My name is Nathalie Ayesha Tappin and I am an artist, illustrator, graphic designer and teacher. I was born in Barbados and grew up in Rotterdam, where my mother had a gallery. That's how I came into contact with different artists from the age of five. After graduating from high school I studied Communication Creative in Rotterdam, did the orientation year at the Rietveld Academy Amsterdam and I followed the Graphic Design course at the MK24 in Amsterdam.

After my education I worked for many years in the advertising world, while I was involved in various creative projects alongside my work. As a child I dreamed of making art full-time and the last few years I have spent finding my own style.

I like to work with all kinds of different materials: from acrylic, watercolor fineliners, pencils and colored pencils, old magazines and fabrics such as old jeans. Everything I can find! I get inspired by colours; during the day I'm busy matching those colors in my head. The faces you see in my work have been drawn since my childhood. They often just come to mind and I love drawing them all day long. I often write something next to it – I try to imagine what the faces are thinking. I would describe my work as colorful, playful and unpolished. I work very intuitively and usually just watch what arises. I can be chaotic, but at the same time I am also busy organizing things in my head in a creative way. I like to use cheerful colors. Those colors represent my positive energy and cheerful side. The illustrations I make for it reflect a deeper layer in me. In my work I try to create contrast and in that way surprise and touch.