Taryn Knight

My name's Taryn (commonly known as 'taryndraws'), I'm a self taught artist from Colorado. I'm currently working as a freelance illustrator.
When I’m not drawing, I like to read, play video games, watch movies, and obsess over my fandoms.

Have you always been creative and artistic?

Yes, I'd say that I have. I don't remember a time in my life when I wasn't drawing. As a kid, it was always that one thing that I enjoyed doing most. I remember looking at my picture books in awe, and thinking 'I want to make things like that'.
I was about thirteen when it started to take a more serious direction and became more than just a hobby.

How would you describe the style of your work?

I strive to create a lively atmosphere with my work, and to make vivid characters that tell a story. I think my style has been largely influenced by animation from Disney and Pixar, both classic and modern. I love color, and often try to use them in unique and interesting ways.

What’s in your pencil case and what’s your favorite tool?

While it doesn't exactly fit in my pencil case, I love my Wacom Intuos drawing tablet and Photoshop. I tend to enjoy working digitally more than traditionally, because I feel like it fits my personal style and tastes better.

In my actual pencil case, I have my Pentel pocket brush pen and watercolor pens, which I love to use for my ink pieces. I also love my Col-erase colored pencils for sketching.

Who is your favorite superhero?

There are so many, it's hard to pick just one! Lately I've really been loving Squirrel Girl (from the Unbeatable Squirrel Girl comics). I feel like she's a bit of an underrated superhero, but I absolutely love her character and design in the new comics. I also love Batman, Batgirl, and Hawkeye.

If you could have one super power what would it be?

I'm torn between the power of flight or the ability to shapeshift. Though shapeshifting would probably be the more logical choice, since I could probably just turn into a bird and fly.

Where do you look for inspiration?

Oh, lots of things! Books, movies, every day life. I'm also inspired by the work of other artists. I've always learnt by means of observation, so it's interesting to see how they do things and try to learn from that.

Who are your favorite artists or comic book authors?

I have so many! Mary Blair, Brittney Lee, Shiyoon Kim, Lois van Baarle, Miranda Yeo, Glen Keane, Meg Park, Victoria Ying....I could go on and on!

As for comic book authors, I really love the comics of Ryan North, Brendan Fletcher, Cameron Stewart, Grace Ellis, Noelle Stevenson...this list goes on for a while as well.