ABOUT the artist, the shop, and the mission
Interested in who I am and why I draw sharks? This page will explain a little bit about the history of my shop and why sharks and ocean conservation is so important to me!
The artist
I'm Robyn, also known as Rewynd - I'm the illustrator & designer behind Byte Size Treasure, a shop full of cute sea-life themed products and educational materials!
Most of my life, I've lived by water - whether it be a swamp, a bay or an ocean. I have a deep love for all animals on this planet, but aquatic animals will always have my heart.
I've always wanted to be a marine biologist, but my journey went elsewhere. I took classes for a few years before falling into Art School, where I got a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Animation with a focus on character design. For years after college, I was 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!
What's my favorite shark? The Zebra Shark!
The shop
Back in 2011, I started selling my artwork online. In 2013, I rebranded the shop to Byte Size Treasure (naming the shop after my Great White character, Byte) and started vending at anime & comic book conventions in late 2014. I made some silly nautical characters, like Nerdy Blowfish & the Planetary Blowfish, Sheriff Whale.
But in 2015, I did my first week-long celebration, introducing the world to 5 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 45 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.