Jo Strangford design story

British artist Jo Strangford designed a T-shirt, tote bag, and sweater in collaboration with Indonesian school kids. Read all about her!

For this month’s drop, artist Jo Strangford collabed with 8-year-old Alfa and 9-year-old Yaoma from the SDN 4 Batu Putih school in Gili Asahan. Alfa loves walks on the beach, while Yaoma loves her cats. Alfa's drawing featured him walking a horse and Yaoma drew the 3 cats she has at home. All proceeds from the merch sales will go towards helping Alfa and Yaoma’s school.

Jo Strangford

Jo Strangford is a British artist, based in Northern Ireland. She started out as an ecology student and moved on to teaching science in high school, but has always had a creative streak in her. Her love of the climate inspired her to get involved with local Extinction Rebellion groups, where she discovered her passion for printmaking. She now has a shop dedicated to her works made of lino and wood cuts. Her artwork features humorous animal puns, showcasing her still-deep connection to the environment.

Jo Strangford about her collab

Connecting animal lovers across the globe

Jo admits that, while she has worked with other printmakers before, this project was her first time collabing with children. And it’s clear that the excitement about this collab wasn’t just from our side. “I was thrilled! The idea of combining children’s drawings with my style felt like such a fun and unusual challenge.

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Jo Strangford about her collab

Cohesive composition

For this illustration, we gave Jo an extra bit of challenge: combining both Alfa and Yaoma’s drawings into a final piece. “I started by carefully studying their drawings to understand their own inspiration, personalities, and ideas. I then looked for ways to bring them together in a cohesive composition, while still keeping the charm of their original work.”

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Jo Strangford about her collab

Makes you feel like home

The children from the SDN 4 Batu Putih school in Lombok were given the theme of ‘Makes you feel like home’ when making their drawings. With this theme in mind, Alfa drew himself on a walk on the beach with a horse and Yaoma drew her 3 cats. When discussing this, Jo says: “Alfa’s drawing reflects the peace and freedom of being outdoors, which is something many people associate with home. I know I can relate to that strongly. Yaoma’s cats represent companionship and comfort, which are also essential aspects of feeling at home.”

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Product mockup

Jo Strangford about her collab

A learning moment

After such a fun experience, Jo can’t help but reflect on the things she has learned from this collab. “I learned how much joy and imagination children bring to art. Their ideas are so fresh and uninhibited. I’d absolutely love to work with children again in the future. It’s been an inspiring experience.”

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Jo Strangford about her collab

Alfa (8) and Yaoma (9)

For this drop, artist Jo Strangford collaborated with Alfa (8) and Yaoma (9) from the SDN 4 Batu Putih school in Gili Asahan, Indonesia. All proceeds from the merch contribute to the kids' school. Read our full interview with Jo Strangford!

Read the interview

Jo Strangford x Alfa and Yaoma:

How Stina Persson and other artists collab with Indonesian school kids

At Face This, artists creatively collab with Indonesian school kids on T-shirts, totes and sweaters. And as the proceeds benefit their school, the kids literally design their own future.

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