Getting Illustrated with Higgledy Ink

I really struggle with what to buy JB for birthdays and Christmas however for Christmas 2016 I was sorted pretty early on thanks to the help of the lovely Tamsin of Higgledy Ink.

Higgledy Ink showcases the work that Tamsin creates for her clients.  Tamsin has always been creative and spent much of her childhood drawing and making up plays.  She pursued her love of art after school and completed an illustration degree at Liverpool University however she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do when she graduated.  After moving to London and working as a script writer for 10 years she decided to do an art therapy course.  Tamsin had always kept her hand in illustration and provided her work to the property law journal.

In 2007 she and her husband took the decision to move away from London and set up home near Bath.  In 2009 and 2011 her two daughters were born.

Higgledy Ink started when the children were a little older in 2014 and she received her first commission after putting a drawing of her daughter up online.  The business has steadily grown since and allows her to juggle work, children and family life.

Tamsin’s inspiration comes from all around her but looking back at her old work portfolio’s it is evident that she has always had a passion for drawing people.  She still recalls a portrait of her Dad on a riverbank that she did back in 1991.

Self taught on photoshop over a period of time, she now uses the programme to help create pieces for clients.  Tamsin will draw the picture freehand initially, then scan the work into the computer and get the detail started.

Dog portraits have proved really popular – everyone loves their pets and the way that Tamsin captures the dogs spirit and personality in her illustrations are just stunning.  A portrait can take Tamsin around half a day and is sent to the client for an initial approval before being finalised.

I sent approx 10 photos of our two dogs from different angles and let Tamsin have a free reign over how she wanted to put them both on the picture.

I was absolutely lost for words when the draft portrait was sent over to me (which is exactly the reaction Tamsin hopes for!) and couldn’t wait to give it to JB on Christmas Day.  It was SOO hard not sharing it with him throughout December.

Here’s the finished (& FINALLY framed) product:

We’re SO pleased with the the final result and can’t recommend Tamsin’s work enough.  Everything was so seamless from the initial enquiry to taking delivery.

You can also find Tamsin’s work on Etsy and Thortful (which is a little like Moonpig) or her website.

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*This post was written in collaboration with Higgledy Ink