Dear Pennies & Pens,
A few weeks ago, I was browsing around online and came across an article on the Huffington Post about supporting African-American independent artists and small businesses during the holidays. I clicked through and found some really dope artists. Being the Editor that I am, I’m always looking for talented artists to interview and feature.
Luckily, I was able to get in contact with Artist and Illustrator, Tabitha Bianca Brown, the creative soul behind The Pairabirds. Tabitha received her BFA in Illustration from The American Academy of Art in Chicago, Illinois in 2005. Since then, Tabitha has been steadily creating illustrated snapshots of nature, human, and animal life.
Tabitha’s artwork has been featured in the Huffington Post, Design Milk, Decor8, Modish, and Afrolicious. Her style is a hybrid of 70s soul funk, noir, and minimalism. I absolutely love Tabitha’s work! It’s colorful, whimsical, and afrocentric.
My favorite collections include Fashion and Fame, Yearbook, Uniform, and Bumble Bumble Academy. Check them out here: The Pairabirds. Now, let’s get to the meat and potatoes with my interview with Tabitha below.
1. Where are you from?
I am from the northern suburbs of Illinois, USA.
2. How has your heritage influenced you as an artist?
I find it difficult to find artwork that represents black women and girls like me. Far too often, art depicting black girls and women focuses on hardships and struggles. Or, the work is overly religious. Or, the artwork is racist.
I wanted to see more art showing us having fun, being astronauts, being quirky, being fashionable, living our everyday normal lives. And, as they say, if you want to see something that’s not available, you have to make it yourself. And, that’s what I did.
3. What school did you go to?
I graduated from the American Academy of Art in Chicago in 2005. I received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a focus on Illustration.
4. What inspires you to create art?
What inspires me to create art is similar to how my heritage influences my art. I want to create a pieces for the underrepresented and the under-showcased.
5. What made you decide to become an artist?
I have always enjoyed crafts and art projects. My room as a teen was filled with sketchbooks, notebooks, and scraps of paper on the floor from some project I started.
I think the internet and sites like Etsy made it easier for me, after graduating college, to be able to sell my art and become an artist, professionally.
6. Tell me more about your creative process as far as how you create your pieces? What tools, programs, or mediums do you use?
My tools are Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop Elements, and the most important tool, my Wacom Intuos 3 digital drawing tablet. A project usually starts with me doodling or rough sketching an idea on paper. I take that idea and beginning drawing it in Illustrator with my tablet.
The perks of vector art is that you can change the size of the drawing, delete, add, and recolor with only a few clicks. Once I have the drawing the way I like and have added color, the drawing is opened in Photoshop Elements. Here is where I add textures or effects, if needed.
7. What advice would you give to young art artists who are starting to build their portfolios?
First, keep every drawing, project, and sketchbook you create, (especially the bad ones!). If storage is at a minimum, start scanning and archiving your work digitally.
Second, continue practicing.
Third, you’ll get discouraged. That’s normal. This is why you keep your old projects. Go back to those older projects (especially the bad ones!) and compare it to your new work. You’ll be shocked at how much you’ve grown as an artist and didn’t even realize it.
Fourth, get back to work.
Fifth, share your artwork online. There are hundreds of places now to do these (there was really only DeviantArt and Craftster when I was build by post-college portfolio). Share your work on Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or your own website.
I post my work on my website www.thepairabirds.com
8. Who is your favorite artist and why?
I like certain styles but not any specific artist. My favorites are Japanese Ukiyo-e prints, Art Nouveau drawings, and Mid Century Modern. Each genre uses a mix of linework and bold colors that creates a solid graphic image while maintaining a level of lightness.
9. Tell me about present and upcoming projects?
I’m working on more botanical images for the new year. Also, I will continue adding more prints of cute and quirky girls. And, begin a series of prints starring cute and quirky boys.
Be sure to keep up with Tabitha and her artwork on her website: www.thepairabirds.com; Twitter https://twitter.com/
