Tashfia Shamim is someone with multifaceted educational and professional experiences, who nurtured art amid all these fields. Her art is based on multiple topics, among which the theme of Symbolism is anchored. With fine arts as a background since her school days, and a bit of self-taught sketching, Tashfia has thrived in incorporating her passion for art in the practical world.
Tashfia started publishing her works in different platforms of social media during her undergrad days. She received immense support from her friends, family and even her academic teachers who encouraged her to pursue her dreams. She took up several illustration projects over the years. Furthermore, she approached a stationary shop with her illustrated surface pattern design, which upon being rejected led her to publish it in her own blogging website “The Nobody’s Gallery”. The overwhelming response of 50 journals being sold a week, boosted her creative spirit. During Tashfia’s undergrad days, she doodled regularly for about 30 minutes. It was a daily dose of therapeutic practice in her life. She connects concepts in written form with the art she draws. Hence, her art carries Symbolism, which can only stem from well thought-out concepts. She wants each piece of her work to evoke emotion in her audiences.
“Without emotion, the artwork lacks heart and a story to connect with its audience,”
elaborates Tashfia. Moreover, she explored topics ranging from loneliness, mental health, self-care, and more recently had an opportunity to use art to advocate for people with autism.
There is a whimsical element to her drawings, almost creating a dreamlike state; very reminiscent of one’s childhood imaginary world. To create such ambience, Tashfia draws inspiration from cartoons, anime and manga, picture books, and storybooks she grew up reading. “I would spend time enjoying how they were illustrated,” expresses Tashfia. Eventually, she grew up to become a huge fan of Studio Ghibli movies and read a lot of Japanese comics (manga). “Having been exposed to such fantastical work from a young age – I enjoy putting some magic into my work as well.”
Tashfia mostly works with pens, Indian ink, acrylic ink, and watercolour. However, currently Tashfia is expanding her horizon by learning graphics design and exploring digital art as a medium. As for future projects, Tashfia would like to offer courses and content to some of her Instagram followers who want to learn. Meanwhile, she is looking forward to create more art that attracts people of all ages, including children.
“I am really interested to work with authors to illustrate children’s books and book covers,” reveals Tashfia.
