About Tamsin Veletto

Tamsin Veletto grew up between a Falmouth book-shop and the beach at Gyllyngvase, raised on a shelf of well-thumbed picture books and a tin of watercolours that was never quite allowed to dry out. She trained in illustration at Falmouth University and spent several years working in primary-school classrooms as a visiting artist before painting full-time.

She works small and slowly, in transparent watercolour on cotton paper, letting the washes bloom and settle rather than forcing them. Everything she paints begins as a story for a child — a friendly seal, a busy little harbour, a hedgehog on its way home — and she keeps the colours soft and the world kind.

Her touchstones are the great storybook painters: Beatrix Potter's tenderness, E.H. Shepard's line, Shirley Hughes's warmth and Jill Barklem's cosy Brambly Hedge worlds.

Tamsin Veletto paints gentle, warm-hearted watercolour scenes in the spirit of a classic children's picture book. Her work is soft and luminous, built from delicate wet-on-wet washes, tender pastel colour, rounded friendly forms and a cosy, reassuring mood. Characters and creatures are kindly and a little whimsical; landscapes are calm, sunny and inviting. Edges are soft, light is golden, and nothing is ever frightening or harsh. Her pictures are made to be loved by small children and to feel at home on the wall of a primary-school reading corner, classroom or corridor.

Inspirations

Signature features