Sta.sh
Featured Print Artist 
Tegan Coddington is a young australian artist with the great gifts of literally out of this world imagination and the abilty to put her most inner feelings and thoughts onto paper as she desires. Having drawn ever since she could pick up a a pencil, Tegan developed a uniqe and twisted style that is rich of vibrant colors, interesting little details and hidden meanings using all kinds of mixed media.
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Q To start things off, tell us, who is the girl behind the moniker "Glittersniffer"?
I am that girl who always drew ever since I could pick up a pencil. I never cared much about anything else but drawing for it was the only thing I could really do well, better than anything else and also always stood out from the crowd that surrounded me. I would suck at a lot of other subjects and struggle a lot when other kids could succeed with no problem but when it came to art it was always way too natural to me and I always got top grades. I'm the girl who would sit there all through high school drawing in every class I had instead of doing the work, homework would be rushed and hours would be spent on a drawing of mine.
I am 18 years old, a bubbly person who can pretty much get along with anyone but I was always extremely negative towards myself and had a lot of issues with finding confidence within myself for a long time. I started to change and as soon as I became a woman everything was different, down to what I wore but who I was. When I was young I was extremely shy and quiet and as I aged to 16 I grew a voice and confidence to boot.
I am 18 years old, a bubbly person who can pretty much get along with anyone but I was always extremely negative towards myself and had a lot of issues with finding confidence within myself for a long time. I started to change and as soon as I became a woman everything was different, down to what I wore but who I was. When I was young I was extremely shy and quiet and as I aged to 16 I grew a voice and confidence to boot.
Q Tell us about your journeys in the world of art. When and how did you get into it? Tell us about the development of your style.
I received my creative gene through my father's side of the family. My father was always creative and can use his imagination including his own father who still paints and draws today extremely well. I have drawn ever since I could pick up a pencil, always had a wild imagination but I didn’t always draw weird, slightly morbid and wacky things. I started with cute and cuddly things like animals, unicorns and dragons. I still remember the times when even my primary school teachers would check under my drawings to see if I was tracing something…
I have always drawn so I have gone through a lot of different phases and styles but recently I feel I have stumbled into my element. My artwork speaks my true self and it wasn’t like I got it easy but I had a huge climb of drawing things that were not quiet right in the beginning. My development on drawing people started from my mum actually. Before then I always drew animals from nature books or my imagination and she would always say “Draw some people“ and then one fine day I did. As I got older I started to struggle with myself and my art then became darker and took on a new meaning than just pretty pictures. I went to Balcatta ShS that specialized in art and did art classes there until year 11, I would have teachers drool over my work that I would hand in of slashed up bodies and morbid faces even when it left me confused. I don’t think the art classes taught me anything much but it was fun to experiment with a lot of different materials like sculpturing or creating a book and even working on large scale paintings, and it was fun to be constantly surrounded by nutty arty farty people because even though they are weird they are the best kind of people on the planet.
I always felt comfortable with holding a pencil and I don’t like to change much although I enjoy painting I can never build as much detail as I can when I draw. Along with going to an art school I also did some T.AF.E courses like ‘Art and Design’ that pretty much filled in time for me to keep me busy when I left school to start looking for a job and thought about what I wanted to do with my art in the future.
Art was never just something I just liked to do but more so my talent and my strength.
I have always drawn so I have gone through a lot of different phases and styles but recently I feel I have stumbled into my element. My artwork speaks my true self and it wasn’t like I got it easy but I had a huge climb of drawing things that were not quiet right in the beginning. My development on drawing people started from my mum actually. Before then I always drew animals from nature books or my imagination and she would always say “Draw some people“ and then one fine day I did. As I got older I started to struggle with myself and my art then became darker and took on a new meaning than just pretty pictures. I went to Balcatta ShS that specialized in art and did art classes there until year 11, I would have teachers drool over my work that I would hand in of slashed up bodies and morbid faces even when it left me confused. I don’t think the art classes taught me anything much but it was fun to experiment with a lot of different materials like sculpturing or creating a book and even working on large scale paintings, and it was fun to be constantly surrounded by nutty arty farty people because even though they are weird they are the best kind of people on the planet.
I always felt comfortable with holding a pencil and I don’t like to change much although I enjoy painting I can never build as much detail as I can when I draw. Along with going to an art school I also did some T.AF.E courses like ‘Art and Design’ that pretty much filled in time for me to keep me busy when I left school to start looking for a job and thought about what I wanted to do with my art in the future.
Art was never just something I just liked to do but more so my talent and my strength.
Q One major thing your artworks are known for is they reflect your innermost feelings, all your joys and all your pains. How do you accomplish this?
I feel my artwork triggers the minds of a lot of people because they can see what goes in my artwork and what it's all about. I always hated how talented artists would draw a magnificent piece of art and all they would leave in the description was a simple ‘dot, dot, dot’. I like to know what was going on in their minds at the time they worked on an artwork and how it came to be. This is why I leave such big descriptions on most of my deviations. People appreciate something much more if they understand it and I want people to understand my work to the most possible extent.
The way I came to draw about my feelings so much was that I guess my mind is constantly turning out thoughts and feelings like everyone else, but I don’t like to talk to people about what is bothering me; sometimes finding it difficult and end up keeping it locked away inside of me. My art is my outlet to my busy thoughts. It’s like when I have something frustrating me or getting down on me I'll draw it out of my mind by simply putting it on paper. It’s like opening up my head digging around in there and spreading out my issues or feelings that bother more than the feelings that make me happy down on paper, almost as if I’m trying to get rid of it cleansing myself by putting it into a frame and leaving it be…
I have a problem and once I draw it down in the heat of the moment I instantly feel better like I am truly getting rid of it. My pain can create something beautiful and yet its message or original state may not have been anything beautiful at all. I am not sure how I came to be able to do this but all I know is that I started searching myself for drawing ideas and it started from there. I still use myself for the moulds of most of my work even when it’s just picking up a mirror to see the other side of my hand and how it bends into a shape to help me out with a picture.
The way I came to draw about my feelings so much was that I guess my mind is constantly turning out thoughts and feelings like everyone else, but I don’t like to talk to people about what is bothering me; sometimes finding it difficult and end up keeping it locked away inside of me. My art is my outlet to my busy thoughts. It’s like when I have something frustrating me or getting down on me I'll draw it out of my mind by simply putting it on paper. It’s like opening up my head digging around in there and spreading out my issues or feelings that bother more than the feelings that make me happy down on paper, almost as if I’m trying to get rid of it cleansing myself by putting it into a frame and leaving it be…
I have a problem and once I draw it down in the heat of the moment I instantly feel better like I am truly getting rid of it. My pain can create something beautiful and yet its message or original state may not have been anything beautiful at all. I am not sure how I came to be able to do this but all I know is that I started searching myself for drawing ideas and it started from there. I still use myself for the moulds of most of my work even when it’s just picking up a mirror to see the other side of my hand and how it bends into a shape to help me out with a picture.
Q Besides your own personal feelings, where else do you get inspiration for what you do? Is there any artists you look up to?
I love looking at a lot of things like cartoons or photographs sometimes to help me out with ideas; I sometimes simply browse around on deviantART and random works that would trigger my inspiration; works that deal with something more interior as in emotions I could relate to might give me ideas and from there I'd draw something dealing with the same feeling that was going on in that artwork but replace it all with how I feel or what it looks like to me to deal with that feeling.
Artists like Mark Ryden and Trevor Brown float me away with dreams and admiration towards their work. I like twisted things, children with toys that don’t seem quite right as Mark Ryden uses in his art constantly. An evil or out of place twist to an innocent picture always captures my attention and I adore to see work like that.
Brands of clothing like the popular Misery Boutique inspire me for many reasons because I wish to someday have work printed on clothing like she has. I enjoy anything pretty much that takes a twist on reality or even just plain fun art like the famous rockabilly style Coop and his devil girls.
Artists like Mark Ryden and Trevor Brown float me away with dreams and admiration towards their work. I like twisted things, children with toys that don’t seem quite right as Mark Ryden uses in his art constantly. An evil or out of place twist to an innocent picture always captures my attention and I adore to see work like that.
Brands of clothing like the popular Misery Boutique inspire me for many reasons because I wish to someday have work printed on clothing like she has. I enjoy anything pretty much that takes a twist on reality or even just plain fun art like the famous rockabilly style Coop and his devil girls.
Q Keyword: deviantART. How did you get here, what does it mean to you and how does it influence you as an artist?
I love showing my work to people, especially fellow artists, reason why I joined deviant ART in the first place. When I was in high school I would always draw with a best friend of mine and we would look forward to showing each others work to one another during school every day, every week.
When I discovered deviantART I knew I had to make an account and I did just as soon as I left high school and fell out of some friendships in which I showed my work to. deviantART is the perfect place for me and my artwork because it just has to be interacted with. I love putting it out there and mingling it about with other fantastic artists and watching people show their full abilities just like me.
deviantART is such a friendly community, I had subscriptions bought for me and a print account so I can sell my art to anyone who wants it at such a great price compared to how much I have to pay to print off large copies of my work where I live. deviantART has given me so much exposure to the world and that's exactly what I wanted.
When I discovered deviantART I knew I had to make an account and I did just as soon as I left high school and fell out of some friendships in which I showed my work to. deviantART is the perfect place for me and my artwork because it just has to be interacted with. I love putting it out there and mingling it about with other fantastic artists and watching people show their full abilities just like me.
deviantART is such a friendly community, I had subscriptions bought for me and a print account so I can sell my art to anyone who wants it at such a great price compared to how much I have to pay to print off large copies of my work where I live. deviantART has given me so much exposure to the world and that's exactly what I wanted.
Q People often throw you and your art in the "Goth" bucket because of your art and lifestyle. What do you think about that?
I do not consider myself or my artwork ‘Goth’ simply because I hate labels. Although it's human nature to label something and judge it based on said label to make it easier understand or whatever, I simply don’t feel I do anything practically in one style or anything that can fit into one category; like a lot of art similar to my own, like art expressing feelings. But not all feelings can be shut into a box and labelled one thing. I have images that are sad and depressed but I also have artwork that takes the piss out of something or bounces around like a bunny rabbit on a sugar high.
The way I live my life is very higgledy piggledy and my art simply reflects that. I think my work including myself personally is a bunch of things warmed together, I do enjoy the things considered ‘Goth’ but I also like punk or rockabilly and many more styles and looks. I listen to a lot of heavy metal and I do enjoy the more alternative lifestyle although I think as soon as anyone sticks a label on themselves they are limiting themselves to being what ever they want to be or limiting themselves to grow. I have friends who one day may be accused of being a goth and the next a hippy! But they will never call or wack a label on themselves, they are who they are just like me and my artwork.
I am not denying I draw a lot of black morbid depressing stuff and that includes most of the emotions that are behind most of my artwork although not all of it is presented in a dark dull piece of work. A lot of people point out that my art is so eye catching to them because I use bright colours on pitch blacks with such a contrast that it just explodes in people's bellies filling them with satisfaction.
The way I live my life is very higgledy piggledy and my art simply reflects that. I think my work including myself personally is a bunch of things warmed together, I do enjoy the things considered ‘Goth’ but I also like punk or rockabilly and many more styles and looks. I listen to a lot of heavy metal and I do enjoy the more alternative lifestyle although I think as soon as anyone sticks a label on themselves they are limiting themselves to being what ever they want to be or limiting themselves to grow. I have friends who one day may be accused of being a goth and the next a hippy! But they will never call or wack a label on themselves, they are who they are just like me and my artwork.
I am not denying I draw a lot of black morbid depressing stuff and that includes most of the emotions that are behind most of my artwork although not all of it is presented in a dark dull piece of work. A lot of people point out that my art is so eye catching to them because I use bright colours on pitch blacks with such a contrast that it just explodes in people's bellies filling them with satisfaction.
Q You also often get asked what materials and utensils you use to make your artworks. Wanna fill us in?
I have always preferred to hold a pencil in my hand than anything else while I draw. I like to use watercolour pencils because they have a rich bright color unlike most plain pencils, and they don’t fade so much in the sun. Although I will use watercolour which is any brand I get my hands on I like to mix it up a bit with the good old mixed media, torn paper, ink and a paintbrush, dirty water ‘the remains of dirty paintbrushes soaking’ permanent markers and other interesting pens. You will find some paint, lace or even blood in my artwork and of course the torn up bits of paper that cover up mistakes or join images together when they couldn’t fit onto the page. I always draw on an A3 scale and sometimes I trail off the page and expand, but then it gets difficult to scan on an A4 scanner, but I can manage that.
Q How has art impacted your life in general?
I am very down when I can not draw. Yes, I have struggles sometimes, like lack of inspiration or not being able to get the image in my head out on paper right, like many of us have stress attacks over...
Art is something that when I’m doing it I am completely happy, like reading a book you enjoy it’s like diving away from reality and creating your own little world, I feel I have created my own world around me.
I couldn’t live without it and sometimes I get intense pleasure over creating something that is simple yet so beautiful. I love having the gift of being able to draw what I want and create something attractive yet meaningful not only to me but something that also captures lot of other people.
Art is something that when I’m doing it I am completely happy, like reading a book you enjoy it’s like diving away from reality and creating your own little world, I feel I have created my own world around me.
I couldn’t live without it and sometimes I get intense pleasure over creating something that is simple yet so beautiful. I love having the gift of being able to draw what I want and create something attractive yet meaningful not only to me but something that also captures lot of other people.
Q Art career wise, what have you planned for your future?
I have always thought about what I wanted from my art in the future, knowing art was something I was always going to be doing if not for a career simply a hobby of mine I'd always cherish and adore to have the ability to create happiness with. I was always interested in fashion and I think the day images were used on fabric was the start of something great. I will rather buy something I could wear or have on me rather than something to shove away on a wall. I want my work to be seen on people, the type of people that love to express themselves. Hopefully sometime in November or later I will have a website up and have t-shirts available with my artwork printed on to be sold to anyone who desires them. I want to get my work on shirts, skirts, bags or anything else, you name it…
To have my work on people would make my day, I have already seen a lot of my work sunk permanently skin layers deep in ink on a number of people and it is an amazing feeling.
To have my work on people would make my day, I have already seen a lot of my work sunk permanently skin layers deep in ink on a number of people and it is an amazing feeling.
Q In closing, is there any thoughts or words of advice you want to share with the people who read this?
The amount of people who ask me how I create my art and where I get my ideas from grows day by day. Everyday I have new questions to answer and it can be tricky. It’s like a lot of things: The more you draw the better you will become.
I look back through my scrap books or when I’m cleaning my room to discover the beginnings of what I have today and it makes me smile. It’s interesting to see how much I have developed and all I did was have passion to succeed with it. I just always looked at myself and thought about what I was good at, I would try really hard with my artwork because it was the only thing I really wanted to do. I importantly always wanted to bring my art to a level that pleased me completely not even thinking about what others would feel about it.
I always did what I wanted to do and would never give up even when nothing was turning out and the stress attacks would come as I threw pencils across the room and scrunched up piece of paper after piece of paper but I got there eventually.
I always got inspiration from other artists but to begin with I always felt my art was blurring into the lines of being something just like everyone else’s or too similar to others work, when I started to concentrate with my work I tried to create something that I felt reflected myself.
I can tell you once I started to create art like I do that felt like it was really something special, personal and my very own like it runs in your veins, there is nothing like it when new people everyday explain what your art means to them and how much they adore it, there is nothing like this in the whole world.
I look back through my scrap books or when I’m cleaning my room to discover the beginnings of what I have today and it makes me smile. It’s interesting to see how much I have developed and all I did was have passion to succeed with it. I just always looked at myself and thought about what I was good at, I would try really hard with my artwork because it was the only thing I really wanted to do. I importantly always wanted to bring my art to a level that pleased me completely not even thinking about what others would feel about it.
I always did what I wanted to do and would never give up even when nothing was turning out and the stress attacks would come as I threw pencils across the room and scrunched up piece of paper after piece of paper but I got there eventually.
I always got inspiration from other artists but to begin with I always felt my art was blurring into the lines of being something just like everyone else’s or too similar to others work, when I started to concentrate with my work I tried to create something that I felt reflected myself.
I can tell you once I started to create art like I do that felt like it was really something special, personal and my very own like it runs in your veins, there is nothing like it when new people everyday explain what your art means to them and how much they adore it, there is nothing like this in the whole world.
It's so good to know that there is so much talent here in Aus, and good young talent at that.
A year older than me but work of a pro artist that could make a living out of it...which she probably does. Makes me wanna cry lol.
Awesome work and great interview and insight Tegan.
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2d//3d//Photography// - [link]
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yum.
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my art website
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portfolio/drumming+video/facebook
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Best Regards,
Piotr Jaworowski
The Hejz
Ars Thanea
Why need words
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The place, where vampires fly (Bloody Sunset) [link]
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Oliver
Community Operations & Retail
deviantart, inc.
random deviation
Don't like Misery's work at all but I love Illicit (brand that she's under) and the other less trendy-cutesy-goth styles found there.
Nice interview, A little, eerr.... well I'll just suggest this:
Humility and modesty are nice when appropriate. The opposites are quite distasteful things to see in an artist (especially as repeatedly as in this interview) especially one so young with seemingly quite an under-developed style and such common and unamazing subjects.
Cough cough.