For our Christmas windows this year, we’ve teamed up with Alice, a local Brighton artist who’s been dazzling the UK with her murals and displays. Alice is a multidisciplinary designer who, like us at Papersmiths, loves colour. Her work spans illustration, animation, and beyond, creating stunning murals, graphics, and posters for brands big and small.
We couldn’t resist her playful block colour designs and had to have our very own Papersmiths Santa in the mix, bringing you stationery for the season. To see Alice’s festive, hand-painted murals up close, drop by our Brighton and Chelsea shops, and find out more about her work in our interview below.
We love how you came up with the colours, design and personality of our santa mural. The details and fun elements bring it all together. How do you come up with your ideas and where do you draw inspiration from when starting a new project?
My work is really multidisciplinary, I work across murals, animation and illustration, so my starting points depend on where I intend the work to go. But ultimately, I’m really inspired by colour and shape. I’m constantly observing everything and looking to find the beauty in it. I love to focus on the smaller moments of daily life - objects, food, travelling, architecture, people. I don’t try and reflect what I see, I try to reflect the feeling it gives me. I find pulling inspiration from these things so helpful for making the mundane moments enjoyable and exciting.
It's fantastic that you're so passionate about what you do, and you can tell how much it's a part of your daily life in how you are inspired. How did you turn your passion into a career?
I’ve drawn and painted my whole life, and when I was younger I studied art and photography, and then went on to study Filmmaking at university. Storytelling and visual communication is always at the core of what I do. After university I did a mix of freelance film / photography and graphic design and it slowly transitioned into the world of animation and art.
We love your use of colour in your designs. I'm interested to know more about how you pick out colour palettes. How do you approach colour in your work?
Choosing colour palettes is an intuitive process for me, that I absolutely adore! It's a huge part of my work process, especially with murals. I guess it's as though colours talk to each other - how does one make the other feel. For me, choosing a palette is all about finding balance and harmony, then choosing a couple of colours that disrupt that flow - having bursts of colours to offset the palette actually enhances how colours compliment each other.
You've used paint for the mural, but you designed it digitally. Is this the way you usually work? What’s your favourite medium to work with?
It’s tricky to answer this because I find the variation in my work so important. I love animating and making things move, yet I absolutely adore large scale works, murals and painting. I’d say over the past year my craving for doing more painting in my personal work, and moving away from digital art has become pretty big! My goal for 2025 is to paint more and hopefully get more into the world of 3D. I love seeing my work big, and considering the space it occupies, and the way people can interact with it. So more murals and installations hopefully!
We love a 3D space! Is your favourite artwork a big installation? What’s your favourite artwork you’ve made and why?
2 pieces of my work, (that I really hope to make more of) were these giant, abstract, never-ending floor puzzles. One was for an interactive exhibition at the Cheltenham Gallery, and the other was for a Children’s Theatre workshop (Infinite Jest). These puzzles are huge, and seeing both adults and children loving to create visual creatures and shapes on the floor was just so gratifying. Additionally, my 200ft Mural for Green Man festival 2024 was just so fun, and it’s definitely my favourite mural to date!
What’s your advice to people wanting to work in your field?
Share the work you want to get hired for! If you’re not making art you’re excited about making, move on and try something new. Having a strict visual identity can be great - if you’re happy with it, but let yourself feel free to experiment - trying new things will lead you to where you need to be.
Now back to the festivities! What’s your favourite thing about Christmas?
A pretty basic answer but simply my family, food and wine!
and lastly, but importantly, If you could choose one stationery item at Papersmiths what would it be?
Definitely a yearly calendar! I’m a total nerd for organisation and planning and to do lists!
You can visit Alice's murals at our stores here, or head to her instagram here to explore more of her work.
