Startup of the Week: Jeddah girl goes digital to showcase artwork

• Not only is her artwork tied to traditional methods, but she is also very skilled in digital art

JEDDAH: The brainchild of 22-year-old Saudi illustrator Hana Al-Ghamdi, the Hanaamichi Store is an online shop that offers printing solutions for producing posters, small cards, sketchbook covers and T-shirts.
“In the future, I am planning to expand the operations and make collections of digital artwork including stickers, pins and files,” Al-Ghamdi said.
Her original artwork can be found on oil and watercolor paintings, and clothes that have the artwork printed or painted on by hand.
The store made its debut in March at the Artist Alley at Comic Con Jeddah. “Even though it was my last semester in college, I didn’t hesitate,” she said. “I wanted to participate so badly that it took me two months to plan and make artwork for the event. My friends helped me a lot in the beginning, and the responses I received from people at that time meant a lot to me. I had so much fun in the whole process. Now the products are available on Instagram.”
The theme of her artwork is mostly aesthetics. Al-Ghamdi uses fashion and models heavily in her work. “My art style is inspired by Korean artists. I love the vibes of their work and I am trying to implement that in mine,” she said.
Not only is her artwork tied to traditional methods, but she is also very skilled in digital art. “I use Adobe Photoshop for making artwork and designing it for printing,” she said.
Al-Ghamdi is proud of the quality of the materials used in her merchandise. “The products are provided by the printing store itself, except for the papers inside the sketchbooks,” she said. “I buy the paper depending on what I think is most suitable for drawing and ask them to use it.”
Her appreciation for art was sparked at the age of 15, and she has been pursuing her artwork for eight years. “When I was 15, one of our art teachers taught us about the importance of art and encouraged all of us. I started creating characters and short stories like the ones in the Japanese anime shows I used to watch. I did not improve much at the beginning, until I started following other amazing artists. I have not stopped learning and practicing since then,” she said. Follow Al-Ghamdi’s Instagram store account (@hanaamichi.store) to check out her products.