Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Awesome Artist DECEMBER : ZomBea's Boutique



Name: Bea
Astrological Sign: Leo
Location: Devon, England
Primary Craft: Felt Stuffed Dolls/Horror Hair Bows
Other Crafts: I make some bags/purses/hair bows out of horror/geek fabric

The creation of a VooDoo doll pincushion lead Bea to make all sorts of great little horror accessories. Like most artist in the genre, her roots began in a love for Halloween. Her products bring out the sweet side of horror, and are a clever mix of things both classic and modern with super heroes sprinkled in here and there.

How long have you been creating art and things?
I started taking dressmaking lessons about 2 years ago, while I was there I decided to make myself a voodoo doll pincushion to store my pins. I enjoyed making it so much I made a few more for friends, and then a few horror based variations, and I was encouraged to join Etsy and started adding more items as I went along.


How did you become a horror theme artist?
I have always been a fan of horror and Halloween, I love making taking something creepy and turning it into something a bit more cuddly and cute.


What mediums do you primarily work with?
I mainly make my dolls and hair bows out of felt, I design a pattern on paper and then cut out the shapes and hand stitch them. I am learning all the time what works and what doesn’t but I love giving myself new challenges, working on custom ideas is so much fun.


Tell me about your favorite piece of art. What were some challenges creating it, what were some victories. Where is it now?
Probably the most complicated piece I have done, and the one that gets the funniest comments are my human centipede gingerbread men. This was originally made for a very good friend of mine who is a big human centipede fan! It took several attempts as getting it to stand up and have its face pointing upwards was quite a challenge, but after scrapping a few initial ideas I was really happy with the finished product and he still has pride of place in my friend’s living room! I have started selling my gingerbread men on my Etsy page as well, I love the thought of it going off to make other horror fans giggle.




What's the best lesson you've learned while selling your work? To have confidence in myself! When I first started I was quite reluctant to shout about what I was doing, and I played it down saying that it was just for fun and something silly. I now have a Facebook page to promote my items and all my friends and family have been so supportive and excited about everything I make. My reviews on Etsy have given me a massive confidence boost, It still puts a massive smile on my face to know people are happy to spend money on the things I have made and be so pleased with what they receive!


Is there a creative person in your craft that inspires you to grow as an artist and creator?
I don’t know if there is a specific person within my craft. I am a massive Tim Burton fan, I take a lot of inspiration from his ability to take things that would be scary and put a twist on in. I really just try to make things that make me happy and bring a smile to my face. I hope everyone will see the passion I have coming out in my work and will enjoy it just as much.


What is/are your favorite horror movies? How have they influenced you as an artist?
I love some of the older horror movies with their over the top gore, Evil Dead, Re-Animator, The Thing. They have definitely taught me to have fun with my art and not to take it too seriously!


Who would you rather meet in a dark alley, a squad of clowns or a horde of zombies?
I would go for Zombies, in the hope they were the old, slow ‘Night of the Living Dead’ variety! Clowns are totally terrifying!


Any last words before we shoot this into the interwebs?
Thank you for featuring me, it’s been great to reflect on the last couple of years of crafting and makes me excited as to where the next few will take me.


Homepage: zombeasboutique.etsy.com
Facebook Fanpage: facebook.zombeasboutique.com
Instagram: @ZomBeasboutique
Twitter: @ZomBeasBoutique
Tumblr: zombeasboutique.tumblr.com