My Journey into Art and Illustration

Hey there, and welcome to my little corner of the internet!

I’m Tom— wannabe artist, English teacher, Blood Bowl enthusiast, football lover, and all-around geek. Based in the beautiful city of Toulouse, I’ve taken a slightly unconventional route to get to where I am now: running an online art shop full of strange, dark, geeky, and occasionally nerdy creations.

I’m a self-taught artist with a brief stint in art school, though most of what I’ve learned has come from sketching at home, experimenting, and refusing to put the pen (or brush) down. For years, I worked behind bars—no, not prison (although some late shifts felt close), I mean pubs and cafés—and in between pouring pints, I doodled in sketchbooks and played a lot of board games.

Fast forward a bit: I’ve now swapped pulling pints for pointing at prepositions. Yep, I’m now an English teacher by day, but still a full-time creative at heart. Teaching gives me a rhythm and structure I never had before, and that rhythm fuels my art.

Last year, I had my first art exhibition, where I showcased my series of Dark Tarot cards—a project that really lit a fire under me. There’s something satisfying about designing a complete set, something with a beginning and an end, something you can hold in your hands. Since then, I’ve kept exploring that intersection of mysticism, shadows, and illustration.

My artwork is inspired by the things I love:
🎸 Rock music – It’s loud, messy, raw, and emotional, just like a good piece of art.
🎲 Board games – Especially Blood Bowl, where I also enjoy painting the minis (and occasionally winning).
🖤 Dark themes – I’m drawn to things that are slightly off-kilter, a little unsettling, but still beautiful.
⚽ Football – It’s the perfect balance to all the sitting and sketching. Gotta keep moving!

This blog will be a space where I share updates from the studio (aka my kitchen table), behind-the-scenes looks at new illustrations, inspiration sources, and maybe even a few geeky rants along the way.

Thanks for stopping by—feel free to poke around the shop, drop me a message, or challenge me to a Blood Bowl match (fair warning: I’ll bring the Lizardmen).

Stay weird,
Cheers! 
Tom
Level Up Prints