Vibrating with skittish Bambi-esque energy, Molly Fairhurst’s new A2 poster for Elephant Kiosk is a slice of cartoonish pleasure. You’d almost swear that the herd of deer it depicts will bolt for cover the instant you take your eyes off them.
“I began drawing deer, and was trying to draw them in different styles. Regardless, they made a herd”
“It was just a playful exercise,” says Fairhurst. “Idly drawing in my sketchbook, I began drawing deer, and was trying to draw them in different styles. Regardless, they made a herd.” Inspired by the restricted colour palate and print processes of vintage books, she set out to create something deliberately simple in style. “I like to restrict myself, it’s a challenge and stylistically I prefer it too,” she explains. “I typically use small amounts of colour so I can think more about form and texture.”
From Yorkshire but now based in Bristol, Fairhurst is part of the Small Fry Collective partnering with the Association of Illustrators and Elephant Academy on various workshops and events for creatives. She also has a background in animation, which comes as no surprise when looking at this print (it really does feel as if it could come to life at any moment). “I have recently finished a short personal experiment animation, Blue Loop Film, which was exhibited locally with the group Out The Window in Bristol,” she tells us. You can find it here.
