Tina Backman: illustrator extraordinaire

Posted by Tiffany on July 1st, 2010    2 Comments »

photo & illustrations: tina backman

When we first met Tina in January we knew we’d stumbled across a very special talent. In her debut line of greeting cards and home accessories, she mingles the finesse and sophistication of a professional designer with the imagination of a child, resulting in a unique style all her own.

We caught up with this month’s featured designer, Tina Backman, in her hometown of Örebro, central Sweden.

FS: How did you first discover that illustration and design was for you?

TB: I have always been very curious. When I was younger I loved using my camera, tape-recorder and pen and paper to capture and document things around me. I didn’t know much about design at that stage and wanted to become an artist until I discovered graphic design and illustration. When I started freelancing, my jobs became more and more about illustration so I decided to focus on that completely since that is also what I enjoy doing the most.

illustrations by tina backman

FS: What made you decide to branch out and start your own line of products?

TB: I wanted to do my own thing and do it my own way. So I put a lot of time into illustrations and creating prototypes for my own brand, and I am very happy to have gotten the opportunity to do that now.

FS: How would you describe your design style?

TB: My drawings are colorful, a bit naive, quirky and I often hear people use the word charming. I have my way of illustrating and I would have trouble doing it any other way. But I think that is my strength too. You can tell it’s a “Tina” piece.

illustration: tina backman

FS: What inspires you?

TB: People, situations, memories, music and new places… but most inspiring for me right now is spending time with our son Måns Ferdinand who is 3 yrs old.

Son Måns (above), and vintage stickers from the 60’s (below) make for good inspiration. photos & illustrations: tina backman

TB: I also love my grandmother’s old fabrics from Finland and I keep a few boxes filled with memories such as photographs, stickers, bags and fabrics from the sixties and seventies. So if I feel really uninspired one day I just open one of those boxes and I am most definitely back on track again soon!

prints of the same illustrations used on her mugs and tea towels. photo & illustrations: tina backman

FS: What inspired the illustrations for your kitchen collection that we’re featuring this month in particular?

TB: I wanted to use a theme that clearly linked the ideas of kitchen and food to the items I was creating. So I pulled out all of our kitchenware and just spent a whole day drawing everything from vegetables to cups and cakes.

Tina’s Bake a cake patterned kitchen towel. photo: tina backman

FS: What is your studio or creative space like?

TB: I love my studio space and the location. It looks a lot like the industrial area that I used to play in when I was younger, and at the same time as it reminds me of London. It´s a rough area (for Sweden) but I really like it.

a glimpse inside Tina’s creative space. photos: tina backman

TB: The office is full of boxes with unfolded cards that are waiting to be folded, packed and sent away. Tea towels and mugs take up a lot of our space as well (I share an office with another designer), and the walls are filled with illustrations and patterns I am working on right now. I also tend to keep a mug of coffee very close, since there is always so much to do and so little time. It feels like it helps to keep me focused.

FS: What is your biggest challenge now?

TB: The challenge now is trying to manage doing everything myself. I love my job which sometimes makes it difficult to really take a break from it.

illustration: tina backman

FS: So where can we expect to see you go from here?

TB: I am in a phase now where I have to make decisions about upcoming products and what the next step should be. I did recently start working with patterns for textiles though.

FS: Interesting! Can’t wait to see what you come up with.

(Thanks Tina!)

Cheer up your kitchen with Tina’s irresistible illustrations on mugs, kitchen towels and dishcloth sponges available in the shop this month only!

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