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Rihanna poses against a red “Vogue” backdrop with a short, spiky haircut. She wears bold, graphic eye makeup and black and white paint dripping down her arm and shoulder.

Art: Host of amazing new doodlebombs grace Hattie Stewart's upcoming exhibition

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Date
21 March 2014

Beyoncé commands a level of awe and respect unlike almost any other prominent cultural figure, but in Hattie Stewart’s world nobody gets a free pass. And so for her first UK solo show opening next week at Brighton’s No Walls Gallery, the iconic blue Gentlewoman cover featuring the superstar comes in for Hattie’s trademark doodle-bombing (although it appears slightly more respectful than the treatment meted out to some other cover stars by her pen).

Hattie’s work appeals on two levels; her weird and wonderful additions to mainstream magazine covers are visual treats; by turns funny, iconoclastic and aesthetically arresting. But despite her self-effacing “professional doodler” moniker, I can’t help feel that there is something else going on here; a playful but fundamentally provocative exploration of media manipulation and female role models.

Hello Cheeky includes a host of new work and should further cement Hattie’s place at the top table of young British creative talent.

The exhibition runs from 28 March until 26 April at No Walls Gallery, Brighton.

The cover of The Gentlewoman magazine featuring a black and white portrait of Beyoncé. She is surrounded by colourful, hand-drawn illustrations of hearts, stars and the phrase “I woke up like this”.
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Hattie Stewart: Hello Cheeky

A collage of a person wearing a US flag bikini and camouflage trousers against a red and blue background. White paint drips over their face and body, while black patterns are drawn over their arms.
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Hattie Stewart: Hello Cheeky

The cover of Dazed magazine featuring Scarlett Johansson wearing a black leather jacket and heart-shaped sunglasses. Red and white illustrations of dripping paint and abstract shapes surround her against a red brick background. The masthead reads “DAZED” and a headline at the bottom reads “under the skin of Scarlett Johansson”.
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Hattie Stewart: Hello Cheeky

Lorde appears on a Rolling Stone magazine cover, surrounded by black and white doodle-style illustrations. They wear a black T-shirt featuring a graphic of a face with a long red tongue.
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Hattie Stewart: Hello Cheeky

A collage featuring a profile portrait of Miley Cyrus, layered with vibrant, surreal illustrations. The word “LOVE” appears across the top in dripping, multi-coloured letters, while “miley” is written in a bold, dark font at the bottom.
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Hattie Stewart: Hello Cheeky

A collage for an NME magazine cover featuring a close-up of Grace Jones. Bold, colourful shapes and abstract patterns in purple, red and blue are layered over the image. Large text at the bottom reads “ANIMAL GRACE!”.
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Hattie Stewart: Hello Cheeky

A collage of a Playboy magazine cover from December 1979 featuring Raquel Welch. A large, cartoonish pink heart with eyes and a mouth is laid over the centre of the image.
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Hattie Stewart: Hello Cheeky

A person with blonde hair and bold red lipstick poses against a pink background. They wear a black lace outfit and are surrounded by playful illustrations of a pink flamingo and red hearts. The image is a magazine cover with the word “PONYSTEP” running vertically down the left side. The phrase “GOT TO BE REAL” is printed in white across the centre.
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Hattie Stewart: Hello Cheeky

Rihanna appears on a Vogue magazine cover, wearing a black mesh top and blue jeans. She is surrounded by red and black doodle-style illustrations and dripping black and white shapes.
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Hattie Stewart: Hello Cheeky

A Rolling Stone magazine cover featuring Miley Cyrus. The photograph is layered with a collage of black and red graphic elements, including a red sausage-like shape and black drips over the eyes. The word “Miley!” is written in a green script across the left side.
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Hattie Stewart: Hello Cheeky

An illustration of Marilyn Monroe on a Time magazine cover, styled with pop art elements. Her face is decorated with pink hearts and a skull-like mouth, while the “Time” logo appears to melt over her blonde hair.
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Hattie Stewart: Hello Cheeky

A magazine cover featuring a person lying in bed, partially covered by a white sheet. Their body is overlaid with dense, black-and-white doodles and a large, winding pink tongue that curls across the frame. The cover reads “W” at the top and “INSTAGLIMM!” in large letters at the bottom. Other text includes “The Social (Media) Register” and “38 Style Leaders”.
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Hattie Stewart: Hello Cheeky

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About the Author

Rob Alderson

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Rob Alderson is a freelance writer, editor and strategist. He was previously editor-in-chief of It’s Nice That and WePresent, and editor of Design Week. He publishes the newsletter Undo, which tries to make sense of how AI is changing design work, the design process and the design industry.

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