MEET THE MAKERS: STENGUN DRAWINGS
One of our favourite things about this industry is getting to work with so many creative people and companies. When we first saw their amazing botanical prints we were instantly hooked and couldn’t wait to get them in stock!
Designed and curated by husband and wife team Brett and Caroline in their East London studio. Stengun Drawings combines a love of natural beauty and modernist culture. Everything they create is inspired by observing the world around them.
Their designs represent everything we love about nature. From bold and verdant tropical leaves to incredibly detailed and striking floral arrangements, they manage to capture the essence of each plant and flower they draw.
They’re also a no-plastic company, with all products and packaging 100% biodegradable. What’s not to love?
We have had the pleasure of working with them on an exclusive card design, which is available in store (and just in time for Mother’s Day!!)
To celebrate the launch, we caught up with Caroline and Brett to find about more about Stengun Drawings and their stunning designs.
Tell us a bit about what inspired you to start Stengun Drawings?
Stengun Drawings actually started as a little hobby of mine (Caroline). My full time job had reduced my working week from 5 days to 4 days so I had extra day (oh the days with no kids) to take up a hobby. I did a bit of cooking unsuccessfully but then I started to drawing which was a childhood passion. I then started an instagram page and posted my drawings and started to receive really lovely feedback. These drawings then developed into greeting cards and I started selling them locally in Leyton. It started to become a real thing in 2018 when Brett became a part of SD and pushed it to another level.
We're so excited to have your work in stock! Your prints are beautiful. Tell us a bit about the process behind the design?
We're so excited to have our cards in your store. Seriously you have been on our stockist Wishlist for a few years (ahhh thanks guys!!). Grace & Thorn very kindly sent us one of their floral arrangements and we then photograph it and then photograph each individual stem. I then paint those stems from those photographs. Brett then pulls all of these individual stems together in photoshop to recreate the original arrangement. For our florist collaborations we add the house colour as the background
It wouldn't be a Grace & Thorn interview without us asking what's your favourite plant/flower to work with in your designs, and why?
I love painting very delicate grasses. We have a lot of grasses in our garden and I just love the way they move in the wind. I'm not sure this would be Brett's favourite to work with in photoshop as grasses are the most intricate and delicate shape to cut out.
We love that you are plastic free as a company, do you have any top tips for anyone trying to reduce their plastic use at home or work?
We're very passionate about being plastic free. It was quite tricky to find biodegradable cello bags back in the day but now they are so readily available and some stores sell their cards naked of any sticker, cello or belly band.
We can't rave enough about plastic free sellotape and have been using it when wrapping presents with our newly launched gift wrap.
I see you are East London locals too! We always love to hear about any favourite East Londons spots and recommendations you might have?
We love East London and have lived in Bow, Hackney, Leyton and now Walthamstow. We are big coffee drinkers and our local cafe Dudley's is well worth the journey to Wood St E17. We love discovering little gardens and our most recent discovery is a cute secret garden to sit and relax which is part of Hackney City Farm. SlowBurn is our favourite place to eat. We love that is started as a lockdown takeaway service and now it can be tricky to get a booking at their space in Blackhorse Road Ateliers.
You can get yourself some beaut Stengun Drawings greeting cards and wrapping paper from our Hackney store!
To see more of their stunning work give them a follow on Instagram @stengun_drawings.