become a worm, a stapler can turn into a weird pun and how street food can resemble a hat by adding just a few simple lines. Her Instagram is full of many other delights, such as abstract characters doing abstract things, like phone yoga or petting a spiky animal out of love. If you can’t get enough of her quirky vibes, you can sacrifice your lunch money to own her original Line stickers “hey dude” or real stickies to go crazy with on all your belongings.
Interesting fact: The longest she’s gone without drawing is three days, accidentally ending the self-induced challenge by doodling on a restaurant napkin. Whoops.
Follow at: http://fb.com/nywoody, ig@newyear6, ig@thepostmanshop (sticker shop).
STEREOTYPE
Creator: “Chon” Chonlatee Aitzaratanazit
Stereotype is an independent clothing shop that specialises in original embroidered tees designed by the owner, Chon, who works in production — making MVs and commercials, that sort of thing. We first encountered his apparels at JJ, immediately throwing ourselves at a Ziggy Stardust homage no fan of Bowie should be able to resist. Admittedly, Chon’s shirt designs are quite the catch for any stereotypical hipster. If you feel like you’ve just been called out, take note that Stereotype is making a full transition to online by the end of this month, after having been in the weekend market circuit since 2009.
Interesting fact: The name Stereotype was chosen somewhat ironically as the designer behind the brand has a disdain for cookie-cutter ideas.
Follow at: http://fb.com/stereotypebangkok, ig@stereotypebangkok.
MM.
Creator: “MM.” Natnaree Kosum
You may have seen this design student’s hand drawn work last year at Speedy Grandchild, in a solo exhibition titled “Cigarette Butt That Washed Off By The Tide”. Since then, MM. has been messing around with screen printing, recently coming out with a batch of nattou (Japanese fermented soybean) and gyoza prints Japan-lovers never knew they needed. While she likes to switch up her choice of medium, MM.’s work has a few staying quirks, such as a love for contemporary Japanese culture, thick black ink and an unmistakable hint of personal story.
Interesting fact: MM. has a fear of speaking on microphones because she’s quite terrified of the sound of her own voice. You’re not alone, MM., you’re not alone.
Follow at: http://fb.com/mmmm.kosum.
MR. LEMON HEAD
Creator: “June” Satida Hatthakitchumroen
If your clothes are in desperate need of a personality tune-up, perhaps all you need is a little patch or a few from Mr. Lemon Head. You can find these charming iron-on embroideries at the Happening Shop at the BACC or on Instagram and Facebook. They go so ideally with denim, plain cotton shirts and all those canvas tote bags you keep on collecting. But be warned: it’s difficult to stop at just one. At least five sounds about right. Or ten. You can get them in presets or pick and choose to tell your own story. That’s ultimately what’s so great about this design concept — it’s both a finished product and the starting point of your creativity. #weseewhatyoudidthere, Mr. Lemon Head.
Interesting fact: Though her alias is Mr. Lemon Head, June loves pine cones. A lot.
Follow at: http://fb.com/misterlemonhead, ig@misterlemonhead.
CALIIICO
Creator: “Tor” Thossaporn Chuatong
When we first found Caliiico’s works as postcards, he proved that touristy things didn’t have to be tacky. The artist, Tor, draws Thailand rather the way locals see it everyday, which is truly a treat for residents as much as tourists. Not to mention that the artist’s smooth watercolour style of digital art is one we admire and enviously wished we had. Besides societal portrayals, Caliiico’s works often centre around adorable animal characters, especially Baitarn the calico cat and Jumper the black dog — the artist’s own pets. There’s no question you’ll be smitten if you’re a cat-person or a dog-person, but even if you aren’t, Caliiico has a way of making these characters grow on you. His merch is available in several boutiques around town, including BACC, JJ and Asiatique. You can find the full list of outlets on his website.
Interesting fact: Despite his love for cats and having a kitty at home, Tor’s allergic to cats.
Follow at: http://caliiico.com, http://fb.com/caliiicosketch, http://thossapornch.tumblr.com.
GAME: Now that you know a little bit about each of these illustrators, can you identify whose work is which on the 1st picture?
This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.