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Name: Stika
Home Town & Country: London UK
Age: 24

Occupation/Job title:  
Full time creative mind - specializing in large scale typography. Work varies between illustration, graffiti, fashion and traditional graphic design.

What can you tell us about your design on the edding Art Series markers?
The pattern was made originally as 'monsters fur', but gradually got neatened up to a point where it was a graphic in a repeat pattern looking like shoe laces. We all love trainers so I guess laces are what it's meant to be!

Which (artists/designers/illustrators etc) have been (or are) your greatest influences (dead or alive)?
The guys I work with day to day, Disco Teck, Alfa, Jimi Crayon Kosh etc, all amazing illustrators, writers and designers with personalities to match. Gary - for sticking to his guns and deciding that painting perfectly executed typography would turn out to be some of the best graffiti the UK has ever had. Roid and Pref - for their combination of design and graffiti. Aroe - for teaching me everything I know about graffiti. Plus people like JR, Colossal Media, Mike Giant, Shepard Fairey all for working on large large scale!

What is your proudest/greatest achievement to date?
Well, I’m still pretty sure I’ve painted the biggest (if not one of the biggest) bit of graffiti in this country. If you're from Brighton you'll know what I mean. It was very simple but huge; we couldn't even work out how many liters of emulsion were needed! Either that or getting into St Martins, with no college grades or portfolio, just some graff photos and a cheeky smile!

What’s your favourite colour?
Black, no white.... Depends how I’m feeling. Tricky one.

How did you come to get your name?
My older brother bought me a toy gun thing when I was about 11. He was living with Vizo and a couple of other graffiti artists at the time, we went back to his place and they made me draw my real name in bubble letters, which were terrible! After about an hour of embarrassing myself in front of the south London graff legends I got told to trace the lettering of the packet that the gun came in, and it was called Stika. The name stuck pretty soon after that.

What can we expect to see from you in the future?
All sorts. At the moment I want to make staggered type posters that kind of boggle your eyes. I really want to start exhibiting more, and coming up with new concepts for shows. Maybe find a new and more interesting way of exhibiting work.