17 year old creator is taking Instagram by storm with his cartoons

By Wacom |

17 Year old Harry Hambley created Ketnipz after he got bored with his former artistic style. Now, his cartoons have gained a following of over 22,000 fans (and growing!) on Instagram and Harry has even started his own clothing brand.

Aside from drumming, watching cartoons and drinking coffee with his friends, Harry spends a lot of time drawing, writing down ideas for his new cartoons and taking long walks. He says that “People often think that good ideas are rare and only come when you least expect it, but I find that my best ideas have come from simply doodling aimlessly, and by drawing nonsense until something stands out. It’s a fun process.”

When asked about where the idea of the ‘Bean’ character came from, Harry explained that he used to do commissioned portrait art and realistic illustrations but it eventually became underwhelming for him. After facing a few brick walls creatively Harry decided to distance himself from portrait art and the bean was born.

The name Ketnipz wasn’t really planned either and was the result of ‘Catnip’ being taken on Instagram. How many of you have spent hours upon hours trying to come up with a decent online name? Sometimes the best names just come without trying.
Harry currently uses a simple set up of a custom build PC, Asus Monitor and a Wacom Cintiq 13″ Pen Display, a fairly minimal set up compared to many artists, but it works well for him. When asked what advice he’d give to artists looking to begin their careers, he advised that artists “have drawing by hand down first before you start making, it’s the foundation that you build on, and don’t rush to get the best tech right off the bat if you can’t afford it.”

In terms of inspiration, Harry says that he is hugely influenced by the work of Pendleton Ward – the creator of Adventure Time and street artist KAWS. He likes their fun and colourful approach to art as well as their refined style. He later went on to explain that he wants to perfect his own style so that each piece has a level of continuity so it remains recognisable.

Posts on the Ketnipz Instagram page average between 3,000 – 5,000 likes and Harry is successfully engaging a large community of fans. However having such a huge online success can be tough, Harry has occasionally received angry emails after Instagram arguments – he says that the internet can sometimes scare him, but most people on it are kind.

After looking through Harry’s illustrations on Instagram I noticed that a lot of them carry important messages about society and humanity. Which was really quite nice to see. I personally believe that art (when done right) is a great way of engaging with an audience about real world issues, without being to forceful.
I asked him about his cartoons and if he feels like his art is a good outlet to connect with people about important issues, his response: “Definitely! I try my best to present a character that is very body confident and positive, whilst at the same time exploring themes around depression and social expectations. I’ve have had trouble with these issues myself – but by dumbing-down these complex emotions into cartoon form, and through channelling them through a light-hearted character, I was able to better understand these feelings. I hope that people can relate to the bean in the same way that I do, and can find comfort in its simplicity.”

We all know the power of modern technology and social media and it’s really quite amazing to see how Harry has taken Ketnipz to the level it’s at today. Harry plans to focus a lot more on clothing and having a fully fleshed out and respectable brand by Christmas this year.
Already selling out almost instantly on his clothing, I can only wish him the best of luck! The Ketnipz profile is really inspiring and if you want to enjoy some light-hearted fun cartoons you should go and give him a follow.

Follow Ketnipz

Instagram

Article was written by Jack Woodhams.

Related posts:

How to set up a killer art portfolio for school or work

How to set up a killer art portfolio for school or work

Tips for creating a print-ready monochrome manga with Clip Studio Paint and Wacom

Tips for creating a print-ready monochrome manga with Clip Studio Paint and Wacom

Connect with Wacom on Social

We're On Instagram
Is that the summer sun or your computer rendering some new work? 🥵🔥💻⁣
⁣
Adorable and relatable illustration by the talented @caradebola_mx! ✨⁣
⁣
#MadewithWacom #digitalart #art #illustration
255 2
Pride is being able to show up with all your colours and shades. It’s understanding that YOU are the biggest and most beautiful masterpiece of your life. Pride is expressing everything that you are and dazzling the world with it ✨💫

We see you, we support you and this community will always be excited to see you be yourself 🌈

PRIDE ON! 🌈🌈🌈🌈

#madewithwacom with #pride🌈 #pridemonth
746 11
Artivist @nikkolas_smith, in collaboration with @AmericanRedCross, shares his art to bring awareness to sickle cell disease, highlighting the importance of blood donors and accessible transfusions.⁣
⁣
Nikkolas continuously inspires us with the work he does, using his creations to spark important conversations about a variety of social issues. We highly encourage you all to check out more artwork on his page! ⁣
⁣
#MadewithWacom #SickleCellAwareness #digitalart #art #artivist
466 1
Do you always end up drawing the same types of mouths for your characters? 😥

Then, this tutorial is made for you, learn how to draw the mouth step by step 👄

Improve your artworks with these tips ✍️ Enjoy the full video in our Youtube channel!⁣

What other parts would you like to learn how to draw?

#creativity #creativeprocess #wacomtips
1251 5
One by Wacom unboxing ASMR by @designbydimyana. 😌🎧⁣
⁣
Do you guys like watching product unboxings? ✍️👀⁣
⁣
#MadewithWacom #OnewithWacom #art #unboxing #asmr #satisfying
3512 39
The importance of spending quality time when creating a nice storyboard ❤️

Visualize your ideas, structure your stories and experiment with different visual and narrative choices without losing your workflow 🚀

Enjoy the perfect combination between #CintiqPro27 and the @‌unrealengine real-time 3D tool ✨

It’s perfect for those who work in film, animation, advertising, and other visual media industries!

The #CintiqPro27 is made for you! Link in bio!

#Engineeredforharmony #CintiqPro27
676 7
Love is love ✨⁣
⁣
Thank you for sharing your art @imzeferino ❤️⁣
⁣
We want to celebrate Pride month with you by sharing your art with our community 🌈 Tag your illustrations with the hashtag #MadeWithWacom so that we can share your amazing work!⁣
⁣
#madewithwacom with #pride🌈 #pridemonth
946 10
Sometimes reality strikes hard 😂⁣
⁣
Perfecting an artwork for hours and then getting surprised by the asymmetric is our daily routine 😅 But don’t worry, it’s all part of the process!⁣
⁣
#Madewithwacom by @yayachanartist in a #CintiqPro27 using @clipstudioofficial ❤️⁣
⁣
#CintiqPro27 #Engineeredforharmony
4511 64
⁣
Wacom Creativity Camp starts next Thursday with a live class with @idrawhomer one of the lead animators for The Simpsons!⁣
⁣
Join us for this free #WacomWebinar to get a behind-the-scenes look at the process of bringing some of our most beloved characters to life.⁣
Register today through the link in our bio! ⁣
⁣
#WacomCreativityCamp #WacomSummer #WacomEdu
589 2
Made with love and #MadewithWacom! 💕 Adorable illustration by @c.iloe, creator of many more colorful, whimsy masterpieces with a wide collection of beautifully diverse characters! ✨🌈⁣
#Pride2023 #digitalart #art #illustration #characterdesign
408 1
The importance of trusting the process ✨
@hollyjackieart described like this 👇

“Sometimes I look at a finished illustration and I have no idea how I got there. While I’m working, it’s like being in a trance” 🔮

Do you feel it that way too?

#MadewithWacom #Workinprogress
1108 11
Hey hey hey strike a pose 📷
Part 2 of @bonnie.blu's "Top Tips to Elevate Your Summer Photoshoot" series is here. 🔥

Learn about ways to use collabs to your advantage this summer😎

#photography #photographytips #photographer
165 2
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins
There has been a problem with your Instagram Feed.