Welcome back to our Artist Spotlight series. This time we’re talking to Becky Lane, the illustrator and grappler behind Original Animals. Her work blends hand drawn illustration with martial arts culture, instinct and storytelling to create designs that feel raw, symbolic and deeply human. From underdog tarot cards to training gear and streetwear, Becky’s work celebrates resilience, movement and the quiet strength of those who keep showing up.
Animals show up a lot in your work, what draws you to using them as symbols?
When I started training martial arts I would find myself in a headspace where my body felt completely in sync with my mind, reacting as one in the moment. No overthinking, just instinctual movement. After class, I’d leave the dojo feeling wholly at peace and unbothered by the worries of the day. Over the years, I’ve spoken to many martial artists who’ve shared this experience. It’s part of what keeps us coming back, despite the otherwise brutal nature of the training.
I call it the Original Animal State, and it’s something I’ve really come to believe in. The best way I can describe it is a feeling of being completely connected to your body, in such a way that you move and think as your primal self; not you the student, the parent, the employee… just you, the animal. It’s the stuff that connects us as humans, before (and after) we learn to become civilised. Flesh, bones, breath, guts & instinct.
These connections, the stories and experiences they come from, are the ones I try to capture and illustrate through Original Animals. If you look at how animals play and fight, it’s much the same as us… I like to imagine that maybe the rest of the animal kingdom is living consistently in this Original Animal State, and they’ve got just as many stories to tell.
Where did the idea for the underdog tarot-cards come from, did that idea click straight away or evolve as you worked on them?
The underdog tarot cards came from an earlier series I’d created for Original Animals called “Jiu-jitsu Tarot”. Each card was a talisman for the different belt levels in the sport. When I was brainstorming with Chessie at Blind Maggot, we liked the idea of expanding the cards to include some new characters, but also be relatable to people who aren’t necessarily training martial arts. Each of the animals has a strong connection to a “fighting style”, but those qualities are also broadly applicable to personality traits as well.
Finding the right animals was a bit of a process. I went through a few different underdog lists before settling on the hare, the badger, the coyote, and the raven. Ultimately, they had to be animals with a bit of a dodgy reputation… but ones that you’d still absolutely root for in an unfair fight.
In terms of tarot qualities:
The Hare is quick and agile, able to react at a moment’s notice, and evade those seeking to harm it. Its symbols are wind for speed, grass for stealth, and a feather for lightness.
The Badger is resilient and fearless, able to take on seemingly impossible challenges, it relentless ferocity is both admired and feared. Its symbols are fire for intensity, an anchor for stubbornness, and honey for its dogged pursuit of a goal.
The Coyote is a resourceful trickster, able to deftly track its prey and misdirect its enemies. Its symbols are the moon for planning under the cover of darkness, and grass for keen navigational skills and stealth.
The Raven is an intelligent planner, blessed with a long memory, the ability to move silently, and mimic the calls of other birds. It’s symbols are the crown for chess-like strategy, a key for unlocking answers, and a crystal for its love of shiny things.
Your work has a strong hand-made feel. Why is working by hand still important to you?
I’m a big believer that small is beautiful. All the Original Animals illustrations are drawn by me (no AI or stock graphics), and the streetwear I make is silk-screened by hand. This has always been my process and it always will be because I enjoy it. I learn about myself by creating this way, and I think I have a better story to tell because of it. I’m personally not at all interested in “consuming” art as a generic aesthetic. To me, aesthetic trends and algorithm creations are not why I make art, or buy it. I not an “anti-AI” person at all, I can appreciate that it will be an important part of our future. But using it to make art feels like it cuts out the most important parts… the happy accidents, unexpected combinations, and the satisfaction of struggling through the creative process until you finally weave together a visual expression of the feeling that was in your body.
Was there a particular animal in this collab that you connected with most?
I love the coyote! I grew up in Canada and witnessed first-hand how these big dogs lived. As a kid, I would watch them sneaking across the frozen lake together in the winter and hear them yipping in the forest during summer evenings. They are incredible.
What do you hope people feel when they wear or see these pieces?
I hope when people wear these designs they feel a connection with the stories behind them… and maybe even bring a new layer to that story of their own.
Where can people find more of your work?
Online Store
https://originalanimals.co.uk/
Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/original.animals
What challenges did you find merging your own brand aesthetic to work as a Blind Maggot collab collection?
The Blind Maggot team are great and really let me have free-range in terms of creative exploration and aesthetic direction. I’ve worked as both a designer and creative director for numerous brands, so I’m used to collaborating in environments where there are many “chefs in the kitchen”. It was really a lovely change to work with a team who were excited to see what I could come up with if given a very open-ended creative brief.
Grab yourself a shirt or two here : https://www.blindmaggot.co.uk/collections/underdog-cards
