ABOUT

About Me:

I'm Rew - the illustrator & designer behind Byte Size Treasure.
I have a deep love for all animals on this planet, but aquatic animals will always have my heart.

Growing up, I always wanted to be a marine biologist and took classes in the field, but life's journey took elsewhere - I ended up going to school for Animation, with a focus on character design. I've worked a professional web designer, illustrator, and graphic designer.

I decided to put all my artistic knowledge and my life-long passion together to create cute & fun ocean-themed merchandise sure to appeal to the excitable, sea-loving child in all of us! 

I currently live in Virginia with my husband and our two furry children - a pit bull named Snow and a tuxedo cat named Arya. My husband handles all of the 3D modeling, printing, molding, casting, and painting of many of our homemade products!

The shop

I started selling my art online in 2011, but in 2013, Byte Size Treasure was born. I began vending at anime and comic book conventions in late 2014. 

In 2015, I did my first week-long celebration, introducing the world to 5 of my shark characters - giving fun facts about the species and shedding new, positive light on these shark species.

From that moment on, I decided to base all my work on real-life animals. Every year since, I've introduced 5-15 new shark friends each year. My total count right now is 50 species of sharks! And over 200 species of other aquatic (and some non-aquatic) animals!

Why sharks?

Sharks are an ancient family of fish and are a vital part of our global ecosystem. As a keystone species, they maintain the delicate balance of the food chain. If sharks disappear, the entire system is pushed into turmoil and our world-wide ecosystems will crumble.

Despite their importance, shark populations are decimated globally due to humans - nearly 100 million sharks are killed every year due to commercial and recreational fishing. This, paired with the "man-eating monster" stereotype sharks have gotten over the years, has left sharks fighting for their survival. 

The mission

As a conscious decision, I decided that I wanted to tackle showing sharks in a more positive light. Though my characters are mostly happy, cute, and colorful - they are based on real life sharks and I use them to educate and inspire.

But it's not just sharks. Even to this day, 80% of our oceans are unmapped and unexplored.
Think of all the unique life we have yet to discover! 

Taking inspiration from the world around me, I vow to use my art to educate, foster love & appreciation, and emphasize the importance of animals & ocean conservation.