#finnkidd

How would you describe your creative work?

Colourful. Curious. I take inspiration from things I see around me, mostly when I am out walking. A bright yellow bench will make me smile, or a street with a funny name, or when the construction workers close to where I live all go on their lunch break and all of sudden the park is full of bright orange overalls. And I like to incorporate that same kind of feeling in the work I do. A quirkiness. Something a little surprising, that makes you smile, and think.

What originally appealed to you about studying at The Cass?

The “get your hands dirty” kind of vibe I got from the place. Like it wasn’t a place where anything was too precious, but rather encouraged the DIY and the experimental.  

How has your experience at The Cass helped you achieve your goals?

The Cass is full of great tutors that notice what you’re good at, and try to both encourage that and challenge it. And I think this has helped me a lot in becoming more confident in what I want for the future. I’ve learnt to always have an answer to the “why” and to never stop at idea one.

Tell us about your recent projects?

Well, over the last few months I have been collaborating with Finn Kidd on a couple of projects, most recently the poster series/ leaflet for The Cass HotHouse, which has been really fun. We have some more collaborations with The Cass coming up as well.

What are you working on now/next?

Freelancing! And working on self initiated projects on the side. I am also looking forward to having my work published this December in Surface Design Journal, so keep an eye out for that! Then, you know, next step is to get rich and famous I guess.

Check out Lisa’s website here: lisawallius.com 

In a series of blogs we explore recent graduates and their work during and after their time at Cass. In our forth instalment we talk to Finn Kidd, a recent graduate who references everything from science, animals, music and popular culture in his often vibrant and individual style of illustration. We caught up with Finn to find out what he’s doing since he graduated: 

How would you describe your creative work?

Something along the lines of colourful, light-flooded illustration situated in narrative and research.

What originally appealed to you about studying at The Cass?

It just looked like a really good course. I knew a lot of people who had studied at other institutions and had a bad time, so it made sense to try somewhere outside of that apparent norm, and it turned out to be a great choice. The Cass also has a great history, with its foundations in the development of education in east London.

How has your experience at The Cass helped you achieve your goals?

My main aim in studying at a university level was to gain confidence in my illustration work and have the contextual, and critical framework to be able to backup my thoughts and ideas. Both of which I feel I have been able to  achieve through my studies here. This is really all down to the great tutors and technicians. They are all great! 

Tell us about your recent projects?

Since graduating in May I have been lucky enough to have a healthy handful of commissions to keep me busy. A highlight would have to be working with ​‘Tatty Devine’​ for their autumn/winter collection ‘Liminal Fantasy’. Which you can see over on their site in the shape of an online storybook. There’s also a bunch of other projects which myself and Lisa Wallius have worked on under the umbrella of our studio – ​‘Fancy Cats’.​ One of which is this years Cass Hothouse talks poster and leaflet series (above). The others are yet to be reveiled...

What are you working on now/next?

Right now I am in the first few weeks of my masters in Illustration and Visual Media at L.C.C. Which is pretty exciting! I’m also working as the Hothouse Riso technician, so settling into that and getting it all up and running. Next? Nothing is set in stone yet but hopefully big plans!

You can find Finn’s instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/finnnkiddd/