C.V.

NATALIE PERKINS

Textile and drawing
Logan, Queensland, Australia
natalieperkins.com | @definatalie

Practice

Textile work in reclaimed and salvaged fabrics: hand stitched posters, wall works, patchwork and wearable pieces.
Drawing and painting: ink, watercolour and acrylic on paper.
Decorative and wearable craft: jewellery, patches and handmade clothing.
Sustained series include the Venus Nana works and the Plumpie figures.

Selected projects and exhibitions

  • Girth Guides, cloth patch series in the merit-badge idiom carrying fat-rights slogans. Crowdfunded through Pozible, released 2015; patches produced and sold through her website. Covered by Bustle, Trend Hunter and The Vocal.
  • Incognito Art Show, works on paper, 2026.

Commissions and published artwork

  • Artwork in the feature film Jucy (dir. Louise Alston): illustrations in the opening title sequence and cover artwork for a mix CD prop, 2009. Australian feature film shot in Brisbane, released 2010; premiered at the Brisbane International Film Festival.
  • Cover artwork, drawing and hand lettering, Peppermint magazine, launch issue, 2008. Paisley line work on the cover, plus a drawing and hand lettering for the fashion editorial.
  • Cover lettering, Peppermint magazine, issues 2, 3 and 4.

Writing and publishing

  • “When Activism Gives Way to Advertising: How Fat Girl Blogging Ate Itself”, xoJane, Fashion section, 28 November 2012. Cited by the Observer and Jezebel.
  • definatalie.com, 2007 to present. Published writing on art, design, body image, disability and fat activism. Website selected for preservation by the National Library of Australia in the PANDORA web archive, first captured 2008.

Community and volunteer

  • Volunteer, Sewing for Charity Australia and The Sewing Lair, 2022 to present. SFCA is a national charity that upcycles donated textiles into handmade items for people in need. The Sewing Lair is its social enterprise, running classes, workshops and social groups at Beenleigh and Moorooka.

Education

  • Double degree, Education and Fine Arts, Queensland University of Technology. Commenced 1998; all coursework completed except one subject.

Applied and commercial practice

  • Fancy Junk (formerly Fancy Lady Industries), 2011 to present. Upcycled textile goods, clothing, sewing patterns, patches and jewellery, sold within Australia and internationally.
  • Surface pattern designs, Fancy Junk (formerly Fancy Lady Industries). 28 repeat prints carried in the Next State Print fabric library since 2018: the Australiana set (Fairy Bread, Iced Vovo, Lamingtons), florals, insects, mushrooms and 80s doodles.

Selected media

  • The Jealous Curator, feature on her drawing practice, 2010.
  • 612 ABC Brisbane, radio interview, 2010.
  • The Project (Network Ten), interview, 2012.
  • Observer (New York), “Fatshion Police: How Plus-Size Blogging Left Its Radical Roots Behind”, 2013.
  • The Curvy Fashionista, “Plus Size Art: The Art of Definatalie and Fancy Lady Industries”, 2013.