Hania Kmieć: art filled with humour

What we love about Hania Kmieć’s illustrations is her distinctive style that conveys the childlike fantasies. On the occasion of our collaboration with Hania, we visited her in her Gdansk home and we quickly discovered that she is just like her illustrations: colourful, charming and full of humour.
Monika Mróz
4.12.2023
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Monika Mróz
4.12.2023
Hania begins with telling us that she had wanted to be an illustrator for many years. “I already wanted to become an illustrator in high school. Since I was a kid, I had always been drawing, thinking of ideas and illustrating, so it was natural for me to transform it into my professional life,” she says. “One of the things that pushed me in this direction were the illustrated books I used to read as a child. I just loved the drawings inside them.”
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It's such a wonderful feeling to see your illustration on a ceramic plate!
When working on an illustration, Hania begins with sketching in her notebook. She tells us that inspiration sometimes comes to her in unexpected moments:: “Ideas for my works come to me naturally. Sometimes, I’m in a conversation with someone and I tweak the word in a funny way, which makes me laugh and inspired me to create a funny illustration. Sometimes, it is a fruit in the shop I see and find amusing. Other times, I will see a butterfly and it makes me think of a hairpin… The possibilities are endless!”
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The interior of her apartment is full of colourful objects: vintage wooden toys, shelves filled with books, her illustrations and handmade objects.

To create the illustration for ÅOOMI special edition, Hania took her inspiration in vintage projects for children’s plates. Two toy bears laying among the flowers and watching the clouds fitted perfectly the theme of the project. “I really wanted to make this illustration somehow nostalgic. My intention was to evoke warm feelings with this plate and I hope I achieved it!”

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Hania works from home, so also we talked about her work rhythm and how she keeps the creative energy flowing. “For me, it is extremely important to make breaks between work and allow myself to rest. I try create mental space for thinking and even letting go, when a project begins to overwhelm me. Usually, even a few hours spent away from a computer or my sketchbook allows me to come back to the project with a fresh eye.”

Our conversation with Hania clearly made it clear that keeping a healthy life balance and cherishing slow life is of great importance to her. She usually starts her day with a nourishing breakfast and a good coffee (during our meeting I got a carefully-brewed cappuccino!), and she always takes some time to rest during work. She tries to let go of the pressure and spends a lot of time with her loved ones. When I ask Hania what is her dream project, she immediately says that her next thing will be making an illustration for a blanket or a piece of clothing. Well, we wish you a good luck and can’t wait, Hania!

I really wanted to make this illustration somehow nostalgic. My intention was to evoke warm feelings with this plate and I hope I achieved it!
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I really wanted to make this illustration somehow nostalgic. My intention was to evoke warm feelings with this plate and I hope I achieved it!
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