3. How would you describe your work in three words? 

Dark, Folky & Characterful

4. What materials or techniques do you use, and why are they important to your process? 

One of my favourite parts of my job now is sourcing the antique frames and bowls for my pieces. I’ve always been a massive treasure hunter, so it’s a great excuse to go car booting or to antique fairs, while calling it work. I learnt a lot from Cornish outsider artist Steve Camps, who I’m artist-agent to. He taught me about creating the artwork for the frame, rather than the other way round, and using wax on paintings to bring out texture.

5. Can you tell us about a favourite piece you’ve created and the story behind it? 

I really love all the pieces in SCRIMSHAW: my debut collection with Partnership Editions. They’re a company I always wanted to work with, and I loved designing a series that felt familiar, but also fresh and different. Living by the sea in Cornwall, my work has huge influences from folklore and maritime history, so these are threads that you’ll find throughout my paintings.

6. What does a typical day in your studio or workshop look like?

My youngest Ziggy has only just started childcare for two days a week, so the luxury of an (almost!) full day in the studio is something very new, and I love it. I always start by putting on warm lamps and lighting an Astier de Vilatte incense.

If I’m creating a new collection I’ll start by figuring out the frames: laying different sizes and shapes out on the floor and seeing what will work together. I usually write the different subjects out on masking tape (e.g. the animals I’ve decided on), and then put them on the frames so I can visualise them as a whole.

I feed my rescue pigeon Raisin some pine nuts (she’s very bougie and they’re the only thing she’ll eat), then get stuck into painting for as many hours as possible. I tend not to draw things out first, as I like the intuitive naivety of what comes out without thinking. But sometimes if it’s a new image, or for a client where I know it has to look a certain way, then I do a light sketch on the wood before I start.

7. Do you have any unique rituals or habits that help you stay creative?

In October last year I did my first daily drawing prompt challenge on Instagram, and it’s been transformative for me. It led to me to start my own challenge #thepromptpot which I’ve been running since. I think the habit of creating every day is the best thing you can do as an artist. It’s something that’s really hard to find the time to do amongst everyday life, but I’ve found that prompt challenges are fantastic for it, as they give you somewhere to start.

8. How do you handle creative blocks? Do you have any strategies or tips for overcoming them?

It’s funny because some days doing my drawing prompts are so easy: I immediately have a great idea, draw it super quickly, and I’m really pleased with it. Other days I try and draw five different ideas and none of them feel right. But I think what’s great about an online challenge is that I HAVE to post something – so it forces me to keep trying and not give up. And oftentimes the pieces I’m so unsure about are the ones that other people love!

9. What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced as a maker, and how did you overcome it?

I’ve always been torn between digital illustration and traditional hands on painting. For a while I thought these things were in conflict, and I would have to choose between the two. But actually the drawing challenge showed me that there’s room for both in my practice. I can create both original artworks and digital prints, and they’re bound together by my style.

10. What’s been your proudest moment or achievement so far?

World of Interiors contacted me at the end of last year to do a shoot of my home and studio for their website, which really could not be more of a dream for me, and I’m so excited for it to happen very soon!

11. What’s your favourite quote you’ve ever heard about your work? Who said it, or what was the name of the publication?

Not from a publication but I got this message from someone on Instagram recently, which I really loved:

12. Where do you draw inspiration from for your work? What sparks your imagination and creativity? 

I’ve always been obsessed with outsider and folk art: I love things that don’t look like what they’re supposed to, but instead have a character and style to them. 

13. Do you have a favourite artist, maker, movement, or tradition that has influenced your craft? 

Bill Traylor is my favourite artist and probably the biggest influence on my work. 

14. How does colour influence your practice; is it an important part of your process? Do you have a particular palette or favourites? Any go-to sources for colour inspiration? 

For someone who’s known for working in black and white, I LOVE colour. Although my paintings are always monochrome, I do bring bits of colour into my digital illustrations, and I’m especially a fan of surprise red. If I want to explore new colour combinations, I often go to Pinterest and save a picture I like, then use Procreate to design a palette from it.

15. What role does your environment play in shaping your creativity?

Other than art, interiors are my biggest passion. Each piece I create is designed with this in mind, and my surroundings are paramount to my creativity. In August 2024 Hessy and I converted our garage into a small studio each, and mine is my absolute happy place. I love our house, but it’s also a family home, so having a space that’s entirely mine to decorate and escape to, has been the most magical thing.

16. What do you want people to feel when they experience your work?

I want to create objects which feel like they might have just been dug up from the ground, like an ancient relic from a lost civilisation, but that also have a whimsical element and don’t take themselves too seriously. Perhaps a hint of nostalgia, childhood and home.. like a character from a fairytale that you’d long forgotten.

17. What are you currently working on, and what excites you most about it?

I’m currently working on my latest online collections with Partnership Editions, Arti-Ones and Farly Finds, as well as preparing for taking Sailors Jail to The Affordable Art Fair in Battersea, and my first group London show at The Gallery at Green & Stone, in April. I also have a jewellery collaboration coming with the amazing Rare Bear, which I can’t wait for!

18. What advice would you give to someone starting out as a maker?

Create every day, however small. Find your niche. Just do it.

19. If you could go back to the start of your career, what advice would you give your younger self?

It might not happen how you thought it would, but it will happen.

20. If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?

It sounds cliched but I think a day with Picasso would teach you more than you could ever learn otherwise in a lifetime.

21. Where can people find your work, and how can they support you?

I sell mostly through my own gallery Sailors Jail, which you can find at: www.sailorsjail.com/tabby-booth 

Please do follow me on Instagram @tabby.booth.artist and share my work with all the people you know who have great taste! 

Tabby Booth’s work blends folk art, storytelling, and a touch of the unexpected, creating pieces that feel both timeless and deeply personal. From hand-painted treasures in antique frames to bold monochrome illustrations, her art is rooted in history, yet brimming with contemporary character.

Explore her latest collections and follow her creative journey:

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