Let me introduce myself…

Hello you, thanks for stopping by.

In case you were wondering who on earth is this? I’m Tamsin, an Australian artist from birth, emerging into a life centred around illustration and surface pattern design.

So how did I land here? I have always known that art was my thing. I really loved colour and drawing more than anything else, oh I probably loved my rabbits more, but rabbits get old and, you know, pop their clogs… anyhow, I knew I wanted to be an artist when I grew up, but finding a place where I was a ‘fully realised’ artist didn’t come easily, in fact it’s still coming, bit by bit.

I worked as a full time illustrator for a number of newspapers both in Australia and overseas (hello Scotsman, I love you), where I balanced drawing and the new frontier of digital art, all the while creating colourful objects for sale on Etsy. When I moved back to Australia from Scotland I found my home in Northern New South Wales, on a river, where I felt very connected to the earth and her rhythms. That is where I also found a place in the Dirtgirlworld Universe.

Dirtgirlworld is a kids TV show and educational environmental movement, loved all over the world. It has high art values and I worked as senior artist and art director for several years. Our online endeavours even won a Digital Emmy! It was a hoot. I also collaborated on some pretty special projects during that time, so I wouldn’t change a thing. Meanwhile Etsy ticked along, and country markets selling my kids clothing line were absorbing all my spare time.

The little pink pencil...

But being a chameleon to stay employed took its toll on my sense of purpose in this life. Who was I really as an artist? Did I actually have a style of my own? Friends told me they always knew a Tamsin piece of art, but I felt lost. Then the little pink pencil entered my life. Out on a walk one day in my local 'hood, I came upon a little half-used pencil. I couldn't leave it to go down the drain, so I took it home and started to draw. I hadn't drawn for myself a long time, and it unlocked something in me...I was off on a new adventure! Art for the sake of art! Liberation!

I painted canvases and wooden thingameeboops for a while experimenting with colour and form, and discovering the agony and ecstasy that is painting! I put my fledgling art up on Instagram, very scary, and was very supported by lovely followers. But I knew I wasn’t in a position to have a big studio to explore my grand ambitions, and then I lost my home in Byron Bay, so I moved back down to Melbourne just in time to say farewell to my Dad.

After my Dad died, during COVID lockdowns, I came out of hibernation with a sense that I wanted to focus on surface pattern design in my little studio. OMG it’s a THING? I couldn’t believe I had gone through life not pursuing this over everything else! In 2021 I felt like I had found my calling. Since then I have been creating collections and honing my style vibe, opening a Spoonflower store and I have a range of patterns for sale on Digital Fabrics and Cloth Cuts. Exciting times! 

My use of pattern and saturated colour is inspired by the nature around me and by my wish to add something positive and uplifting to the world - whether that be as an animal illustration, piece of home decor, fabric, or stationery.

It’s sunny in my world and I want to share that sunshine with you. If you are a little bit on the same path, or interested in upcoming design drops or more (hopefully interesting) musings around the artist’s life, why not sign up for my occasional news and design drops ? It would be fun to connect :0)

Hugs

Tamsin