If you’re tired of being bombarded with idealistic, flawless images of beauty, you need look no further than the work of Tansy Myer. Her quirky, awkward, nerdy girls are a breath of fresh air, not to mention beautifully drawn and lovingly rendered. Tansy mainly uses Illustrator to create her pieces, but also has a collection of charcoal nerds.
She took the time to speak to Ape on the Moon about them.
What is it you like about your nerdy girls?
I am celebrating the awkward, beautiful, vulnerable authenticity of nerdiness. I want to explore all the different facets of a girl’s personality in my work. The slick pretty outside, and then also the nerdy, vulnerable, imperfect inside that is just as beautiful.
I think all girls can relate to this, the image we portray to the world juxtaposed with the way we actually feel. Plus I just love nerds! To be a nerd is to be yourself, to be special and unabashedly yourself no matter how silly or strange that might be.
What is your process for creating illustrations?
All my work starts as a pencil drawing. I also use lots of overlays in my drawing and really edit till I get the right pose etc. I don’t pressure myself to make a beautiful, perfect drawing in just one go. For my digital art I then bring it into Adobe Illustrator and my pieces are entirely vector.
For a painting I might also bring it into Illustrator to perfect the lines and composition and then I project that onto panel or canvas and then paint.
You use a range of media to create your illustrations – which is your favourite?
I don’t know if I have a favorite. I definitely utilize the computer most often, but I also love to paint.
I wouldn’t be anywhere without my pencils and I love drawing in charcoal. The tactile, dirty nature of charcoal pencil is so fun.
What are your plans for the future?
I would like to make my own products and apparel and continue to show my work in galleries. I am very inspired by fashion and music so I hope to do more work in collaboration with designers and musicians in the future.
Have you any advice to offer fledgling illustrators?
Be true to yourself – and honest with yourself. Self-editing is so important. Perseverance and persistence is the key. You’ve got to make art and push yourself all the time.
Most of all, honor yourself and your work. Being an artist is a gift, and it’s also really difficult so you have to believe in yourself and value your work otherwise no one else will.
© Tansy Myer 2010
