A Bristol teenager has reached the finals of a UK art and design competition.
Sky Griffiths is up against seven other artists to win the chance of having her work on a 14-metre-long National Express coach.
The winning design will be painted on a coach which will transport passengers around the country for a year.
Sky, 19, says she is “delighted” to have been shortlisted for her fish design.
She said: “I love the combination of ocean blues, greens and purples and thought this colour scheme would look striking on a National Express coach.
“I had planned for the entire design to be patterned fish scales, but the design naturally developed into a school of fish.
“I liked the idea of seeing them travel in the direction of the coach, journeying along with its passengers.”
Sky is currently in her second year at Plymouth College of Art and is hoping to eventually break into the world of animation.
“I’d say I have a fairly cartoony style,” she added. “I use strong shapes and lines in my work and would like to focus on designing characters for animations in the future.
“I am heavily influenced by an animator called Tom Moore who directed a film called Song of the Sea. I love the designs of the characters in the film and the strong focus on folklore in the designs.”
As well as having their design on the coach, the winner will also receive a free 12-month coach pass, £500, two tickets to Hampshire's Boomtown Fair in August and a one-to-one development day with an established artist resulting in their work being showcased at this year’s High Vis Festival in Birmingham in September.
Chris Hardy, Managing Director at National Express, said: “I am extremely pleased with the high standard of entries we have had in for this competition. Shortlisting them down to just eight was a tricky task.”
The final designs are now open to a public vote on the National Express website which will close at midday on Monday, July 15.
To vote for Sky’s design, visit nationalexpress.com/en/driving-design.
