I came across Niki Pilkington about a year ago. Her quirky, bright and breezy illustrative style popped out at me & I knew I had to get in touch for a chat. What struck me about Niki is her passion for style, design and colour - her illustrations are so whimsical & fun!
Niki graduated from Ravensbourne Academy of Design & Communication with a First Class Honours Degree in 2009. Since then she's been making waves in the fashion world working with the likes of TOPSHOP, UGG & ELLE. Niki has that rare skill of combining up to the minute colours and trends with a classic illustration style - no wonder she is so in demand!
Below is one of the window displays created for TOPSHOP featuring eccentric sketched models wearing the latest fashion trends within the store. In celebration of London Fashion Week Niki also designed some doll sets which were given away with purchases - each doll could be dressed in the latest fashion - a girl's dream!
Niki uses pencils, pens, fluorescent markers & collage to bring her pieces to life. The 3D element to her work is a quirky way of adding depth to the piece - it almost makes you want to reach out and touch. Perhaps this is why Niki's work is so sought after by fashion houses & stores; that ability to bring design to life is an amazing skill which Niki exudes.
Things are looking neon-bright for Niki's future as an illustrator - not only is she working with MTV at the moment, (shhh! Top secret!) she's also preparing for an eagerly awaited exhibition named 'Pick Me Up' at Somerset House from 22.03.12 - 01.04.12. 'Pick Me Up showcases the best and most interesting new talent, with 20 designers and illustrators selected to exhibit at ‘Pick Me Up Selects’ the exhibition that runs alongside the fair. A selection panel featuring the most distinguished figures in graphic design including Camilla Parsons, Outline Editions; John O’Reilly, Varoom magazine; Angharad Lewis, Grafik Magazine; Liz Farrelly, writer and the curatorial team at Somerset House, have hand-picked the artists to exhibit everything from watercolour, collage and paper sculpture.'
I'll be following Niki's progress over the next year, so stay tuned!
Over & out - Rebecca
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