Welcome, or welcome back, to my Stanford Pen Studio (SPS) series. If you haven’t seen my previous posts, I suggest you check them out to see the amazing work the SPS collective produces. This entry is spotlighting Hanna Farmer who you can find on Facebook and Instagram
SPS Series Posts: SPS Overview | Brandon Lodewyk | Carla Nel | Hanna Farmer | Kseniia Nel | Lana Le Roux | Lisa Strachan | Val Myburgh | Yulia Glas | Zelna le Roux
Hanna Farmer is the third SPS artist I commissioned a pen from — in this case, pens, plural. Her specialty, both in traditional and pen art, is nature-inspired zendoodles, an incredibly intricate craft, as can be seen in the photos below. Hanna’s tools of choice include Sakura Pigment Micron pens of various sizes, and that carried over into her pen art.
How did you learn about Stanford Pen Studio?
Di approached me after she saw my artwork at an exhibition in Hermanus.
Side note: Google tells me that Hermanus is a combination gallery and studio space for artists.
How long did it take you to decide to work with them?
When I visited their studio, and saw the entire process of creating these beautiful pens, I fell in love instantly.
I really can’t blame Hanna here. I can only imagine the fabulous setup Di and Dave have. It must be like Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, but for art.
How do you feel about creating art on pens? And what was your first thought when you learned about it?
Gobsmacked! I could not imagine doodling not only so small but on a cylindrical surface as well.
I can only imagine how daunting it must be to transition from working on large, flat artwork to drawing and painting on a pen cap or barrel. But, I think Hanna has taken to the medium like a duck to water.
What do you consider the hardest part of working on pens?
Most of the time, my artwork on the pens tells a story (e.g., novels, history, imaginary worlds). The hours of research, designing and planning the layout of different images, and fitting everything onto such a small surface, is pretty hard but that’s exactly why I love it!
It’s amazing to me that Hanna is such a prolific artist given the amount of time and effort that goes into her pens, both behind the scenes and the art itself.
What is your favorite part of working with Stanford Pen Studio?
The team’s dedication, passion, and expertise. They are just such lovely people. I’ve been working with them since February 2023 and it’s been such a blessing.
The number of pens Hanna produces can only speak to her joy in creation. Make sure you scroll through both Hanna’s and SPS’ Instagram feeds to see her massive portfolio of work.
Has your work on pens turned you into a pen person?
Don’t think that I’ll become a fountain pen collector soon, but pens has always been my first choice when it comes to creating artwork.
While it doesn’t sound like we’ll pull Hanna down the fountain pen rabbit hole any time soon, that leaves more pens for the rest of us!
Get an SPS pen with Hanna’s art!
See all of Hanna’s currently available pens»
I appreciate Hanna taking the time to answer my questions, given how busy she must be. I have two very special pens with her art, one themed around Pride and Prejudice, and one themed around Little Women.
What do you think of Hanna’s work? Do you own any of the pens she has helped create? If not, would you be interested in one? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks for reading to the end, I hope you enjoyed my post. Make sure to subscribe to my blog or follow me on Instagram so you don’t miss any posts. I generally post at least once a week.
What a lovely blog post. Thank you, Rachel. And thank you Hanna for being such a wonderful artist and friend!