Ink, Movement & Storytelling — Caroline Tomlinson
Central Saint Martins graduate. 15 years as a designer and art director in London. Three years ago she turned fully toward fashion illustration — and found herself more inspired, and more alive, than ever before.
Caroline Tomlinson is a London-based artist and illustrator exploring gesture, emotion, and the rhythm of daily life through paint, ink, and film. Her practice blends traditional mark-making with contemporary storytelling — capturing the beauty of imperfection and the spontaneity of process.
Her illustrated work combines beautiful inky flourishes in an endless exploration of trial and error. This is at the heart of her process — she believes in making marks and embracing "happy accidents" in order to retain fullness of character and spirit. The result: loose control that is full of energy.
I have a slight obsession with mark making and making lines that have varying flow to them. And the greats, like Picasso and Matisse really understood how lines worked. I look at them constantly.
Fashion icons in your opinion?
I still have a huge girl crush on Alexa Chung — everything she wears looks incredible. And the Olsen Twins, for making the basics into luxury pieces. And for French style like no other, Caroline de Maigret. I posted a sketch I did of her last Summer, when we saw her in a café — and she reposted it on her Instagram. It made my Summer!
What would be a dream project?
I would love to do another collaboration with a photographer and director. I worked with Rankin a couple of years ago for a fragrance ad — and I'd like to do more of that. Create some moving images and shots of my work in different contexts. I would love the opportunity to play with scale and movement.
Favorite social media handles you follow?
- Stina Persson — @stina_persson_illustration
- Tina Berning — @Tina_berning
- Maria Lundström — the colour, line and mark-making — @maria_lundstrom
- David Downton — obviously
- A mild obsession with getting lost in Pinterest — www.pinterest.com/ctomlinson1979
