Hi, I’m Andrew. I design and illustrate everything sold by Rather Keen. I spent years and years as a book cover designer, but now I apply my bookish vibes to fun accessories.
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In life I’m most delighted by small scale things: a charming book, an excellent croissant from a cute bakery, a whimsical curio found at the antique store, a fun conversation over coffee. I carry this view to my work—I create little things that hopefully have a positive impact on your daily life.
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My accessories business isn’t making me rich, but it pays my bills, I enjoy my slow life, I love the designing process, and it’s rewarding when you appreciate the things I make.
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I’m into casual, yet snappy fashion. In the summer I feel I must wear resort wear every day in order to cope with this Tucson heat (so I can pretend I’m on a sunny vacation). I’m in my dorky dad era. In the fall/winter I like to dress preppy even though I hated that style as a kid in the northeast. (I hope if I mix in a little artsy flair, then no one will assume I’m a conservative finance bro based on my clothes).
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Talking is my absolute favorite thing, so feel free to chime in with a question or remark.
Hark! Profess thy love and admiration with this greeting card I illustrated! It’s part of my new collection inspired by Medieval woodblock prints and manuscript marginalia. I sure am having fun drawing them!
Bookish stickers! I got em, I sell em, I’m always designing new ones (and other bookish things)! Seeing all these all at once, I’m realizing how much I love typography and lettering
Hark! And gaze upon this new and magical card of greeting. Inspired by Medieval woodblock prints, I illustrated how an ancient healer might approach the classic “get well soon” card.
Agatha Christie wrote “I don’t want to be snobbish, but I’m afraid that’s unavoidable.” I designed this enamel pin for when you know that the movie adaptation stinks. (but you know, also movies and books are different forms of storytelling and maybe shouldn’t be compared directly or whatever)
Another Medieval greeting card to send to thy merry fellows. I illustrated this to look like a Medieval woodblock print. The 15th century prints of Chaucer’s pilgrims by Richard Pynson were an especially helpful reference. I love his silly horses.
Hark! My new Medieval-inspired greeting cards have arrived! My illustrations were inspired by marginalia—the whimsical art found in the margins of Medieval manuscripts. These cards are mostly love and romance in theme for those who you enjoy puns and innuendo💌
🍅Here’s a tomato story: In the late 1990s Olive Garden had a TV commercial where a narrator listed their fresh ingredients in Italian: “lattuga, formaggio, pomodoro.” My friends and I would quote it for fun. Flash forward twenty years, and I’m at a creatives networking event. A group of people I don’t know are talking about a trip to Italy and one asks the group, “How do you say ‘tomato’ in Italian?”. I quickly and casually reply “pomodoro” giving the impression that I’m fluent. Little did they know, my only Italian stems from The Olive Garden lol.
There’s a new bookish pin in ye olde shoppe! We’ve all read novels featuring an unreliable narrator, but maybe sometimes *we* are an unreliable narrator in life???
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#booknerd #bookworm #booklover #brooches #brooch
I illustrated a new backing card for this keychain / bag charm. I have a lot of fun designing these display cards!
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#bagcharm #bagcharms #bookishthings #booknerd
If you own a bookstore or gift shop, and you’ve been wanting to order my designs, now’s a good time! I’m taking part in Faire’s Winter Market. So, all my stickers, enamel pins, keychains, tote bags are 10 to 15% off their regular wholesale cost January 21–23rd. Please take a gander at my catalog—I’ll put a link in my Stories🪿
