Hijack starts Saturday! Yippee

Hey Brighton from Sat 25 May to Sun 2 June 2013 you're in for a serious treat :o)

This year’s Brighton Fringe will be taken over by children and families for Hijack Family Fringe. Hijack is a specially curated programme of shows and events just for the kids aged 2-12... and their families of course ;) All the events take place in the heart of Brighton at venues including Komedia, Dukes @ Komedia, the Jubilee Library and even a secret Park location!  It's guaranteed to be great fun and tickets for all events are available to buy online at: Komedia or Brighton Fringe.

We were lucky enough to work with Emily and the Hijack team on their brand new smiley logo whilst producing their printed marketing materials (these can be spotted all around Brighton) and we're so excited to finally see all the events kick start this weekend.

There's definitely something for everyone... including having a right laugh with Hijack Comedy, watching amazing awesome films such as Labyrinth with David Bowie at Hijack Film, getting all gadgety with Hijack Tech, building the ultimate den at Hijack the Park and much much more... Here's a quick run down of our favorite things to look forward too :o)

The Incredible Book Eating Boy

25 May, 26 May

Hijack Family Fringe takes over Jubilee Library! 
Bootworks Theatre invites one child and accompanying adult on a whirlwind adventure with Henry. Henry loved books, but not like you and I love books…he loved to EAT books. This exciting theatre adaptation of Oliver Jeffers’ award-winning children’s book by Bootworks Theatre follows the story of a boy with a voracious appetite for books.

If Henry isn’t great enough on his own on 25^th May there will also be The Incredible Book Making Workshop 

Ets Beest

31 May

A great show for 2-4 year olds. Ets-beest is a performance for and with an early-year’s audience. It takes place around and across a large sheet of paper and literally translates as ‘etching beast’. The show is a coming together of dance, drawing and music where the boundaries between the young audience and performers blur.

Hijack Film

Labyrinth [U] with the legendary David Bowie
28 May (showing at 2pm)

Kirikou and the Sorceress [U]
30 May (showing at 2pm)

Hijack Comedy
25 and 26 May

Hijack Family Fringe brings you the funniest stand-up comedians on the circuit. Brighton’s favourite improv troupe The Noise Next Door will rip up a storm on Komedia stage with a perfectly formed show for the youngest comedy fans.

Hijack Tech
29 May

Unplug your kids as Hijack Family Fringe goes digital! With help from Brighton’s most exciting creative technologists, Hijack Digital gives your kids the chance to discover the insides of technology. Digital specialists and children take over Komedia in a series of hands-on workshops.

And there's even more... as Hijack the Park will take over a secret location where kids from 4+ can build a den and listen to stories by Spymonkey’s Petra Massey. Look out for the location nearer the event.

If you're looking for lots of fun and original activities in Brighton May 25 - June 2 then pop over to hijackhq.com for all the information and don't miss out on booking your place at any of these family events. To book now visit Komedia or Brighton Fringe. :o)

AT Open House

We're excited to be lucky enough to have been invited back to AT Open House this May! If you're not from Brighton, Artists Open Houses is a festival that runs throughout May and for 3 weeks in November-December. Each weekend of the festival people open their own homes up as gallery spaces. AT Open House is at 42 Hendon Street in Kemp Town and is run by the very lovely April and Tim and their home is BEAUTIFUL! (honestly, it is pretty much my dream house!) They also have fantastic taste in very diverse art and design. Here is a peek at a little of what you can expect from the house...




We were VERY excited to hear that Claire Scully was joining the AT line up this time around! We have followed her work online for ages but it is amazing to see it in the flesh. These pictures really don't do them enough justice! The detail is INSANE. There is a particular BIG owl print (not pictured here) that you will see first on entering the house and I'm completely in love with it...


One of our favourite Brighton printmakers Snorkus is also at AT Open House, her work is so happy and colourful, right up our street! You can also find fantastic hand stitched toys in vintage fabrics by Snorkus is the house.


Superduper typographer Delicious Industries returns to AT with some great new linocut prints...VERY tempted by these!


Natalie Martin is an incredible painter, I particularly love her pieces which depict everyday urban spaces such as these two.

Mr Wingate has a studio in East London and produces beautiful architectural inspired screenprinted tea towels, cushions and this amazing Big Ben clock!

Dead Methods produces awesome letterpress work as well as these gorgeous intricate screenprints (above).

Graphic collective Best also return to AT Open House with some awesome new work, LOVE this bat screenprint by Hiroshi!
This is just a teeny tiny taster of the fantastic work being shown at AT Open House this month...and we haven't even mentioned the unbelievable cake!!! Pop along next weekend and you'll find us there too! We also have ALL of our new work (plus new totes!) available :o)

EPIC PICK ME UP 2013 BLOGPOST!

Have we already mentioned how much we LOVE Pick Me Up? No?! This year was the fourth time the show has run at Somerset House in London and also our fourth annual visit....and quite possible the BIGGEST AND BEST PICK ME UP SO FAR! If you're unfamiliar, Pick Me Up is a graphic arts festival which runs for 2 weeks each year and showcases the most incredible design and illustration work by individuals and collectives. Also as I said in my previous post, Pick Me Up is also one of the main catalysts which caused us to start working together, teach ourselves to screenprint and create hello DODO! So it definitely has a special place in our hearts. But I shall stop talking and get to the pictures as I took about a billion (took HOURS to edit them!) I tried REALLy hard to make notes of all of the artist's names but if I have missed any that you want to know about just ask and I'll try to figure it out! We'll start off with the Pick Me Up Selects which is the first section of the show where up and coming individual talent is showcased...

The first thing you see when you walk in is Brighton graduate Tom Edwards's wild and domestic cats!

MaricorMaricar's stitched illustrations made us giggle! They are twins from Sydney, Australia.

Daniel Frost was one of our ULTIMATE faves! We really loved his colours and there was so much going on in what at first appear to be quite simple paintings. His miniatures were also AWESOME...

More Daniel Frost (above)

Even more Daniel Frost (above again)


LOVED this jungle scene from Ping Zhu!

Playful work by Jean Jullien

Gorgeous magical illustrations by You Byun

Crazy bright graphic work (and Eighties toys!) from Rob Flowers

A (very) naughty and totally mesmerising Kama Sutra Alphabet by one of our favourite designers and printmakers Malika Favre. Smitten!

Malika Favre close up!

Another of our most favourite of faves was the work by Sarah Vanbelle - LOVE LOVE LOVE!!


You might recognise the work of Malarky if you've ever walked around East London when the shops have their shutters down...


This stunning screenprint (yep it's a screenprint!) is by Stuart Patience


Yummy neon by Anna Lomax

William Goldsmith - love the tortoise!

Was surprising but nice to see Lazy Oaf!

Crazy things happening in the Print Club London room

Day Job was one of our favourite collectives! LOVELY work!

Risograph goodness from Day Job

Pick Me Up regulars Nelly Duff

UNBELIEVABLE three colour screenprint in the Nelly Duff room....these vase prints were HUGE.

Fatherless Print Posse were doing live screenprinting of CRAZY layered design!




All sorts of things you can get involved with at Pick Me Up!


Brothers of the Stripe collective - love this by Will Scobie

LOVE the Handsome Frank room! Soooooo varied and amazing. Sarah Maycock's HUGE dog watercolours were somehow amazingly simple and crazily lifelike at the same time. She was also one of our faves from last years Pick Me Up selects.


More magic from Malika Favre in the Handsome Frank room (above)
ARE YOU STILL WITH ME?! Honestly, this is the WELL edited version...
We were SOOOOOO excited that Brighton's very own Unlimited Edition's had their own space this year and it was AWESOME! It was also nice as so many of the artists they represent are our faves...

Imeus Design (above two screenprints) is one of our heroes!

More fabulous and familiar screenprinters in the Unlimited room - Popcorny and Hello Marine.
Every year at Pick Me Up the Soma Gallery space blows our minds and this year was no exception! Plus another chance to see even more of our favourite screenprinters - Peskimo (top left design) who we adore and a firm fave of ours Hazel Nicholls who is new to Soma (bottom two prints). We also giggled a lot at Nicholas John Frith's 'Who you calling Platy-Pussy?"

 Ok! I'm forcing myself to stop cos I'm going a bit cross-eyed! But seriously, this is barely even HALF of the awesomeness that is Pick Me Up! If you haven't been able to visit this year (it ends Sunday) then DEFINITELY put it in your diary for next year!!!

 *collapses*