Inspiring Black Crafters and Artists You Need to Follow
At Hobbycraft, we’re passionate about getting all of Britain making and celebrating those who craft! Here are some of our favourite UK black artists and crafters for you to discover…
The illustration used for this blog post has been designed and produced by the talented artist Brooke Danaher.
Discover more by Brooke Danaher
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I am Aimee Mac, @aimeemacillustration, a Manchester based maker-of-things. I’ve been a freelance illustrator & graphic designer for around seven years, specialising in fun, vibrant stationery, wall art, homeware and textiles. I utilise a combination of intricate pen and ink elements with bold textures and mark making, along with some big splashes of colour! I find a lot of inspiration in the countryside, wildlife and museums, and I’m a huge fan of an old junk shop or antiques fair. There’s a real mix of contemporary and retro/vintage influences throughout my portfolio.
I’ve always been a massive fan of interiors (and an avid Pinterest pinner!) so when I start designing a new piece, I like to think about how it will fit with my other designs. Not necessarily in a matching way, but I love the way that sometimes images can be totally different but still look like they belong together. One of the most common questions I get from people when talking about my work is how to put together a gallery wall - people often think that collections of art have to have a common colour, theme or size. I think as long as you love everything, it will go together. One of my favourite things about being an artist is seeing how people collect my work and put it together in ways that I never would have thought of.
Your home should be joyous and full of life; gift giving should be silly and spontaneous. I make sunny things to make people smile.
Mashona Designs was founded by Chantel Hargreaves who creates colourful accessories and homeware using a range of sustainable African textiles and recycled materials.
I am a self-taught sewer, living on the beautiful East Sussex coast. I run Mashona Designs alongside part-time work and busy family life. Born in South London with Zimbabwean heritage, from a young age, I have been drawn to vibrant colours and have rediscovered a real love for African textiles. The brand name is inspired by parents who were born in Mashonaland, a region in northern Zimbabwe. Shona is also the name of the language spoken.
African textiles have great heritage and diversity, from the traditional to contemporary, from the bold to the more neutral colours and designs. The textiles used in my designs are a combination of remnants and offcuts. Any virgin fabrics are from local African artisans, who produce small handmade batches, using traditional techniques. All products are handmade from my home studio. The fabric off-cuts are kept and incorporated into future designs or stored to be donated. I combine African prints with other eco-conscious materials, such as Cork Leather or upcycled hessian coffee sacks. My goal is to create all my designs from sustainable, low-impact and recycled materials.
My sewing journey has just begun and I look forward to see what it brings next.
Whylder Mills is an independent business that creates resin jewellery and accessories, started by Dania from her spare room studio in the hills of Sheffield. Dania studied jewellery, applied arts and metalwork, and she fell in love with resin. With a love for colour and simple forms, she wanted to bring new and unusual work to the market.
Handcrafting each piece remains a tenet of this one-woman business, adding the personal touch and attention to detail that is critical in making something you want to cherish and wear. With everything being designed and made by Dania, Whylder Mills is able to offer personalised colours and palettes on request to match other jewellery, outfits or themes. Whylder Mills is known for having a huge range of colour choice and delicious mixes of marbled colours. Their studs are the most popular product as they're perfect for anyone to wear to add a pop of colour to their outfit.
Lockdown inspired Dania to launch the Stud Club, a subscription service where you receive fantastic studs in the post every month. Hair clips have become a recent favourite too, as well as new chunky brass and resin necklaces. There is also a lucky dip option to receive samples and seconds to reduce waste and get a great bargain!
Whylder Mills is currently in the midst of change as the resin they have used since their foundation degree is no longer being manufactured. New designs are on the way and the run up to Christmas is going to be used to explore new eco resins and Jesmonite to create more sustainable, environmentally friendly jewellery.
Osime Home (@Osime_Home) is a colourful homewares and accessories brand established in 2020, during lockdown by maker and artist June Ileomoh. The brand draws on inspiration from the vibrancy and warmth of June’s West African heritage. She creates a vibrant collection of high quality, handcrafted cushions, decorative plant bags and hand drawn art prints. Every piece is lovingly made in small batches using fabrics rich in colour and rooted in African design.
Osime Home was born as a creative outlet and out of frustration at the lack of diversity and representation of West African homeware aesthetics on the high street. When June bought her first home in London, she struggled to find home décor that celebrated African creators, design and textiles, so she created something of her own. Osime, pronounced OH – SI – MEH, is June’s Esan name which originates from the Esan tribe (Edo, Benin state) in the Southern part of Nigeria. It means, ‘this is my own’.
She believes the spaces we live in should reflect our personalities, be a place of comfort that uplifts our mood and brings us joy. June artfully blends her Nigerian heritage and vibrant South London roots to create joyful statement pieces designed to add colour, character and make everyday a little brighter, African Style.
Photographer: Peter Tarry
My name is Temi, the founder and creator behind 'Amaris and Chaya'. I am a Black British Nigerian woman, wife and mother. I began Amaris & Chaya because of my daughter Amaris and my need for my daughter to have a soft doll that represented her.
After unsuccessfully finding a soft black girl doll that reflected her, I began to reflect on the experiences I had growing up as a little black girl. A few of the memories that came back to me were around the lack of representation in the toys and dolls I played with, and how that impacted my identity and love of myself growing up. None of the dolls I had, or was given, looked like me. Consequently, I found myself wanting to look like my white girl dolls instead. I wanted to change who I was and what I looked like to reflect the dolls that I saw. It is easy to get one’s hands on white dolls, and that fact is just taken for granted.
I want my little girl and others out there to have a soft doll that represents them and how they look. It is for this, and my need for my daughter to see herself as beautiful with her melanin rich skin tone, that I made these dolls. My mission is to get black, brown and diverse dolls in the hands of children of all races. So they know that everyone counts, no matter the shade of their skin.
I hope everyone black, brown or white, with children, will recognise that your child having and playing with a beloved black doll along with their other dolls, can help them celebrate and love others who are different to us in real life.
I am Candice Chenade, the founder and illustrator behind By Candice Chenade.
I started my brand because I struggled to find cards and art prints that really represented me and the people around me. I felt that styles on the market were either dated, overly woke or not a true representation of our community today. I want to diversify the greeting card and paper goods industry by showcasing black and mixed race people in all of their glory. We celebrate Black Excellence often, but we still deserve to be celebrated for the regular things that we do.
My mission is to uplift people and make sure people who look like me are represented. Because representation matters.
Nerrisa Pratt is the founder of The Bargello Edit, the go to brand for modern craft kits with retro vibes.
The brand boasts interior projects and lifestyle kits to add a pop of vintage colour into your life and since she began stitching in 2019, Nerrisa has brought her modern take on Bargello to the pages of Mollie Makes, Stylist Magazine and has also appeared on Kirstie’s handmade Christmas.
Nerrisa is a crafter of all kinds and teaches workshops for creative brands regularly. She’s keen to bring Bargello to the modern maker through her love of on-trend colourways and innovative projects that inspire crafters to try the retro stitch.
Her debut book, ‘Bargello’ is due for release on 4th November, 2021
I'm a home crafts content creator and print illustrator. I share with my community DIY and craft projects that I tackle around my Victorian terrace as well as owning an Etsy store where I sell a range of prints of my own illustrations.
The main focus of both my Instagram and blog is to teach people how easy many of my projects can be (I'm a teacher by day so it's great to put my skills to use elsewhere!) You'll find me sharing a range of how-to guides such as painting a wall mural, sewing Roman blinds, upcycling furniture and upholstery.
I am a serial crafter and I am always happy to try a new craft so you'll also find me knitting, crocheting, making papercraft artwork amongst many other things! You can find me on Instagram and the link in my bio also takes you to my other social media pages and my blog too!
Black Girl Knit Club was founded in Early 2019 by Sicgmone Kludje & Vea Koranteng. We have worked together before on creative projects therefore we collaborated before laid the foundation for us to marry together our skills to create this platform for our main community in East London and Worldwide. Sicgmone teaches textiles as a lecturer at University of the Arts London and Vea studied at University of Brighton and had also ventured into the sustainable vintage business by starting and being the founder and creative lead at Brantuo Studio a vintage boutique, Vea currently is an Interior Design Manager in Construction.
Our motivation for starting Black Girl Knit Club (BGKC), came from following the social media hashtag #diversknitty. Where different knitwear designers and makers were calling for more diversity, within the craft community. The reason why was due to visibility. We as friends wanted to create a safe and inclusive space for Black women and female creatives like ourselves, to gather, share their story and inspire each other through craft skills and more importantly develop their creativity whilst equipping the next generation with a new skill. We started in January 2019 and we've built an amazing community of members that attend our monthly workshops and online tutorials. We cater to all levels too; so, we have E-book tutorials and beginner-friendly projects for all to get involved in as well as our very own playlist on Spotify: Black Girl Knit Club Sounds so you always be in the mood with us.
These sessions have allowed us to be intimate with our members and get to know their lives outside of the routine for a de-stressing session. Since starting 2019 we have gone onto working with The BBC , Guardian Fashion to being stocked in the prestigious store Liberty London.
Connect with us! IG: @blackgirlknitclub Twitter: @blackgirlknits
To purchase our yarn at Liberty London: https://www.libertylondon.com/uk/brands/b/black-girl-knit-club/
Photograph credit; credit photographer: Kingsley Koranteng www.kings-art.com @kings_art
Craft Tutor and Textile Designer Shikira Alleyne, is a multi-crafter born and raised in South London. She designs and facilitates workshops for all ages sharing her joy for crafts. She teaches screen printing, embroidery and macramé and more. Her designs are inspired by her Caribbean heritage and the positive representation of people of colour. Her work explores the mixing of techniques like print, stitch and appliqué.
During her workshops you can expect a FUN, calming and supportive environment, helping the learner to explore creative freedom and gaining confidence to keep practising. Shikira’s aim is to show people that creativity lives within us all if we let go and lean into the enjoyment of the process of making.
Her craft collection Idol Crafter features designs seen in Mollie Makes and Love embroidery Magazine. You can check out the latest additions to the collection over on her website.
You can find more tutorials and downloads from Shikira at www.kreativepursuit.com and hit follow on instagram @kre8iveshack.
I am a self-taught conceptual hyper-realistic pencil artist and I have also been a freelance artist for two years, and I have created commissions for variety of clients and meet their specification. My style of work consists of the incorporation of African/Black heritage, crises, tragedies and ancestral background with a surreal touch to form my art piece. I combine my graphic design experience to photo- manipulate my pictures of my Muse/ Model relating to my concept/theme. I mainly use graphite pencils/powder, charcoal pencils/powder and soft pastels on paper.
I have over 2 years of related work experience and acquiring new skills and technique. In addition of my hard work, creativity and the drive to acquire and adapt new skills and technique as my body of work stands as a testament to who I am as an artist.
Hi I’m Michelle – A Crochet Designer and the hands behind Cricket Creates. I design and create Made-to-Order personalised toys and keepsakes.
I enjoy sketching fun characters and transforming them into crochet toys. Recently I’ve started making Mini-mes- Small Crochet versions of people used as keepsakes, toys or decorations. I love creating these as they celebrate and showcase Individual Diversity within the crochet community.
If you have a special project you would like made, get in touch @Cricket.Creates
Doria is a French illustrator based in London. Since childhood, she has been a firm advocate for diversity. In 2009, she created a beauty blog for black women, alongside a character called Miss BB, a young black girl living in Paris who loves beauty and travels. Miss BB became the protagonist of comic stories which was a way to show to the world the real life of black woman in France. A story that has yet to be told in this country.
Currently focusing on illustrating diverse black women, counter to that often portrayed in media she branches away from the often negative and stereotypical depictions which are shown much to her frustration.
Her goal is to change the image of black women and help people who are frustrated by not finding gifts that represent their loved-ones in mainstream stores. For her, art is a way to represent black women and little girls as they are and break stereotypes.
In her shop, her art is shown in forms of calendars, greeting cards, notebooks and art prints. She also does custom illustration and book covers. Her art style includes mix of photography, pencil, watercolor and digital art.
My name is Nicole Kolawole and I am the independent visual artist behind Moreni K Artstore. I mainly indulge in portrait painting because it is the one mode of expression I feel most connected to. It allows me to communicate and resolve feelings and ideas and use them to reach out to those with whom my work resonates.
I share some of my process on instagram @moreni_k_art, and I also have a website through which you can commission my services: www.morenikartstore.com
Hello, my name is Eden and I’m a contemporary artist from birmingham, UK.
I’ve always had a creative side since I was a small child but only ever saw it as a hobby. However, 2020 changed that for me! When we were all stuck in our homes sanitising every item whilst home schooling our children and baking banana bread, I turned to painting…and it was one of the best decisions I ever made! Having now sold my work worldwide, I am mostly known for painting black females and creating unique abstract pieces. I pride myself on creating astounding art that embraces culture and breathes life into homes.
I absolutely love to paint and I am extremely excited about sharing my art with the world.
My name is Kanmi Olukanni, I am an artist that works with charcoal and graphite to achieve realism in portraits.
My passion for art derives from the young age of 5, sitting in front of the tv and drawing every character I found exciting. This passion for sketching only grew and refined over time, having studied subjects such as art and photography. I am concerned with observing and studying the smallest of details, whether it was taking photos or drawing, I was keen on showcasing this in my own way.
I currently study masters in Architecture which has improved my technical side of detail drawing, having produced various measured drawings throughout my studies. This does not take away from my love for realism portrait art, the fact that every face is unique and every set of eyes tells a different story. This is what I try to implement in my art, capturing their emotions using a pencil.
Akeisha Walters, the British-Jamaican south London based, multi-disciplinary artist.
Who’s work is a celebration of the modern day black woman, ranging from Afro-futuristic digital illustrations to Lino cut printing and fine art techniques with the use of pastels, chalks, oil paint and sculpture. Her most recent solo exhibition at The Azawala Gallery entitled: 'I Represent', were digital illustrations of black women who reside in the various communities of London and the significance of these areas to these women. The production of some of Akeisha’s illustrations takes a stand point to remembering the unrecognized and underrepresented in the cultural and political history of black people. Drawing inspiration from her lived experience of growing up in Brixton, having moved continuously throughout her life yet Brixton had always remained ‘home’. She wanted to depict that black women were everywhere to be seen, to be celebrated. Akeisha wanted to see black figures that had representations of herself and knew she would have to do so herself.
The round glasses resemble the London Tube symbol which portrays black women’s constant travel to various locations, bold statement earrings signifying landmarks or symbolisms of that area and the head-wraps illustrate modesty, beauty and power when black women wrap their crowns.
Akeisha loves what she creates as she believes contemporary art can be a bridge for communication to those who remain curious.
My name is Lindsey and I am a self- taught fine artist with 8 years experience in arts, from London and I work in the traditional medium of oil paints. My work glorifies and praises the beauty of black female empowerment whilst retelling African Mythology . Within my art, i create a safe place for me and for black women to feel like they’re the main characters and empowered, by praising features such as bigger lips or darker complexions.
When I can’t express my words, I turn to my art which is why I love to paint. I enjoy the freedom, self healing and power to bring a blank canvas to life.
More of my work can be found on my website where I make my own art prints from home and sell it alongside with art merch: www.linbarts.co.uk. You can also follow my creative process on my socials : Tiktok,Twitter&Instagram- @lindaniellaart
Victoria is the knitwear and crochet pattern designer behind In The Stitch With Vix. Her patterns have been featured on the Hobbycraft Ideas Blog and more recently in magazines too.
After being taught the basics of crochet by her mother and knitting by her Nan, she started designing her own outfits to wear on special occasions to make sure that she got the fit she wanted. Victoria has since branched out into developing size inclusive and unisex garment patterns for both adults and children.
Drawing a lot of inspiration from her family, she often makes matching outfits for her fiancé and children. In addition to garments so also enjoys making gifts such as amigurumi dolls, blankets and ear warmers for her nieces, nephews and sisters.
Always excited to develop her crafting skills, Victoria has recently started sewing again and sells her African print headbands in her Etsy shop along with her knit/crochet handmade products.
Camilla is a self taught Zimbabwean born illustrator and artist, based in the rainy city of Manchester. A lot of her work incorporates her African roots as well as her love of vibrant colours and passion for connecting people through representation. She enjoys exploring different forms of creativity and welcoming inspirations from life’s experiences to tell stories, expand imaginations and inspire joy.
Art by NU was founded in 2020 by self taught illustrator and artist Anu Ogunmefun.
Anu is a trained actor, when the pandemic hit putting her industry out of work, she ran back to her love of art, which helped her cope. Since making her work public, it has been ever growing. Her work has now sold worldwide and has featured in Selfridges London Flagship store and Manchester.
Anu loves creating pieces that make people feel, as well evoke conversations, with strong and inspiring messages. What we do in this world is so important to Anu, so she gives back, by donating a percentage of her proceeds to different charities.
Anu produces Prints and high quality apparel of her work, and is soon to be selling hand tufted rugs. You can purchase on her Etsy here: www.artbynu.Etsy.com
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