Viva Brighton Issue #65 July 2018

THIS MONTH’S COVER ARTIST
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This month’s cover was designed
by “decorative artist” Sarah
Arnett. “That sounds like quite
an old-fashioned expression,” she
says, “but I think that’s what I’ve
settled on to describe what I do;
it might be on wallpaper, prints,
clothing, textiles – but it’s all
decoration.”
We were thrilled that Sarah
agreed to add magazine covers
to that list, and there couldn’t
be an artist better suited to
illustrate this month’s ‘botanical’
theme. She has “always” drawn
inspiration from the natural
world: “I find nature – flowers,
plants, animals – infinitely
interesting and beautiful,” she
says. “As a child that’s all I would
draw, but I would really pick
flowers apart to understand
the petals, how they all come
together – and I still work that
way now. I start off by drawing
the different kinds of petals,
really taking the time to draw
them in great detail. Then I’ll
compose the flowers, almost as if
I’m putting them back together.”
Each flower, or animal, or insect,
is created as “an individual
ingredient”.
When it comes to bringing a
design together, the process is
“a bit like composing a stage
set,” Sarah explains. “I’ve got the
backdrop, I’ve got the ground,
and I start to bring all the little
characters in, thinking about
where the lighting would be
and where the shadow would
fall. I used to spend a lot of time
in the Booth Museum, which
is probably why I draw things
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