Welcome to my blog. This blog serves mostly as an art journal, keeping updates on what I am currently working on, inspirations, artist I admire, books I read, process, and a little glimpse into my everyday life. I also liked to connect with other people, especially other creatives. Please visit for art giveaways, which I like to do once a month. Happy reading and art making! All images are ©Cindy Tomczyk. Please contact me before using images.
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Cindy Tomczyk was raised on HB pencils, neatly folded paper, half- hazardously planned family road trips, folklore, and lots of homemade soup. So it was no surprise then, at the age of 18 she longed for a change of scenery. She fled to Sarasota, FL to study illustration, a supposedly doomed career. She disregarded pleas to study a safe major in the name to keep storytelling and image making alive. After college, she came back to Chicago with a disillusioned sense of the world and a new found Southern demeanor. Once the post-college smoked cleared, she realized she might have to play by society rules, even if for a short time. Despite this, she continued to daydream, write love letters, jump on planes, and recite the world through art.
Her art ranges from the quirky and playful to the surreal and somber. With a strong emphasis on figurative forms, her work often combines uniquely stylized images that paradoxically convey a strong emotional reality. During her free time she designs tissue boxes, paints long distance lovers, letterpress prints on a vintage press and manages a stationery line under the name Paper Parasol Press. She prefers analog over digital, mechanical over electronic, and process over high-speed processing.
She has a fascination for taxidermy, pachyderms, Eastern Europe, and obscure animals. She enjoys wearing dresses with pockets, making a mess of foreign languages, traveling to places where she attempts to use these languages, and of course, making lots of homemade soup.
Some clients: Chicago Parent Magazine, Cottonelle, Playgirl Magazine, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Time Out Chicago, and the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company to name a few.
Cindy also has her own card/stationery company called Paper Parasol Press. All cards are handmade in lovely Chicago. She also takes custom orders for wedding invites + baby announcements.
Hi Cindy,
My partner and I live in Washington State near Seattle and happened upon your site. You make beautiful art! We are getting married in three weeks and wonder if you do commissioned work? We both loved the pink two doves piece you did for Valentine’s Day. We are having a beachside ceremony in Mexico and found a great idea for an attendance book but neither of us is creatively talented in this area. Please let me know if you’re interested and available and I will go over some ideas with you. I realize this is SHORT notice and might not be your cup of tea. Love and light!
Thank you for your kind words. I wish I could! My work schedule is packed the next few weeks. I hope you two have the perfect wedding in Mexico. Keep me updated if you ever need other custom work done. Best wishes!