When we took over the reins at Little Aussie Monster (LAM) a few years ago, we had some pretty big dreams that we wanted to achieve. One of the biggest we shared as a family was to engage with a First Nations artist to create unique prints for our favourite LAM products. 

Deciding which artist we wanted to collaborate with was a no-brainer – it had to be Teagan Malcolm. A proud Kamilaroi yinnar, living on Wurundjeri Country (Melbourne), Teagan’s awe-inspiring designs can be seen across the Melbourne Vixens netball team, the World Wildlife Foundation and now, on Little Aussie Monster’s modern cloth nappies, wet bags, swim nappies and more. There are three beautiful designs to discover, each crafted to pay homage to LAM’s origin and home – the rainforest, beach and city.  

After bringing our dream collab to life, we caught up with Teagan to have a chat about everything from her artistic approach and methods, to how she created this beautiful, thought-provoking collection. 

What are some of your earliest memories of art? 

I was an only child until I was 13 so I spent a lot of time being creative – always drawing and making things. My mum still has paintings of mine from year seven on the walls at home. My nan taught me how to make lace and knit, she’s a very skilled woman. I have a lot of female energy around me which is very nurturing and I think the reason I had so many creative skills passed down to me. 

You swapped paint brushes for an iPad, how did that medium transition happen? 

During COVID I was selling my paintings on Instagram when I got a message from someone at the Melbourne Vixens netball team. They wanted to know if I could do artwork for their 2024 First Nations Round. Previously artists would do a painting for them and they’d digitise them through photography, but on this particular occasion, they had a really tight turnaround so I leant into my digital background. I’d started doing some passion projects digitally recently, relearning the skills I gained at university – I have a degree in Communications Design. That experience really kicked me off into the digital world again and changed the trajectory of my art.  

With digital I have so much more creative freedom and it suits my practice so much more. I don’t have to have a full room to paint in, I can sit on the iPad on the couch or at my desk and have the music on. It really suits my lifestyle.  

Can you talk us through your creative process? 

To begin with there’s a bit of pondering and stepping away from the iPad. If I force myself to sit down in front of the iPad and draw, I just end up going in circles. I tend to talk it out with my partner and explain the brief, and usually when I’m telling the story of the brief, I can start to see the artwork coming together in my head.  

Then I’ll do a rough sketch, including any elements or any key words I want to have in the piece. Sometimes keywords won’t literally be in the piece, but it might be the feelings I want people to feel from the art.  

Next comes the colour. Sometimes I’ll have the brand’s colour palette to work with or when it’s a bit more creative, like the artwork I’ve done for LAM, I look at how it’s going to fit into the bigger picture. 

Because I work with layers, I can shuffle things around. The colour palette doesn’t always work the first time, the tone could be off, so I play around until it’s perfect.  

Who or what influences your art? 

Every project is unique but the common thread for me is community and stories of people. When you look at traditional First Nations art it’s often stories of the Dreamtime or points in history, whereas I like to capture current moments through that lens, such as modern family dynamics, or modern community dynamics.  

Why are collaborations with brands, such as LAM, important to you? 

In terms of the bigger picture, I think appreciating and incorporating First Nations art and storytelling in the threads of our country is incredibly important. It validates the history of the people that own this land and it’s enriching to everyone. Every time First Nations art work is viewed, loved and told, it’s a step towards integrating it seamlessly into the day to day of our world. 

When it comes to my work, I love incorporating First Nations art in fun and modern collaborations. In one of my prints for LAM for example, there is a playful seaside crab painting, but I’ve represented people with Indigenous symbolism not typical Western drawings of people. Prints like that make it welcoming for people to explore or be curious about Indigenous art, and it also represents Indigenous art in a place where you might not regularly see it.  

How do you feel seeing your prints in the wild? 

It’s exciting to think of the history of that piece being out in the wild. Someone has gone to the website and thought that this was the piece that sung to them the most. They’ve perhaps spent five minutes reading about the story or trying to learn more about the symbolism. It’s all those micro-moments in someone’s life where they read a little bit, see a little bit, buy a little bit, that kind of builds up over time and makes them more culturally confident and capable of holding conversations about First Nations art. It’s not always about me telling someone what this symbolism is, it’s someone else learning and sharing that with someone they know.  

Would you say this is a great opportunity for people to engage with First Nations art that perhaps wouldn’t have before?

Yes, there are so many ways that First Nations art is expressed. I think for children, and in a children’s collection, this is the most fun and playful way to get them started in learning about First Nations art.  

Let’s talk through the inspo behind your three beautiful prints, where did it start for you? 

When we first got together to create this collection we talked about the family dynamic behind LAM and how you’re spread out across Melbourne and Brisbane, with origins in Cairns. It spans the entirety of the east coast and it got me thinking about the diverse landscape that encased it.  

Being in Melbourne is completely different to being in Cairns but that’s what’s so fascinating about Australia with our large land mass. So then I started thinking about what makes them the same – they’ve all got incredible communities, bodies of water and nature. And so I created the Rainforest print, the City print and the Beach/Sea print.  

Can you talk us through the Sea/Beach print and how it came about?  

I really wanted this print to feel like a busy day at the seaside with colours that are fun and playful. The dynamic lines represent people talking, giggling, shouting to each other, while there’s cheeky little crabs spread throughout giving it a whimsical feel. Amongst it all are rock pools on a sandy background.  

What was the creative process behind the City? 

The city print was initially the hardest to come up with. At first it was quite literal with little houses and roads but it all ended up looking a bit sad and grey and not the vibe I was envisioning. I started again by thinking about what I love about a city – it’s the colours, the creativity, the vibrancy of anything and everything happening at once.  

That’s when I came up with this pattern which I hope is an energetic, abstract take on what a city might look, sound and feel like from a bird’s eye point of view. We’ve got big tall buildings represented by the circles, we’ve got people, cars and all kinds of things blurring into one colourful, vibrant messy picture which is the essence of a city.  

And finally, the Rainforest print – how did that artwork come to be? 

This one also went through quite a few tweaks. Initially, it was really flora-based and started to lean more towards gardens and spring. I ended up creating these little witchetty grub critters which worked perfectly because of the crabs in the sea print. 

Amongst the grubs there’s an array of leaves and double circles representing pebbles, flowers and raindrops – all of the small elements that hold the rainforest together. People are also represented in this print because I want people to appreciate country and natural elements around us but also know it’s all of our jobs to care and look after it.  

Tough question but do you have a fave print? 

That is the most awful question (laughs). They’re like my children. The sea and the rainforest print have a warm place in my heart because of the crabs and grubs. I could see these little critters playing a part in someone’s childhood. I have prints from childhood that remember and love, like my Rugrats jumper with the little raptor on it. I hope one kid will think back when they’re older and say ‘remember those crab swimmers I had when I was three, they were so cute’. The grubs and crabs might be that special memory for someone one day. 

 Looking to the future, are there any projects or dream jobs you’re keen to explore? 

I love women-run businesses and Aussie businesses, and I’m passionate about the seamless integration of First Nations art into pop culture and everyday life. Brands like MECCA would be a dream, as well as having my artwork on screens across cities. It can’t wait to see where it grows.  

 

More about Teagan Malcolm

Proud Kamilaroi yinarr Teagan Malcom weaves heritage, family, and connection through her art. Born on Ngunnawal Country and raised across Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung lands, Teagan is now based on Wurundjeri land, where she crafts her diverse pieces out of Studio Tea. Teagan’s art tells vibrant contemporary stories, preserving culture and celebrating community for future generations. You can see more of Teagan’s work on her website and Instagram.