Tell us a bit about yourself.I’m an illustrator born, raised and still
residing in Dublin, Ireland. I draw lots of different things, but mostly
the female form, often of the larger variety. Other than drawing, I’m
passionate about dogs, fashion, procedural crime dramas, feminism
and listening to sad songs at loud volumes.
What is your artistic style?‘Sophisticated naivety’ feels like an
appropriate representation of what I try to achieve. I love detail, and
I’m constantly trying to fit as much in as possible while maintaining
an overall graphic, easily digestible style. I think the inherent
tension in that can make for some interesting results.
Why do you make art?I honestly can’t remember a time in my life
when I wasn’t drawing. I studied visual communication, with enough
illustration included for me to realise it was a potential way to make
a living. During that time, I had a bit of a breakthrough moment
when I found body positivity as a subject to focus on – I felt it gave
my art purpose and a certain level of responsibility. This amplified
my passion and I finally felt like I had something valid to contribute.Who are the women in your illustrations? What do they stand for?
They’re the women we all know, who live ordinary or extraordinary
lives; who are mostly underrepresented in media and art. They are
nuanced people who can be strong and resilient, but also vulnerable
and fragile. I think they stand for their right to be themselves without
the social constructions of our world limiting who or what they can be.
How important is it to you to show diversity in your artwork? One
of my core aims is to create more diverse representation of women
than we currently have, which stems from me not having that for
myself growing up. The fact that, as a fat woman, I generally can’t
find people in popular media who have bodies like mine and are as
varied in character as all the fat people I know – or even as their
slimmer counterparts – is appalling to me. Realising the same thing
applies for people of colour only increased my levels of rage. I would
feel I was being irresponsible if I didn’t actively attempt to represent a
diverse range of characters in my work. I know I still have more work
to do to fully achieve this, but that’s my aim, and I’m learning as I go.Can you talk us through your creative process? I work in a few
different ways, depending on the project or how I’m feeling at
the time. Commercial and editorial work has led to my process
becoming much more digital, but usually everything I do is a mix of
pen on paper and computer work. I sketch with pencil, then draw a
refined version with a black fineliner pen. Then I’ll scan the original
and work in Photoshop to turn that into a finished colour piece. I
still like working in analogue mediums when I can, and constantly
explore different techniques.
What puts you in the mood to create? I’m generally in the mood
if I’m excited about an idea. That said, the most reliable way to get
myself to work is to have something else very important to do. Even
though I do it for a living, drawing is still the thing I procrastinate with.
What’s one thing we should know about you? I can wiggle my ears.
Where can we see more of your work? taraobrien.co, or on
Instagram at @taraobrienillustration.the body beautiful
IRISH ILLUSTRATOR TARA O’BRIEN
EXPLORES STRENGTH, VULNERABILITY
AND BODY IMAGE.Interview Sophie Kalagas
pretty pictures