Spotlight Interview With Artist Ghoul
Saikou works with a great bunch of artists to bring striking streetwear with our unique twist; some of them in house, some of them freelance. Today we want to shine a light on the dark art of a fabulous Norwegian artist who collaborated with our creative team to bring you SaikouXGhoul Halloween range; Ghoul herself!
So Ghoul, tell our readers a bit about yourself.
Hi! I'm Ingrid, but I go by Ghoul. I'm autistic and allergic to all fruits except bananas and strawberries. I don't think those things are connected though. I've lived in Bergen with my partner for about a year now. Bergen is known for being the most rainy place in Norway and it absolutely is and I absolutely love it.
And more specifically about your art? Like, how long have you been doing your iconic style?
This specific style developed as I was tattooing. Before I tattooed I had only done more realistic painting, but thats quite difficult to do when you're just starting to tattooing. So I needed to find something I liked, would be able to do on skin, and that would be a technically good style for tattoos. And then the dark demon ladies came to life.
Do you do much for fun outside of art?
Video games obviously. I also can't focus without doing something with my hands so I started crocheting. I have so many pink bunnies and little pigs and other cute stuff all over my apartment that I've made just so I can sit through a movie.
When I draw I always have to have something on. While I was drawing the designs for Saikou I watched Ross's fill to diamond series several times. I also watch so so much true crime, internet lore/mysteries/creepypasta stuff. If something weird happened online that people can't explain, I have to know everything about it.
We obviously care a lot about clothing at Saikou. Is there any trends or styles that you follow when it comes to what you wear?
I've been an emo kid since forever, I decided to dress in all black when I was around 11 and I've never looked back. I do have a strict rule that all my comfy clothes and pyjamas must be pink and pastels though, it's vital!
As I've gotten older and got the emo/punk/goth out of my system, I mostly just dress in very big hoodies and t-shirts, but platform shoes are also a must! I wanna look like a Clydesdale horse or like Anarchy Stocking. Weird but accurate examples.
Especially since I am covered head to toe in blackwork style tattoos I feel like I want them to be the statement piece in my outfits. I also just love being comfy and spikey belts are fun but they aren't comfortable.
Is there any artists or bodies of work that particularly inspire you?
My biggest inspiration will always be Peter Polach/ @sabbasapterus. I can't even wrap my head around how to create art like he does. I also really love @eunpyon, @hizgi and @mako_vice. I've always loved everything creepy cute, but I haven't quite been able to mix them both in my own art yet. I'm still very early in my art journey (since 2016) so I'm in no rush to create the art I want to.
I'm also obviously very inspired by Junji Ito, especially in this collection, but horror in general always fuels something in me.
What motivates you to create?
A lot of the time it just has to happen, it's a need like wanting to eat really gross pizza after drinking too much. I'll sit for days at a time barely moving and forgetting to eat. Other times I can't even think about making art for months. I don't think either is ideal but I don't like to force it, it just feels bad when the art isn't doing what I want it to but I feel like I have to draw because that's what I do. That usually just results in bad art and me swearing I won't draw again. Watching something like Bee and Puppycat, a nice horror movie or Peter Polach's YouTube channel usually helps immensely.
I find inspiration in the weirdest places. Like my Pity Party painting started because I saw a tiktok of a frog sitting at a table in front of a tiny cake, and it made me want to paint someone at a table in front of a cake. It usually starts with a very small idea and just builds from there.
Does art help you in other elements of your life?
Definitely, I'm currently going through a programming course which obviously contains a lot of design of websites or apps. Think the fact that I have a good design eye makes people think I'm better at coding than I am. It also makes picking outfits, furniture or makeup a lot easier. My eyeliner always does what I want it to.
I also think doing art makes me see things differently and appreciate things in a way that many might not.
Are you working on any other cool designs just now can you give us a little behind the scenes on it?
I have an embarrassing pile or works in progress like everyone else. After the Saikou project I've just been sleeping and coding unfortunately.
What are your aspirations for your art/Do you have a dream project?
I honestly don't really know. I had to quit tattooing recently for health reasons, and after doing it for a few years I realized I don't want a job that has to do with my art. It takes all the fun out of it. I didn't like feeling like my art was a waste unless it was for work. Freelance/commissions is the perfect thing for me I think.
Doing stuff like this collab was definitely a dream project. I liked getting a general concept and just running with it. I'd love to do more clothing design, it's been so fun.
Maybe in 20 years I could have a gallery show, that'd be neat.
What do you think of our collab finished items?
I think the part I like about them the most is that they look like something I would buy and wear to shreds. When you do anything creative it's so hard to like what you make, but seeing my art like this makes me think of it differently. Of course I see all the things I wish I'd do this way or that way instead, but I also see a sick design I wouldn't even hesitate to buy if I saw it at a store.
How did you feel seeing your design come to life on T-shirts?
I've sent the photos to everyone I know, which to be fair is like five people, but all of them have replied "They're real!" and I think that's exactly how I feel. Seeing something I drew janky sketches of at 3am turn into a physical object is wild. I cannot thank Ross and Maizy and the rest of the team enough for trusting me with this, and their Halloween collection no less!
I really hope you all like them as much as I do, and wear them to shreds like I will.
If you think Ghouls art is sick you can check out the shirts and full collab on our store