Erin
At The Comm we believe it is important to showcase creatives in their respective fields—from illustrators to make-up artists, stylists, and photographers, etc. We want to show off your work! And who better to start with than the creator of The Comm’s logo and social media icons! To describe her in one word: Erin is adaptable. She can draw in many different styles and is able to translate her art to be used for branding. We asked her a few questions to get to know her better!
How did you start making art?
I’ve been drawing since I was little, always doodling cartoons on scraps of paper and stuff. I started to get really interested in drawing and improving when I was 11 and made a bunch of friends online… through a common interest in Invader Zim (LOL). I begged my mum to buy me a scanner so I could upload my art in better quality than my tiny Samsung D500 camera could muster. We had all the time in the world to draw each other’s art and share our character designs and just generally had a great time.
What influences your art?
Like a lot of people, music tends to influence me a lot. I’ll be listening to a certain song and imagining the visuals of an animation or just the general gist of the graphics that pop into my head. I’ll put the song on a loop or open a playlist of similar music and draw whatever comes to mind.
As far as visual inspiration goes, Japanese pop culture has had a massive impact on my style and sensibilities, as well as gothic culture, and 90s to mid-2000s cartoons. I think a combination of those are what best summarise my art!
Another thing that influences a lot of my art (though I don’t tend to share these pieces) is my struggle with mental health and other tricky parts of my life that still largely affect me today.
Who is your favourite artist?
This is tough!! There are so many amazing artists even all over the internet, it’s impossible to pick one! A few that have probably had the biggest impact on my style though have to be Jamie Hewlett, Kaneoya Sachiko, and Kazuya Minekura. I love cartoony, eccentric-looking characters and colours that stand out (maybe compensating for my entirely black wardrobe haha).
What is your dream project?
Oh wow, I would love to have an artbook of some kind! A small gallery exhibit, maybe… I think a collaboration with a clothing company would be amazing as well! It’d be cool to do a lot of things, though I’m not sure which one I’d like more. I’ll just see where the wind takes me.
What advice would you give for others who want to improve their art?
It’s common sense that practicing will help you improve—using references, observing yourself and other people to get a grasp on anatomy, etc.
But most of all, I think it’s important not to pigeonhole yourself into an artistic category or feel that you have to stick to your “style”. You’re allowed to mix it up to discover what works for you, and taking inspiration from other artists (for instance, you see an artist drawing chunky, emphatic teeth in their art, and you begin to implement it into your drawings) isn’t stealing—it’s how all artists grow. On the flip side, don’t lose yourself in trying to emulate others and deviate too far away from what makes your art unique. Be true to yourself and draw what you want because you want to!
Any last words?
Have fun with your art!! Try and find beauty and inspiration in your life even in your darkest moments. Work hard but don’t place all your self-worth on your productivity. And be kind to yourself and others! This is advice to myself as much as anyone else.
＠erin_taylor_artworks