Fah Thai Magazine July/August 2017

SUTHIPA KAMYAM
I
t was the last stage of summer when
Fah Thai met with Suthipa “Toey”
Kamyam, an illustrator whose works
have been used widely in the domestic
and international realm. While we may not
know Toey’s portfolio, her work appears
on many familiar brands. A talk on the
creative process took place at her private
studio, where time is spent making sure
never-ending ideas materialise into art.
Opposite:
Clockwise from Left
“Brazil”, Pencil on
Paper and Digital
Collage, 35x26 cm.,
for Taylors of
Harrogate, 2017
Art Direction:
Pearlfisher London
“An Old Weathered
Wine”, Pencil on
Paper, 30x40 cm.,
for Cambria Estate
Winery, 2015
Art Direction: John
McNeil Studio
“The Harvest”,
Pencil on Paper
and Digital Collage,
120x120 cm., for Jim
Thompson, 2016
“Caribbean Island
Wild Flowers”, Pencil
on Paper and Digital
Collage, 70x100 cm.,
for Crabtree & Evelyn,
2016 Art Direction :
Crabtree & Evelyn
One sees Toey’s illustrations
used in various global products
such as Nespresso or L’Occitane
en Provence, Crabtree & Evelyn,
tea company Taylors of Harrogate
and American company Sonoma
Cannabis Co. She did work for
Jelmoli Department store in
Switzerland and lifestyle company
Cocolux in Australia, spanning to
Villa La Madonna in Italy and Okio
Accessories in Sweden. This full
range makes her work familiar to us
all while her well-known domestic
contribution is the design of scarf
patterns for renowned textile house
Jim Thompson.
Her signature work shows lined
patterns drawn delicately. Finishes
hold a unique visual texture with her
trademark technique of small links
and mesh shapes. Her drawings
are complex but the device she
usually uses is simple. It’s just a
propelling pencil and up to now,
she gives no thought to trying new
tools. A propelling pencil is easy
to use, she says, with an ability to
give sharp lines without sharpening.
Toey adds that it is mostly suited
to her illustration style. “Drawing
wasn’t my skill in the first place.
So when I started, I just wanted to
use something simple. I finally
realised its simplicity – it’s
attractive,” she says.
Toey was sitting at her desk,
relaxed and serenely talking about
how she became an illustrator.
In high school she was like many
students, filled with doubts of
about what major should be chosen
at university. The answer eventually
was graphic design and after
graduation spent two years working.
Journeying to do her masters in
Gothenburg in Sweden, it was there
where she found the love of drawing.
“Living in Sweden was new to me
and in a new environment – we
yearn for novelty. Many of my
friends there drew quite well, so I
went around asking them to teach
me,” the talented artist said.
She kept on drawing and got
an opportunity to be an assistant to
a trainee photographer and practise
her illustrating skills. Drawing held
the stronger attraction but difficult
if one wanted a secure living. So
Toey returned to working in graphic
design and carried on drawing in
her spare time for the personal
joy it gave.
However, this love of drawing
wasn’t just a joy to behold alone
anymore. In 2014, she decided to
hold her first exhibition and that
was the beginning of a career as an
‘Staying focused while drawing lets me be
present. If not, a distraction could mean that
things literally get out of ‘line.’
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