I'm Tamara, an illustrator and designer currently living in Northern Utah.
My favorite subjects are animals, local plants, and mythological creatures. I also have a soft spot for carousel animals and video game fan art.
Though I've been drawing for as long as I can remember, my first real spark of joy with art came from my discovery of digital painting in Adobe PS during high school. As soon as I could afford a graphics tablet (a budget-friendly Wacom Bamboo Fun, with Adobe PS Elements 2.0), I was in love and painting as much as possible, often until the first hints of dawn were visible.
My art has gone through several changes over the years, from dark and moody to a looser approach with more negative space. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to create much while attending college or working full time. Quick sketches on scraps of paper between customers were the extent of it for this era of my life.
I spent time employed as a cake decorator and gained an appreciation of intricate pipework and embellishments. (This is partly what draws me to carousel-themed art.) There were opportunities for problem-solving and creativity, and I illustrated scenes on edible desserts, but I still missed painting for myself.
After serious chronic health issues from a viral infection in 2020, I found myself unable to work. But that also opened up opportunities for me to try to find my footing in art again.
On good health days, I use my traditional tools or PC + Huion graphics tablet to draw. Watercolor, ink, and colored pencil are my favorite traditional tools, especially on toned papers. My favorite programs are Serif's Affinity Suite and Rebelle 7 Pro.
I also use an iPad Air Gen 4 with Apple Pencil 2, Affinity Suite, Procreate, and Nomad Sculpt.
I do not use generative AI for any step of my art processes.