Each month at The Home Crafters we spend some time with one of our crafters, getting to know them a little bit better, finding out more about their craft and sharing their story with you.!
September 2023, our Maker of the Month is Molly from Bristlebearhog - Handmade Stickers & Stationery
Since Molly started selling with us she has become a HIT with our customers, she already had a cult following online and now her customers visit us regularly to see what's new!...
Here's her story:
"So, Molly, tell us about you…"
I usually go by Bristle, or Bear! That comes from my username online ‘Bristlebearhog’ which is really a mashup of ‘Bristle’ - She was my pet pygmy hedgehog. ‘Bear’ - my favourite animal and ‘hog’ - like hedgehog, my other favourite animal.
I started my small business journey online about 5 years ago. Livestreaming my artwork process on Twitch.tv to my older brother who had moved to the States. I would work on fanart of video game characters, anime and manga inspired pieces while getting to talk to people who visited my stream. This developed into me taking personal commissions for other creators online, making them icons, banners, background illustrations and eventually emotes. However I always knew in the back of my mind I wanted to have some time to work for myself, my own ideas and even make them into products to sell maybe.
I eventually plucked the courage to start an online mail club and began by making
stickers, so many stickers! I’d ship them out monthly to customers and they would get behind the scenes looks into how and what I made. Making up silly characters in my world of ‘Bearpaw Woods’ and imagining what they spend their days doing. A couple years later and I’m still here building my stock up, trying new products out and committing the majority of my time to my store. I’m beyond surprised at what I have been able to achieve and selling with The Home Crafters has been a highlight of selling in general. It feels very wholesome and like I’m part of a community being displayed next to so many lovely makers.
I still make time to take commissions as they are a different kind of joy, I love making something personal for a client and seeing their reaction after I deliver the files!
"Wow, so much creativity, what does your creative space look like?…"
Always messy, too many pens, pencils, notebooks and cups of tea just everywhere! I work from my desktop PC. It's my space for everything, drawing, painting, crafting, gaming, streaming. It’s my little bear cave. I definitely cleaned for the photo here! My drawers are full with products, notebooks and paints. Documents that should be way more organised and generally just chaos.
"I'm intrigued, how do you create illustrations using a PC?…"
I mainly work digitally on my PC, an XP-Pen graphics tablet and a program called Clip Studio Paint. I use an iPad and the program Procreate to make a lot of my sticker sheets. However most of my initial ideas actually start in a sketchbook. Sketchbooking is so relaxing. If I somehow manage to get over the first page fear, I fill them up with all kinds of scribbles and notes. They’re not perfect and that’s why I love them so much, 0 pressure. I do love painting and drawing with traditional mediums like watercolours and acrylics but don’t work with them as much as I would like.
"You've lots going on, which is your favourite part of the creative process?…"
As mentioned, I really love to fill out sketchbooks, so it might not be a surprise that my favourite part is sketching. I start with large, round shapes and go from there. Another part that I love however is actually seeing the final product, there is something super cute about taking an illustration I’ve made digitally and seeing it in person on something like an Art print or Bookmark. I get so excited seeing people using their stickers to decorate their planners and other bits.
"Sounds like you've stumbled upon the dream job?…"
As dreamy as the work can sound, you definitely have some lows too! I tend to
overthink product ideas, compare myself negatively to other artists and creators, and sometimes think that my work is simply not ‘good enough’. Things might not sell as well as I had hoped, and I could always be MORE productive during my day no matter how much I get done. However, I am always kindly reminded that this feeling doesn’t last forever. Customers leave the sweetest reviews, order for their friends and upload photos of them receiving their mail. When I pop into the store and Sophie will tell me ‘oh you had a purchase today, someone really loved x item!’ I get all mushy and happy.
"So, what's next for Bristlebearhog?…"
I’m so excited to start selling online with The Home Crafters. I want to improve my artwork, explore fuller illustrations, more cute characters and perhaps work towards becoming a children’s book illustrator. I also want to potentially start vlogging my journey along the way!! That ones a little scary right now though so we shall see.
Being a maker at The Home Crafters has honestly been such a joy, everyone is so kind and it’s wonderful seeing other creatives locally. Thank you for having me! All the beary best, Bristle ❤
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If you are interested in starting a hobby business, are looking for an outlet for your handmade products and maybe would love to be featured as our next Maker of the Month please do get in touch with us either in store at our craft shop in Yate Shopping Centre or via our contact us page here. We would love to hear from you!
