Hop & Flop

Based in Albert, Canada Jenny Chan, artist and owner of Hop & Flop, sells an assortment of wonderful block printed greeting cards. There’s evidence of a lot of charm and clever wit that stems from Jenny’s artistic style. Her designs are sure to become treasured favorites among many.

I’m absolutely thrilled to share an interview from her and thank her kindly for spending the time to write to me, letting us know a little bit about herself. But first, let’s have a look at a few of my favorite pieces from her shop:

• Figure 1: Block printed floral greeting cards
• Figure 2: Thanks a bunch
• Figure 3: Snail mail greeting card

And now for a few words with the talented Jenny.

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Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I’ve lived all my life in Alberta, Canada. I grew up in Edmonton, Alberta with a family that was traditional. My family expected to see a scientist or an accountant out of me, but I always seemed to be drawn to the arts, if it was just sketching a cartoon or creating something with my hands. I’d find my ways to paint or draw.

I always wanted arts and design to be a part of my life and at first, I thought it would be a hobby, but after 4 and a half years getting a business degree, I converted and pursued a graphic design diploma at MacEwan College. It was during my last year of illustration and print design, I found a small design firm in Calgary, Alberta. It’s here where I began to design logos and different print materials, but I was still looking for something to call my own.

Tell us a little bit about your shop.
It all started with making Christmas cards for friends and family. I sketched and watercoloured about 14 to 20 different illustrated cards. My friends encouraged me to do more and a fellow colleague told me about a local market called, Market Collective. I thought I’d give it a try and see how it goes. I was in the midst of learning other crafts (ie. knitting), but I wanted to still offer illustrated cards for the holidays.

After a couple years of attending local arts and crafts markets, I started my etsy shop in January of 2011. This was when I had put some thought into the name, Hop & Flop and what it would offer to the community. I wanted the name to reflect my personality and style – cute, friendly, but wholesome. I wanted the name to be friendly and welcoming and because I’ve loved bunnies since I was a child, I thought it would be befitting to have an element of it in the name. It’s full circle for me. I’m returning to my roots of illustration and what I love about drawing, but applying all the skills I learnt through the years to my line of greeting cards. I’m still evolving my illustration style, but I think it’s refreshing to do something different.

What’s one of your favorite paper-works?

Peter Callesen’s “The Painter III”

I love this artist’s work, but the first piece in this gallery is amazing. It’s a framed piece called, “The Painter III”. For me, I’ve always liked it when someone put so much attention to detail to their pieces; yet, the end result can seem so minimal and clear. Peter’s work is also just unbelievable! The planning he needed to get it just right and knowing you can actually do this with just one piece of paper. I’m speechless and wish I could do the same. It’s a great talent and deserves the recognition because now you can say you can do “anything” with paper.
What inspires you?
When I look at creating new colour palettes for my collections, I look towards fabrics and vintage photos and/or objects. They seem to have interesting uses of colours, whether it’s just a tint or a hue. I have to admit I also get inspiration from food blogs. I love to bake, but there are some amazing blogs out there with beautifully done food styling and photography.

Who are some artists that inspire you?

• Wassily Kandinsky, artist – For his beautiful compositions of colours and shapes.
• Karen Klassen, local illustrator – I discovered this local artist through work she’s done around my city and it’s very flowing and ethereal.
• Joe Sorren, artist – It’s something about the details in all his paintings. He has the ability to use the craziest colour palettes and make it work.
• Sarah Horne, UK illustrator – She has some inventive illustration concepts.

Tell us one fun factoid about yourself.
I admit, I love getting mail, even it’s bills. When I was little I wrote a lot of snail mail with my pen pals. I think I had about 4 different pen pals at one time and I just loved learning about other cultures from other kids my age and getting envelopes in the mail addressed to me. I would also litter each envelope with a variety of old fashion stamps that you lick and apply. There was just so much fun knowing someone across the globe would be reading my thoughts and getting to know me. To this day, I still have all those letters as a momento of why I love lettermail. Emails just aren’t the same.

What are you looking forward to this year?
I look forward to learning new printing techniques. I’ve learnt block printing this year and applied it to a few of my card collections. Now I want to take some screenprinting classes. I’ve also always dreamed of getting a letterpress, but I think I should take a class or too to learn the process. I believe that no matter what you create, there’s always something new to explore and experiment and I hope that will show in my next collection.

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Be sure to check out Hop & Flop on Etsy, where Jenny just released a bunch of Valentine’s goodies.

all photos by Claire Ouchi for Hop & Flop