A visual pop culture event that takes place throughout Birmingham
For one day only we took over a section of the beautiful church of St Martin in the Bullring for a special Illustration and Art Fair. 30 artists, illustrators and crafters sold their wares and we held a selection of well-attended free workshops where people were invited to learn something new and make something to take home. … Read more Illustration & Art Fair
For 11 we opened an Eye Candy pop up store inside the beautiful Great Western Arcade in Birmingham City Centre where we sold limited edition prints and items from some of our favourite artists. We also hosted the following workshops Workshops Wed 28th Sept -Make a plastic Monkey Man with Frilly Thu 29th Sept -Clay decorations … Read more Pop Up Store
This year’s event took place in Birmingham City Centre venues during mid September to late October. Eye Candy pop-up store, Great Western Arcade – 28/09-8/10 The pop-up will be open from the 28th September until the 8th October. We’ll be hosting workshops and masterclasses inside the space as well as selling limited edition artworks and prints … Read more Timetable
What first got you into visual arts?
Art was one of my favourite subjects at school, so after my A levels I decided to do a foundation course. This was where I really got into illustration. Meeting new people on the course and sharing ideas in the studio allowed me to learn about so many great artists and illustrators, who I still admire now. Read more
How did you develop your style?
My style pretty much comes from any cartoons from the past 20 years, I’ve always watched them and tried to draw my own versions so I think that’s all fed into my current style. Read more
What first got you into visual arts?
I’ve always loved drawing when I was a kid and spent ages drawing my own fantastical beasts – I believe some of them even roam the depths of my family home still. It wasn’t until I had to chose my A-Levels that I knew I had to pursue the creative industry, I wasn’t even particularly fussed what discipline to follow at that point, all I knew was that I enjoyed it and that I had copious amounts of teenage angst against my father’s strong expectations of me becoming a doctor/lawyer/politician. The rest as they say, is history. Read more
How does living in London influence your image making?
Living and working in London is great! I find the large amount and diversity of museums here hugely inspiring. A lot of the ideas for my work come from drawings made in museums in London.
I also love drawing musicians playing gigs, especially jazz. There is a decent amount of good jazz bars and clubs in London with regular jazz sessions and jams, so it’s always pretty easy to find somewhere exciting to draw. Drawing to live music helps me loosen up and capture more energy in my work.
There is a lot of travelling involved with living in London, which is a great time to draw or plan new work. I always have a sketchbook at hand whilst sitting on the tube or bus, usually drawing the other commuters. Read more
We have put together 21 opportunities for you to get involved in making, crafting and doing with Eye Candy this year. We’ve chosen our favourite artists to run a host of fun and exciting workshops and NOW you can see what we have got. Take a look at the TIMETABLE page to see more info.
Are you an artist, illustrator, designer, maker or jeweller who makes items to sell? Then we’d like to hear from you.
We’re curating a 10 day pop up for this years Eye Candy event in Birmingham and looking for beautiful items to sell in our store. Ideally items will be limited runs and designed by you, a collective or duo but can come from anywhere in the UK. Read more
