Introducing....gringrimaceandsqueak by Karen and Richard

Today I would love to introduce to all of you a wonderful brand from the UK! Karen and Richard have a love for masks and they create one of kind designs! So if you love masquerade, the world of mystery, costume designs this is the brand for you! 

I got inspired by these wonderful masks and I illustrated this one of a kind gift tag with this mask in mind!

Please introduce yourself....

We are Karen Ruffles and Richard Porter, best friends and business partners currently living in Cornwall, UK 

Why masks and what is your inspiration?

We were both artists in our own right and as friends wanted to work on something together. A mutual love of costume made masks an obvious choice and we haven't looked back! We started with fairly traditional eye masks but soon wanted to create more elaborate carnivale pieces. We take our inspiration for those mostly from the natural world – plants, animals and birds.

How long does it take to make one mask and what is your favorite material to work with?

Our masks have taken anything from a morning to several weeks, depending on the complexity of construction and the amount of beading needed. So far, the raven has been our biggest project. We love our enamelled wire- it comes in an amazing range of colours and goes perfectly with the glass seed beads.

How do you manage to stay on top creating and promoting your creations?

 We soon realized that we had a unique product and as our understanding of what is possible with these materials grows, we are able to create ever more complex and attention grabbing pieces. We spend a  lot of time improving our product photography- as we sell almost entirely online, visual impact is so important in getting your work noticed.

Where do you see your brand in 5 years?

We love custom work and are concentrating our efforts at cornering the gothic/alternative wedding market, we want to be the first designers people think of when looking for something completely different.

Please visit the Etsy shop! 

Admire and purchase pure art! 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/gringrimaceandsqueak

Check out the blog and leave a comment! 

http://gringrimaceandsqueak.blogspot.co.nz/

Twitter! 

www.twitter.com/ggsetsy

Facebook! Go give and LIKE! 

www.facebook.com/gringrimaceandsqueak

Google Plus: 

plus.google.com/u/0/b/105107876930342012652/

UK Website: 

 http://gringrimaceandsqueak.co.uk


Flickr:      http://www.flickr.com/photos/gringrimaceandsqueak