August is the month with the highest birthrate of the year, so we’ve scoured the Marketplace for the best kid designs. We made a strike when we hit upon the cute and funny designs depicting animals, cars and dredges – any child’s dream! Designer “lomp“ made us wish we could go back to the sandbox, so we just had to ask him a couple of questions as to how he generates his playful magic.

Hey Stephan! You’re our second “Designer of the Month“, and we came across your art when looking for kid designs. What made you take a liking to this topic and peer group?

Drawing stuff for children is the best way to release my creativity. This way, I can create more abstract designs and don’t need to imitate reality. What’s more, I love realising positive and funny ideas rather than glum and gory scenarios.

You’ve contributed quite a few designs where happy animals can be seen driving a variety of fun vehicles. How do you come up with the inspiration for this?

A while ago, I wasn’t really able to draw animals and cars particularly well. So I challenged myself to get better at it, and in the process I created my first designs. Now it’s a lot of fun to do it, and I keep coming up with new ideas.

We take it that Spreadshirt is not the only area where you get creative. Do you work as an illustrator?

Yes, I illustrate German children’s books, they are called Wimmelbücher. These days, I also create my own stories which I hope to be able to realise in the near future. And then I also work as a Graphic Recorder at a variety of events and workshops. Here, I turn presentations into sketches that serve as easily understandable drawings and graphs.

When was the first time your talent for drawing showed?

That was as early as primary school. My brother was a great source of inspiration. He has always been the better artist of the two of us, and I was fascinated with his ability to visualise his ideas in drawings, so I tried to emulate him.

Kids can be very frank and direct when it comes to criticism. Do you get critical feedback from kids?

My son is just about 5 months old, so that’s not happening yet. And if I do get feedback from children it’s mostly positive. A couple of boys found fault with the cars, because they weren’t realistic enough for their liking.

What can adults learn from kids?

Enthusiasm for everything new and being enchanted about the little things in life that lost their significance for us.

Have you encountered a situation where kids didn’t understand something you alluded to in your drawing?

I must say that I do try to include references for adults as well, mostly playing on the fame of popular culture. For example, my cars are based on 1980s TV series.

Where do you get your ideas from?

I draw inspiration from other designers and books. I love leafing through books from the 1950s and 1960s, and I take an interest in art and films about drawing.

Any imminent projects?

I’m working on several books and comics at the moment. And then I’ve started collaborating with a musician who’s written a conceptual album. The comic is thematically in tune with his music and will come enclosed with the album.

We wish Stephan Lomp the best of success with this project and can’t wait for his new designs to appear in the Marketplace. Thank you for the interview

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