Continuing the theme of environmentalism, we’re exploring two new artists’ take on tackling the problems of this world. London-based artist and illustrator Samme Snow joined us for a Face This collab. Samme is an incredibly talented artist, whose past clients range from Holiday Inn and DLR to Citywire and GQ Middle East. For this collab, he worked with 11-year-old Arka from the SDN 001 Mentarang school in Pulau Sapi, Indonesia. Together, they not only explored one of our world’s biggest problems, but also offered a solution for it.
The Samme Snow x Arka (11) collab is out now
Copying characters from comics
If you’ve come across Samme’s art before, you’d immediately notice that characters are a central part of this style. From fun, silly doodles to fully fleshed-out scenes, his art simply jumps off the page (or wall). So it’s not surprising to hear that comics and movies were huge creative influences for him early on.
“One of my earliest memories is trying to copy drawings from comics with my cousins and brothers,” he recounts. “We would also pause Space Jam and try to draw the basketball-playing monsters from the film.”
“I also remember spending a lot of time at the dining room table drawing. One of my best friends would sit with me and colour in the drawings afterwards. Looking back, those moments were probably the beginning of my love for creating characters and collaborative drawing.”
This passion for art and imaginative character-building has stayed with Samme to this day.
“What inspires me to create art is the idea of people finding joy and happiness in the worlds and characters I create. I really enjoy the process of drawing and building these worlds, and I find it a great way to relax and unwind. Ultimately, I love creating work that can make people smile and that gives them a little moment of escapism.”
Naturally, Samme continued this passion into adulthood and went on to study Graphic Communication at Farnham University. He explains that the study deepened his understanding of his craft and made his character work more intentional.
“One of my biggest takeaways was understanding how layout and composition can influence the flow of an artwork. I became much more aware of how characters interact with their surroundings, how they are positioned within a space, and how composition can help guide the viewer through an image.”
The Samme Snow x Arka (11) collab is out now
Taking his art from the page onto the wall
Another distinguishing feature of Samme’s art is his muralling. He’s not only known for his energetic characters, but also for bringing them into physical spaces for everyone to enjoy.
One of his motivations for getting into muralling is this: “because it allows me to take my illustrations and characters and build much larger, playful universes for people to explore.”
“I love creating work where people can discover hidden details, characters, and little visual stories within the wider piece. There is something really special about seeing an artwork become part of a physical space and watching people interact with it, whether that is finding a small hidden detail or simply it bringing a smile to someone’s face.”
Samme doesn’t just make his art consumable for the world. Since 2021 he has been hosting Colouring Workshops to help others unlock their own creativity. This initiative was born out of a desire to pass on his passion, as well as help people reconnect through creativity during the pandemic.
“What I enjoy most is creating a space where people of all ages and abilities can come together and make art without judgement. There is no right or wrong way to draw or colour — it is simply about having fun, experimenting, and enjoying the process,” he explains.
From collabs with his best friend to collabs with Indonesian children
Remember Samme’s anecdote about drawing together with one of his best friends as children? That drive for collaborative creation is still a big motivating force in his work today. He even regularly works with children in his Colouring Workshops!
“My workshops have a huge collaborative element, and I often ask participants if there is anything they would like me to draw for them. This can lead to some really fun and unexpected requests, which I then interpret in my own style. I particularly enjoy working with children because they often have completely unexpected ideas and aren’t afraid to ask for something imaginative or unusual.”
It should come as no surprise then that he feels that adults can learn a lot from children’s creativity: “I think adults can learn a lot from children about creating without overthinking or worrying about judgement. For me, if I create something that makes me smile, I know there is a good chance that someone else somewhere in the world will connect with it too — and that is what makes creating worthwhile.”
It’s pretty evident that having Samme do a Face This collab is a match made in heaven. And we’re very happy to hear that he was excited for the experience too.
“I had been following the campaigns for a while and really loved what the team at Face This had been doing. Having seen the work created by other creatives and the different T-shirts that had come out of the collaborations, I already had a really positive impression of the project. My expectation was that it would be a great experience, and I couldn’t wait to get started and see where the collaboration could go.”
Approaching problems creatively
For this collab, Samme was partnered with Arka, who made a drawing based on the theme of ‘problem’. Unsurprisingly, Samme sees problems through a creative lens.
“As creatives, I think we naturally approach problems in quite an inventive way,” he clarifies. “Rather than seeing something as simply an obstacle, I like to think about the different possibilities and creative solutions that could come from it.”
When it came to Arka’s drawing, we were curious to see how he perceived problems. Are they always something negative? Or do they present an opportunity for creativity, like how Samme sees them?
Arka’s take on problems was surprisingly bold and decisive. He drew a personification of the earth throwing rubbish in a recycling container. Coupling the problem of pollution with the action of recycling made it clear to us that problems and solutions are connected for Arka.
Samme explains that he was also very impressed with Arka’s take. “I think being able to come up with solutions when faced with problems, particularly from such a young age, shows a lot of character, confidence, and positivity. Rather than simply seeing the problem, Arka suggests that we look at what can be done about it, turning a challenge into an opportunity to take action.”
When it comes to the topic of the drawing itself, our two artists seem to be on the exact same wavelength. “The idea of the Earth actively taking rubbish and putting it into a recycling container creates a really simple but powerful message,” Samme exclaims. “The more we recycle and think about how we use and dispose of materials, the more we can do to look after our planet.”
He goes on: “Even though individual actions can sometimes feel small, collectively they can make a much bigger difference.”
Building a world around Arka’s concept
We don’t mean to brag, but we do believe that we put the dream team together for this month’s illustration. Arka’s concept feels like the perfect match for Samme’s character-based art style.
“For the final illustration, I wanted to create something that was inspired by the world Arka had created while incorporating his original elements,” Samme explains.
“My work has quite a distinctive character-led style, which allowed me to use Arka’s illustration as the focal point of the piece and then build a wider world around it. The aim was to make sure his original idea remained central while bringing it into my own visual language and creating a cohesive final illustration.”
The final illustration shows a happy colourful earth surrounded by Samme’s signature character art, bursting with energy. In other words, the perfect blend of our two artists and a positive solution to a bleak problem.
This collab took us for a spin around two amazing artists’ imaginations. At the end of this exciting experience, only one question remained: what is Samme leaving this collab with?
“The biggest thing I took away from the experience is that art is a universal language and a powerful way of expressing ourselves. It was a great reminder that people can connect through an idea or image even when they come from completely different backgrounds or perspectives. That shared ability to communicate, collaborate, and express an idea through art is something I really value.”
The Samme Snow x Arka (11) collab is out now