Lou Tonkin
Textile Artist and Print Maker.
_
email: info@loutonkin.co.uk
tel: +44 (0) 7973820636
​
website - www.loutonkin.com
instagram: @loutonkin
twitter: @lou_tonkin
shop: www.etsy.com/shop/LouTonkin
Lou Tonkin is a designer maker from St Austell, on the south coast of Cornwall. Lou’s main way of working is illustration through printmaking and textile. Producing not only cards and posters but tea towels, mugs, dresses, notebooks, etc. Lou's draw to printmaking comes from the excitement of never really knowing what the desgn she's etched into the block is going to look like after rolling over the ink and placing it on that piece of paper.
Lou loves the challenging nature of being an independent trader as you have to constantly adapt, progress and evolve like when she started out her own buisness she was originaly making clothes but the clothes turned to art and then the art turned to printmaking. However Lou doesnt only do printmaking she also spends time working with wool and doing wool repair as she loves the natural feel of it.
“ The Great Outdoors inspires me. if I don't know what i'm doing than i can litrally walk down our little lane and go hedgerow grazing and its the best thing there's so many things to look at and so many things to learn from. ”
By using mainly lino blocks for her printing Lou depicts aspects of the natural world, which she regularly sees around her living in a rural part of Cornwall often sitting for hours watching the birds so that later when she prints them in her studio she can really capture they way they stand and move. Lou’s strong connection with nature means the majority of her resources are sourced locally and sustainably in an aim to preserve and support the beautiful area she lives in.
“ In the future I hope I can learn other things and I hope I can inspire my children that you can be creative an earn money. ”
Lou began her buisness straight after finishing her degree and has been registered self employed since 2004. Lou credits her years of success to hardwork and choosing something she loves doing as its only through doing that which you love that you find the motivation to keep going every day and get up and take what your doing seriously . Lou has no plans of stoping and just wants to continue to learn new things. To see more about Lou's work check out the links above.
 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |
 |  |  |