Local resident and Twinz Co. Marketing Owner Tina Duncan has been using her new-found free time to paint used toilet paper tubes in the likeness of her family, community members, and even celebrities.
Duncan hadn’t picked up a paintbrush since college, but she needed a distraction from stress and missed her friends.
“For someone like me, when you’re constantly on the go, social, active, and involved, I just have to be busy,” says Duncan. “I wanted to do something with my hands and be creative. It’s kept me busy and helped me stay focused if I’m not going be out volunteering. It’s helped me create my own friends.”
She started making them around the end of March as a shelter in place order went into effect in Brazos County. Originally inspired by a Facebook post detailing how to make toilet paper tube animals with kids, Duncan’s first attempts were chickens, rabbits, and sharks. She now has 30 “TP Buddies,” including Texas A&M football coach Jimbo Fisher, KBTX anchor Rusty Surette, her hair stylist, Ellen Degeneres, and her favorite – Bryan Police Department Sgt. Jason James. She introduces one or two new ones each week on a livestream, explaining why she chose to add that person to the “TP Community.”
“I have to give my husband credit for it,” says Duncan. “He said, ‘You should do people that inspire you in the community.’ So, I started picking out people who make an impact in our community, state, and nation. … It’s my way of showing kindness and reminding these people that they’re missed.”
Duncan plans to continue creating and sharing TP Buddies on social media as long as social distancing is necessary. Because of how detailed they are each TP Buddy takes one to two hours to complete.
“I pay attention to their facial features because I know most of them personally,” says Duncan. “I go to their Facebook page and I pick a close-up to get defined facial features. I take a lot of pride in each one because my biggest fear is offending someone.”
Next up on the list is a nurse for National Nurses Day, a teacher for Teacher Appreciation Week, and a Texas A&M graduate. Once she’s done adding to the community, Duncan wants to give each TP Buddy to its corresponding human and remind them – not of the pandemic – but of the time no one could find toilet paper in town.
“People have said to me, ‘You and your husband sure do use a lot a toilet paper!’” says Duncan “No, friends have come by and dropped off the rolls. I actually had to cut them off because I have too much. I wanted to be different and make fun of the fact that there’s no toilet paper. After toilet paper is gone, the roll is usually disposed of, but I use the roll to create happiness.”
You can see all of Duncan’s TP Buddies on her Facebook and Instagram.
