And Smile illustrations: exactly what you need to perk up your day

Viktorija Semjonova is the wonderful mind behind the brilliantly named And Smile. Originally from Latvia and now based in London, Viktorija created And Smile after studying for her degree in illustration.

Graduating in 2009 led Viktorija’s passion for drawing into her creating her very own Etsy store. Starting out by turning one of her drawings into a greetings card, Viktorija moved onto experimenting with her drawings and came up with a whole host of illustrations and products that are now available online. 

The label itself is about imaginary characters that start a life of their own as soon as they become alive on the paper. Using this as this basis of her work, the work Viktorija creates has a completely unique and imaginative touch to it. When The Upcoming asked about her ideas, Viktorija said: “They have their own adventures, busy life, sometimes they fall in love, sometimes they have parties, change of career and some of them decide to become brooches or earrings.” Amazing, right? 

Taking inspiration from everything around her, And Smile is a true declaration of a hobby turning into a career dream. You can guarantee you won’t find anything quite as special anywhere else, making this label completely exclusive. Old textiles and Japanese patterns to being in the digital age form the delightful style of each drawing and Viktorija has the ability to turn this into fantastic pieces of art.

Our favourite picks from the And Smile store have to be the Confetti Tote Bag (£7.00), the Bear Brooch (£4.00 in the sale!) and the Couple in London greeting card for an amazing £2.00. It is impossible not to adore this label, so we suggest seeing what bargains you can find here. 

Kellie Griffiths