CV & BIO

Auckland based Artist and Illustrator, James Nicholls has been honing his creative skills over the past 6 years. Working under the artist name TUSS, James has developed a speciality in live drawing and capturing people in the moment.

James was inspired by the greats, such as caricature artist Mort Drucker and Comic book artists like Jim Lee. He enjoys working in digital format, as well as traditional mediums such as ink, graphic, charcoal and paint.

"Art forces me to be brave and try new mediums and styles."

His passion is for drawing people and capturing their character in a static image. Whether that is as a cartoon for online and print publications, or capturing events and meetings. He can often be found working on a large piece of paper with his paint markers, capturing the images of key speakers at a conference or convention.

"I love working live, the pressure and excitement is what it's all about"

Being a self taught artist with a background in teaching and youth work, James has also adapted his passion for creating into Art Classes and Art Therapy programs. Having been working with a local high school to develop the heART Groups. Working with students who are managing various learning or emotional challenges, to give them a safe space to communicate and create.