Sanna Kinnunen is a cartoon graffiti artist from Finland working under the artist name Electri©Poppers. Sanna uses ProMarkers for her colouring and describes her style as cartoon graffiti. Read on to find out more about Electri©Poppers…
Tell us a little bit about yourself…
'Rocket Socket' by Electri©Poppers - Click image to enlarge
Real Name: Sanna Kinnunen
Artist Name: Electri©Poppers
Age: Almost 26
Location: Finland
Me? I’m 100% self-taught and drawing is my hobby and passion, has been all my life.
I don’t have any education for this so I mainly go with the flow and develop my style on my own. I love colours and humour and I think it shows in my work.
How did you first get into art & drawing?
'Monster Jam' by Electri©Poppers - Click image to enlarge
I’ve been drawing since as long as I’ve been able to hold a pencil! As I got a little older, I started to draw silly comics and animals from magazines and books. I would find a picture that I liked and trace it; we didn’t have the internet back then, so it was quite hard to find inspiration and get ideas of your own.
I stopped drawing for most of my teenage years, but then grabbed a pen back in 2006. I found that I’d lost all of my drawing skills, so I had to learn everything again. I think this was a good thing as it allowed me to develop my own unique style and I’ve been drawing cartoon graffiti since 2007.
I created the artist name ELECTRI©POPPERS just over a year ago. It’s definitely easier to get yourself out there with a distinctive name and I think ELECTRI©POPPERS really suits my personality and style of art.
Your style is very distinctive, where would you say your influence comes from?
'Remix' by Electri©Poppers - Click image to enlarge
When I first started out I would take influence from the internet & other artists, just learning skills and trying out different styles to see if they would suit me.
I’d always try to add a few of my own unique ideas into all of my work and I quickly started to see a specific style evolving.
I’ve been using my own style and ideas for a couple of years now. I know it sounds almost impossible, but I have no idea how my mind keeps producing new ideas!
Most of my works include a mix of my own characters, music and old school stuff and on every piece I always try to add something completely new. I don’t have any idols nowadays, I’m my own idol!
Do you prefer using digital or traditional media?
I’m a traditional artist. It feels good to see how your own hand draws your ideas on paper. I love the smell of ink and markers and it inspires me, you just don’t get that with digital. Sometimes I do like to colour my line art using digital techniques as this allows me to test out different colours and styles. But my main style is traditional and I intend to keep it that way!
When did you first start using ProMarker? What is it that makes them right for your work?
'Box of Rainbows' by Electri©Poppers - Click image to enlarge
I haven’t been using ProMarkers for long, perhaps two years at the most. I bought my first set of markers after much deliberation. I went for the bright colours set and boy was it love at first try! I had never realised how good the ink and colour lay down was going to be, or how the blend together so well!
I use ProMarkers because the bright, solid colours in the range are perfect for my work. I also find that the hard bullet tip of the ProMarker works much better for me than a brush. I’ll be using ProMarkers for a long time!
What are you working on right now?
I have a few unfinished works and linearts, but I’m also drawing an illustration for a children’s book. I’m also planning in some time to begin experimenting with watercolours on my works.
What can we expect from Electri©Poppers in the future?
Definitely lots more illustrations and cartoon graffiti as this is what I love doing at the moment! Whatever I work on, it’s always going to be fun with lots and lots of colour!
Thanks for talking to us… Finally, where can we find you on the web?
I’m all over the internet, so if you like my work then please check me out.
My Deviant Art: http://electricpoppers.deviantart.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ELECTRICPOPPERS/147587325283896
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ELECTRIPOPPERS
Art blog: http://electricppers.blogspot.com/
'Listen to This' by Electri©Poppers - Click image to enlarge
So happy. Thank you!