Rosa Ter Kuile, who works under the name RTiiiKA, was at Bespoked Manchester with her range of bike inspired art, and drawing bike portraits. I’m in awe of anyone who can draw, and I liked the punk attitude in her creations, so I took a moment to ask her a few questions about her work.
How did you become a maker of things?
Rosa: About seven or eight years ago I went on a long bike trip. When I came back I knew that I wanted to apply myself to learning a creative skill. I wanted to make murals. I had never made murals before but I got a courier job where the office had a big wall and I asked if I could paint there. That sort of snowballed the rest of my art practice. I do illustration, right now I’m working on a mural project with Bristol City Council, and I now do bike portraits as well.
And you make… something in little tins as well?
Yeah, this was a recent idea. My sister got dumped over Christmas. We live together so I’ve been very close to her in the last months. I also wanted to bring something here that people could hold – an object. I like to make physical objects as well. So, this basically is a tin that is called a Heartbreak Repair Kit, and it fixes punctures too.
I asked about 40 people what helped them get over heartbreak and then I wrote that on all the individual patches. Every tin has got different answers and then it’s got all the standard things that a tyre patching kit would have. But I also added in lube that’s for the bedroom not the bicycle – because you should have some fun as well!
And I print. I live and work in Bristol and the labels are hand printed on an old letterpress. I got the moulds made [with the image] and made the labels myself. So, it’s something I’m really proud about – but it’s quite niche!
They’re very cute! What’s been the trickiest skill to learn?
There’s so much you need to learn to be an artist.
Number one, there’s the actual tools to use. I learned a lot of digital skills first and then had to unlearn them to start drawing more. I found that if I was working on paper I’d be using the erase function on my iPad which you do with two fingers! I realised I needed to learn how to draw with other materials.
But there’s also a lot of social and business skills that you need to learn as a freelance artist. That’s the less sexy part, but it’s also really important.
What’s your favourite tool and why?
I really like charcoal at the moment. A lot of my work previously has been very sharp and focused on straight lines. Charcoal – I’ve made this series of cards with it – it smudges. It gets everywhere and I like the unpredictability of it.
What does a typical day look like for you?
No day is the same. Right now I’m giving a lot of workshops, so every week I will have one or two workshops to do. I’m usually really late with getting all my materials together, scrambling to try and find a box of 50 crayons to bring into a school or something like that. But I work standard hours, so I start around nine and I finish around six and whatever happens in between, happens in between.
Do you have a favourite part of the making process and why?
I think I’ve had to learn that at some point you’re going to think everything is shit and everything sucks and you’re the worst artist there ever was – and how can you even call yourself an artist?! You have to hold on to that glimmer of hope that something’s going to transform out of there. So I think probably that moment, that ‘Aha!’ moment, where you get somewhere out of the mud that you’ve been in. That, I think, is quite magic.
How long does it take to make a typical item?
A bike portrait takes me 15 minutes, but these heartbreak repair kits took about a month. And murals can take half a year. It really depends.
What’s the hardest part of being a maker?
I think the freelance element of it is a gift and a burden sometimes. The joy of making is why I do it, but the insecurity and the not knowing [what’s next] are hard. And you have to be your own hype person forever, so that can be tiring also.
What’s the best part of being a maker?
Seeing the work that you’ve actually produced. And I love seeing people interact with it. What I make is not universally loved, but when people get it, they really connect with it and it makes it all worthwhile. So that’s really important for me.
Is there another maker whose work you particularly admire?
I like the humour of an artist called Mr. Bingo.It’s very funny, satirical artwork. That’s usually my vibe.
I also really like the maker Rachael Clerke. They make really clever but silly art, and have inspired me a lot.
Thanks to Rosa for chatting to us. If you like what you see, head to her shop to make a purchase.
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It was good to read this. Decided to make a small donation. Have not found a way to do so. Charlie’s magic beans were ideal for this but disappeared. May be I am just too dim.
I particularly enjoyed this piece, pictured 0.02 seconds after it was started…