Intersectional feminism is very important to me, and I consistently make an effort to include a wide range of women, especially those with marginalized identities, in my work. I love mixing pastel pinks with vibrant colors for a fresh take on the traditionally feminine aesthetic.
For the last several years, I’ve aimed to make a new feminist illustration in honor of International Women’s Day. This “YOU GO GIRL” piece is from 2018.
This is the fourth iteration of my Intersectional Rosie the Riveter piece, initially created for International Women’s Day 2013. As I learn to be a better and more inclusive feminist, I try to update my older pieces to reflect that growth.
I sell prints of my art at craft fairs, and at my first fair after the 2016 election, a customer saw this Michelle Obama piece and immediately teared up. Her reaction made me tear up, and then my cool ceramicist boothmate teared up too. The election had us all feeling so raw, and it was nice to have that instant positive connection with a stranger because of my art.
I made this for International Women’s Day 2017 (I snuck myself in there too!).
I made this in honor of Pride Month 2017. I asked my LGBTQ+ instagram followers to send me photos of themselves and/or them with their partners, and I drew as many as I could fit into this print. All those QT couples are real!!
A reminder to my trans sisters, created during the 45 administration, but relevant always
I started making body positivity and self love-themed illustrations as a means to combat my own complicated feelings about my body. Drawing cute self-portraits of my chubby, hairy body reminds me that being Tyler-shaped is just fine!
My goal is to help other people feel better about their bodies by drawing all different shapes and sizes in an equally loving and careful way.
This piece, called “Precious Blooms,” was inspired by an oft-repeated message in the body positive community that human bodies are just as diverse and beautiful as flowers. We don’t favor tiny camomile blossoms over large, wrinkly peonies, so why should we favor one body type over any other?
“Precious Blooms II” is for people who don’t want full-frontal nudity on their walls or who just like butts (or both!).
I know that baths are such a self care cliché, but they really do improve my state of mind! In this illustration, I expanded on my peaceful fantasy that the parts of my body above the bathwater are little islands. When I posted this on instagram I was surprised to hear that lots of other people have had the same fantasy since they were little kids, just like me!
It’s just so much more fun to draw diverse people than the same thin white woman with her hand on her hip over and over!
In this illustration, I showed some love to my fellow apple-shaped bodies who often feel left out. I’m the third from the right! :)
I drew this on Thanksgiving when I was thinking of all the things I’m grateful for. This illustration, as sweet and positive as it is, garnered a large number of hate comments, and The Huffington Post did an article about it here.
I made this doodle in like 5 minutes on a bad body image day. It shows how the path to self love is super hard sometimes!!
When I first started posting my art on the internet, pop culture was the theme I gravitated to the most. It’s so cool how quickly strangers can become friends when they have the same favorite TV shows!
I studied screenwriting in college, and TV still has a big place in my heart. It’s always fun to take shows and characters I love and recreate them in my own style.
Disney princesses, Disney old ladies, and Handmaids being strong
I sell prints of this Chicken Dance illustration at craft fairs, and my favorite moments are watching Arrested Development fans explain to their friends what all the different chicken dances mean (it usually involves awkward dancing in a cramped booth, and it cheers me up every time).
I made this illustration for Mindy Kaling after she ordered a Mindy Project print from my etsy shop! She recently shared it on instagram and I plotzed for a very long time.
Running series: iconic foods from different TV shows
Another running series: “How Do I Feel Today” mood charts
Love 2 combine TV and food!
Broad City is one of my truest loves.
Hashtag relatable
This Parks and Recreation Ice Cream illustration was the first pop culture drawing I made that got me some traction on tumblr. I probably owe the majority of my career to this ridiculous drawing.
Making honest art about my mental illness is a key part of how I take care of myself. The act of drawing my feelings is cleansing, and the support from those in similar situations reminds me that I’m not alone.
“Dissociation, but make it cute”
Having anxiety makes the smallest things an act of great bravery.
A theme in my life
This is a real thing that happened once
Sad
[insert uncomfortable teeth-baring emoji here]
How the incessant #metoo news stories started to feel
The rain is coming from inside the umbrella
The truest self portrait
How getting older feels sometimes
When moving helps
Muddled thoughts
When people don’t get it
An important reminder
In October 2017, I participated in Inktober, a yearly tradition created by Jake Parker in which artists do one ink drawing every day for a month and post it on instagram. I decided to recreate famous, mostly white/straight/able-bodied/etc. paintings with more diverse subjects. These are digital recreations of my most popular inktober pieces which were initially done in my sketch book with brush markers.
The Scream - Munch
The Birth of Venus - Botticelli
Dancer in Green - Dégas
The Last Supper - Da Vinci
American Gothic - Wood
Paris Street; Rainy Day - Caillebotte
The Kiss - Klimt
Dance (I) - Matisse
Mona Lisa - Da Vinci
The Creation of Adam - Michelangelo
Ophelia - Millais
A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte - Seurat
The Seasons - Mucha
This running joke I mostly have with myself somehow became my first (and only) viral tweet. It was covered by Refinery29, Metro News UK, and Scary Mommy among others.
Since I do the majority of my art digitally, it’s always a nice change of pace to accept the inevitable mistakes and smudges that happen with traditional media. Here’s a selection of fun/angsty doodles and illustrations from my sketchbook!
The morning after the 2016 election, I was devastated and jittery, and I needed something to do with my hands and brain so I didn’t fall into a depression spiral. I decided to post a call to my instagram asking marginalized people to tag their selfies #drawmetyler so I could draw them.
Immediately I was flooded with selfies to draw. I was so touched by the response that I drew 20 portraits the first day alone. Other artists joined in, and the project became a supportive community. I don’t know how I would have gotten through the election aftermath without the positive distraction.
Over the next few months, I drew 100 portraits in total and compiled them into a print. The project, dubbed #drawmetyler (I would have picked a better name if I had known it would take off!) was covered by The Huffington Post, Mashable, Bustle, and Yahoo, among others.
This is the final print I compiled of the 100 portraits. I sell it here and donate a portion of the proceeds to the ACLU.
The original instagram post. Click here to see all the beautiful people who tagged their selfies.
One of my favorite freelance clients is Catalyst Wedding Co, the most inclusive and beautifully-designed wedding magazine I’ve ever encountered. I was their featured illustrator for Volume Four.
Full page title illustration for “Want to Be Gender Fabulous on Your Wedding Day?” by Cristina Spencer.
Full page title illustration for “Thinking About Marriage” by Frances Lee.
Spot illo for “Intersectional Wedding Planning” by Michelle Avitia — avoiding body shaming section.
Spot illo for “Intersectional Wedding Planning” by Michelle Avitia — avoiding cisnormative language section.
Spot illo for “Intersectional Wedding Planning” by Michelle Avitia — avoiding classism section.
Spot illo for “Intersectional Wedding Planning” by Michelle Avitia — avoiding racism section.
I’ve had the great opportunity to illustrate for my best friend Netflix on several occasions!
Here are some of the illustrations I’ve done for the SparkNotes blog, SparkLife, which is geared at obsessive, semi-dorky teenagers like I used to be.
I helped ticket website Vivid Seats celebrate Hamilton coming to Chicago with these printable paper dolls.
Alexander Hamilton
Eliza Hamilton
Aaron Burr
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