What to know<\/p>\n
U.K.-born illustrator Jemma Chapman moved to Toronto in March 2025 and began drawing tiny, stamp-sized illustrations of the city while searching for work in architecture.<\/p>\n
Encouraged by friends, Chapman launched Toonie Stamps, a project selling affordable miniature prints that celebrate Toronto landmarks and Canadian culture.<\/p>\n
Her artwork quickly went viral on social media, with many viewers asking to buy the small prints designed to make art more accessible to everyday people.<\/p>\n
Chapman now sells the $2 prints through custom vending machines, including one at Golden Horseshoe BBQ, and another planned for Toronto\u2019s First Post Office.<\/p>\n
Jemma Chapman wasn\u2019t born in Canada, but she\u2019s gone viral since moving to Toronto, for selling miniature prints that highlight the city.<\/p>\n
Chapman originally moved to the city from the U.K. in March 2025, hoping to find a job in architecture. While looking, she spent her free time drawing different locations across the city as she explored her new home.<\/p>\n
While initially made just for herself, Chapman told Now Toronto that she decided to take the leap in selling her art when her friends told her how great it was.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were small, stamp-size illustrations documenting my time in Canada as a newcomer. They were never meant to be for everybody,\u201d Chapman said. \u201cI showed a few people in passing some of the designs during the summer last year, and people said, these are really cool. You should sell them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then, despite some hesitation, Toonie Stamps was born.<\/p>\n
\u201cToonie Stamps is a community focused, accessible art project that aims to allow people to explore Toronto through my tiny prints,\u201d she said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t sure if [selling them] was something I wanted to do. I was very focused on trying to find a job in my profession and towards the end of the year, I just got so beaten down by trying to do that and the lack of response I got from trying to find a job, I just thought, \u2018What\u2019s the harm in putting this project on the internet?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Chapman said her first few videos on social media quickly gained traction. Soon, multiple people were asking if they were able to buy her prints.<\/p>\n
@no.chill.jem<\/a> About me and my art. Eight months ago I moved from the UK to Canada more specifically Toronto. When I moved I decided I wanted to document my experiences in this new country and a creative way which has led me to develop a series of stamps documenting different things I found within the city. I have shown these for a few people and they encouraged me to share them with a wider audience so please enjoy and follow along if you\u2019re interested to find out what I do next with my work. #art<\/a> #torontolife<\/a> #newcomer<\/a> #artist<\/a> #artistsoftiktok<\/a> \u266c Chill Kitty (Lofi) \u2013 The Machinist Beats<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cVery quickly, people were like, \u2018Hey, can I buy your pieces?\u2019 Which is crazy. I still don\u2019t think I still comprehend that, but I then spent some time thinking about how I could produce art in a way that felt ethical and right for me,\u201d she said. \u201cI think a lot of art is not accessible for the average person, and so that\u2019s where toonie stamps, in terms of the brand and the kind of these tiny prints being sold, came from.\u201d<\/p>\n From Canadian culture to Toronto landmarks, these 5.5cm by 9.3cm sized prints have something for everyone.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a way to provide the average person with the ability to own art and kind of have that collective specialist kind of element of it and what\u2019s nice is it just takes for one person to resonate with one design, and they\u2019re kind of interested.\u201d<\/p>\n Since beginning to sell her art in December, Chapman has also installed a small vending machine at Golden Horseshoe BBQ on Dupont St and Christie St, where residents around the city can purchase a print for $2.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a project that\u2019s taken on a life of its own that I never really expected,\u201d Chapman said.\u00a0<\/p>\n She added the vending machine portion of her art was something she was still trying to figure out.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m still kind of processing what it is and where it will go, and what I want from it as an artist and as a person and as a community focused endeavor.\u201d<\/p>\n Chapman will be installing her second vending machine at Toronto\u2019s First Post Office, a historical museum located on Adelaide St E.<\/p>\n She says she is currently a one-woman show, sourcing Excel Gum vending machines mainly from Facebook Marketplace, and remodelling them herself.<\/p>\n @no.chill.jem<\/a> <\/p>\n Hello, this is episode one of converting a chewing gum machine into an art dispenser. I\u2019ve been trying to figure out ways to sell my #art<\/a> and I think it would be really cool to have a art dispenser around the city of #toronto<\/a> I have no idea how to make this work but I think I can figure it out and #diy<\/a> the project! As an #artist<\/a> I want to create memorable art experiences which I think this machine will do. Follow along to see this become my #adhd<\/a> obsession for the next couple of weeks! <\/p>\n \u266c original sound \u2013 Toonie Stamps by Jem<\/a> <\/p>\n She hopes to install one more vending machine somewhere in the city, allowing for three permanent spots where residents can collect her work. Additionally, she plans to bring another one with her on the road whenever she attends an art event.<\/p>\n Chapman says she also has a few more print drops coming out, with one specific to International Women\u2019s Day, showcasing Toronto Women\u2019s sports teams, as well as a food-specific drop in April.<\/p>\n Chapman admitted that despite her newfound success, she said she still finds it hard to call herself an artist.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that they\u2019ve taken time out of their day to buy [my art] or go to my machines and or my shop<\/a> and spend their hard earned money on something I\u2019ve created is pretty cool and still a little crazy, but the outpouring of support from people, people messaging me and kind of resonating with the project and telling me anecdotal stories of their experience and referencing to a memory sparked by the stamp, is really, really cool,\u201d she said. \u201cI never expected that.\u201d<\/p>\n