If you’re ready to step into a world full of purple hues that’s chock-full of curious creatures ranging from goblins to druids to shroom warriors, Tom Dearie has got you covered. Tom is a British Illustrator and cartoonist, who in his own words is, “working from a desk in the east end of London or sat on a rock somewhere out at sea.” If we knew all we had to do to get the inspiration to create the incredible level of art Dearie does, we’d probably be sat out on a rock all day.
Discovering Tom and his work has sort of been like pulling back the layers of an onion. We were at first captivated by his use of color, specifically the shades of purple that can be seen in a lot of his recent work. Then we were captured by the enchanting characters and creatures Tom has dreamed up, all harnessing the smallest but most expressive facial features that we adore. Lastly, and what brought everything together, is the world Tom has created for his characters. It’s full of flying dragons, giants, wizards, and moths so big you can sit on their backs – all things we might be scared to encounter in real life. However, even with all of these things lurking about, Tom’s world is one we imagine we would rather enjoy visiting and potentially never leaving from. If there’s one way to put Tom’s artwork, it’s that it’s just plain cool.
Equally as special as his talent is the community he’s fostered around his work. It’s not uncommon to see comments on his Instagram stating how inspiring his work is, that they’d like to be the one catching a ride on one of his creatures, or that his style would be the perfect fit for a Cartoon Network show. It’s refreshing to see an artist receive the level of praise they deserve, and we can only hope that as Tom’s practice continues to grow, so does his audience. You can see all of Tom’s work on his website or his Instagram.
