Where did your company name The Printed Peanut come from?
When I started up my business I was living in Vancouver, and North America has brilliant peanut butter compared to the UK and I got a bit addicted to it. I used to do a lot of printing from my bathroom in my tiny apartment, fueled by peanut butter sandwiches. I’m not really sure where the name came from but it’s a good one to google.
What gives you inspiration for your illustrations?
I usually end up doing something food related. I think I’m a bit obsessed with the lettering that you find on food packaging and in cafes. I take inspiration from the world around me, just normal everyday people, clothing, scenes and objects. I am fairly nostalgic for an era that I’ve never lived in, where men wore suits and hats. I think I make my own dream world.
When did you start creating artwork and how has it evolved over time?
I have always loved drawing and knew that I would incorporate it into a job one day. When I was younger I didn’t really know you could do illustration for a living. It was only when I was working in Paper-Ya in 2012 that I realised you can make products with your drawings on to sell! I think of my time in Paper-Ya like a masters degree in the business side of illustration, it was a wonderful invaluable experience. Now I split my time between creating illustrations for clients and designing my own products.
One of our favorite products that we sell at Paper-Ya is your Pass the Parcel game, can you tell us a little bit about it?
Pass the Parcel is a traditional party game here in the UK. Usually it is made from layers and layers of newspaper and in the centre there is a prize. You pass it around a circle of people to music, and when the music stops you unwrap a layer. I have always loved making these and I saw a gap in the market to buy a read-to-play one (so stressed out parents running out of time on their kid’s birthday don’t have to!) I wanted to make it a really pretty thing with printed paper. Inside each layer there is an illustrated card with an instruction on such as “Name 10 animals in 10 seconds”. It’s good for adults as well as kids and they sell really well at Christmas for some after dinner entertainment. They are quite labour intensive to make though!
Louise works and lives in the UK. You will find some of her wonderful products on our shelves but to get a real eye full of her talent visit her site the printed peanut.
