Taylor McManus’ powerful illustrations are full of stories

Taylor McManus is a high-school art teacher by day and a professional illustrator at night from Northern Virginia using her work to tell stories based on her personal experiences.

I was drawn to Taylor’s work because of her illustrative narratives featuring full-figured beauties in intimate scenes that look like they’re straight out of a movie or tv show. Her use of color is fantastic—the warm palettes lend themselves wonderfully to the vulnerability in her work. We talked about her inspirations, career aspirations, and how the importance of representation in education.

Can you introduce yourself and tell me about your background?

Well, I'm Taylor McManus. I'm from Northern Virginia. I've been through D.C., Maryland and Virginia, but right now I'm based in Northern Virginia. I went to MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art) and I got my BFA in illustration. I got my Masters of Art in teaching so I'm also a high school art teacher as well as a freelancer. I've been doing freelancing for two years. It's been more serious now that I've gotten more work than I have in previous years. Inspirations include editorial and fashion photography and cinematography. I love looking at shows like the Chi or Insecure, like the colors and how the people are arranged, that really inspires a lot of the stuff I do. I like to make a lot of work about lifestyle having to do with relationships, friendships, body positivity, or the character, kind of embracing their body just because that's something that I navigate a lot.

So what made you want to go back to school for teaching?

I did five years of school so I worked on these classes in undergrad and then just did one extra year. I was a sophomore in my illustration class and I don't know, there was so much risk with freelancing and getting started. My mom was helping fund my education and I didn't want that to be a waste. I was concerned about how to make money once I got out of school. I took one teaching class and we went to different schools in Baltimore and got to work with the kids. I never realized, I think as a student myself the role that race had in education and every child, no matter where they are, they need a good teacher. Everybody needs a good teacher, a teacher that cares. I wanted to give that to school. So I think that was like my main motivator. I'm at a title one school now.

It sounds like getting your degree came from, just wanting to make sure you had a solid career, like, OK, I have this illustration degree. What am I going to do with it? Now that you are an art teacher, what do you enjoy or not enjoy about teaching?

I don't enjoy a lot of the bureaucracy within the county of the things we can and cannot do that could be helpful for everybody, but I do enjoy being there for the kids a lot. My favorite thing, and it kind of sucks that we're doing online, but for everyone's safety, I like being able to talk with the students to try to be a positive person in their life or just give them someone that they can talk to. I've also read a lot of education articles. Most kids of color don't see themselves in artwork or they don't see themselves on the educator side. Education is dominated by a lot of white women. So just being a presence, being an example, and being someone that they can talk to.

My high school art teacher really believed in my work even when I didn't believe in myself very much. It was really one of the motivating factors as to why I even wanted to go to art school. Just having somebody that believed in me and wanted to see me win was really helpful. How have you seen your students kind of grow in their confidence? Have you witnessed any students who have grown into their selves as artists?

This would be my third year in the classroom but, I definitely see kids with potential and I actually got my department chair to agree for us to take a trip to an art school. Then I had a few kids asking, “How do you even have a career in this? How does that work?” I am telling them you really have to promote yourself a lot and you have to have a backup plan! Teaching was my backup plan until I can get where I want to be with illustration. My art teacher, she was the driving force as to why I even ended up at art school. So it's kind of hard because I'm new to teaching. I try to balance. I also only teach level one art classes. So I feel like it's been more me trying to learn, like how to push them to try to get to that point. Money is a struggle for a lot of them. So I think a lot are like discouraged either financially or the idea of being away from their family, even if it's an hour and a half away, is really difficult for them. So I'm still trying to navigate the school culture to be able to maybe convince some of them after high school.

There are a lot of barriers to entry for graphic design and illustration, especially for students of color, like your parents not believing that it’s even a real career and you can make money from it. The cost of education, if you do want to go to an arts college because they are so incredibly expensive, just navigating the loan process. It's amazing having a person so talented as a teacher, they're just so lucky to have you. Let's dive into your work a little bit more. So I know you talked about this a little bit, but I was curious about what drew you to illustration?

My high school art teacher would have a student from MICA come to our class that was also an alumni of our high school. She would share her work and everything was just so cool. It was so exciting to look at. It was clear, like illustration was clear, I was like, I get that, I understand that and I can wrap my mind around it. I did do some storytelling in high school and that just seemed to fit in with illustration. I really liked when I got to college here and all these cool opportunities and jobs that illustrators got to have it just made the art world feel more accessible to me in terms of having a career. So that's what drew me to it.

I started out like in graphic design at 12 and then sort of discovered illustration a little later on. I didn't really think of illustration as a viable career for a long time. I thought graphic design was more serious or presentable. Then I realized, oh, people hire illustrators, that's a thing! I wanted to know where do you draw inspiration for your work? I know you talked about getting inspiration from television or the things that you consume but are there any other inspirations and what inspires you about those things?

I just love the story. I love a good story, love a story with drama, romance, a good plot. So stories really drive my work. I do like to incorporate a lot of details within the illustration that will tell you a story about the person that I'm illustrating. I would say my personal life influences a lot of it. I'm in a relationship, I'm really close with my friends, but I've also had negative experiences with friendships. I like to marry stories from film and how film is shot with my personal life to create art.

Looking at your work I totally see that connection to storytelling now that you say that, one thing that stood out to me was the way that the characters interact with one another, there's kind of a sense of intimacy and closeness, as well as a carefree vibe. Can you talk about how you developed your style?

So my style is really inspired by Laura Callaghan. As soon as I saw her work, I was like, that's who I want to be. The black version of that for people of color in my work. I just love her use of pattern and the level of detail is insane. I remember one time I was watching her paint salt for this scene, it was such a minute detail.

I can totally see the inspiration from the level of detail in your work. Wow. I love a good little inspiration! I was also looking at your color palettes and they have a kind of nostalgic warmth. I think that the way that artists use color says a lot about them as a person. So where do you draw your color palette from? How did you kind of develop that palette?

I will look at photos or I will look at other illustrations. And I use Adobe Capture to create the palettes. I think I'm drawn to warm color palettes or color palettes that have that nice yellow or pink in them. I'm a very sensitive, emotional person, too. I'm a Pisces! So I don't know something about those colors speak to me, to me about being sensitive, being warm, and I can be very anxious sometimes. When I'm able to talk with someone that I'm close with or feel comfortable with, I guess it's like the aura that I feel when I feel safe and I can talk to a person and like I'm not anxious and most of the characters are comfortable or as you said, they're in an intimate moment. And I just think, the warmth just adds to that.

Some of your work feels a bit 70s in a way, not overtly. You can tell you have this great sense of color. I just love looking at different illustrators and artists and seeing what colors they use because they're so different from person to person.

I have been told I'm an old soul. I feel like spiritually I've always been 30 years old.

I wanted to dive a bit deeper into the sense of closeness and intimacy in your work. How do you conceptualize your work and where does it come from?

Well, there's one piece that it's like two girls laying on the bed. That one was about mourning a friendship, because I have this friend, this person I was really close with for a long time. They were like my best friend, they were with me at a point in my life where I was not very confident and they helped give me a lot more confidence and we were always keke-ing and laughing together. Eventually, they had to move to another country and our friendship just kept becoming more distant, but I cared about this person. When I care about you, I am loyal to you, I go hard for you. Just as time went on, I told them, I feel like I'm not getting a lot out of this friendship or I need this out of this. And they would say, oh, I'll try and they wouldn't do it. So when I made that one, I was just thinking about how when we were young, the only place we could really, hang out or was our bedrooms, we would always have sleepovers and we would watch movies and talk about boys and stuff like that. So that was kind of like reminiscing about that time in our friendship. Personal stuff finds its way into my work.

I can relate to that as well. Is it therapeutic at all? Is it a form of release? Why do you think you choose to use your personal relationships as inspiration for your work?

I think the best art that I make is whatever is authentically going on with me at the moment or something that I relate to. I can't make work about things I don't understand or don't know about unless, of course, it's for something professional. But I feel like that's the best work comes from my personal experience.

I definitely agree, I feel that as well, I tend to make work about concepts or ideas that I've dealt with personally, and then I'll think like, oh, I think someone else could relate to this. And then that's sort of how I decide whether it's about vulnerability or whatever. It's like it has to come from a personal place in order for it to be authentic. It definitely comes through in your work. I also saw that you create a lot of patterns. I'm curious about what draws you to try to pattern design and is there something that you hope to do with patterns?

I really like making patterns professionally. It would be great for my patterns to be used for products. I think my favorite thing about patterns is them being used on something. So that's usually like my aim when I make one even if I don't get to put it on anything. If an art director or someone else can see the potential for it to be put on something, I think that's good. Another thing I like about patterns, I like playing with it in Photoshop because it's always kind of a surprise for how it's going to be arranged.

I love your patterns and I love that you have this more narrative side and then your patterns can be these flowers or objects. Is there anything that you would want to say to up and coming creatives now that are interested in a career in illustration?

A few things. Definitely make work that is true to you, try things outside of your comfort zone because that will help you grow and there will be challenges being a creative, either you not getting paid what you're worth necessarily or working with difficult people, but let those challenges be moments for growth and for learning. I feel like those challenges are going to prepare you for a great opportunity coming your way.

Has your work changed at all over the past few months with the pandemic and the protests?

I mean, I've always felt like there was not enough illustration with black people in it. That's really been my mission since I was a sophomore in college to make that be a point in my work: you will see black people, you will see people of color in these illustrations, we can also have these experiences or look this way or live this lifestyle, we should be a part of this narrative. So I think while lots of people maybe are now trying to incorporate that in their work, that is something that I have tried to do and I will continue to do, so I wouldn't say it's changed my work too much.

I like how you center your figures. It's obvious that they are the center of attention and should be focusing on them. A lot of them are either directly looking at the viewer or they have this gaze about them like "I don't care that you're looking at me."

Where do you see yourself in five years?

I'm definitely hoping to have done more editorial work. I would love to work with the New Yorker, New York Times, or Washington Post. I would like to do something in publishing. So like maybe doing book covers or something. I would also like to teach collegiately. I would like to teach college-level, at an art school ideally like sophomore level class, just because I know it's a very formative time. I'd like to be there and reassure the students to share my story and help them navigate the beginning of their career.

Is there anything that you need, whether it's from another creative or a want that you have, that someone who is reading may be able to reach out to you for?

Just give me some work to do.

Do you have a dream project?

Everyone keeps asking me that. I don't know yet. I wanted to do an accessory line for my senior thesis. I did something all about bedding because I had an internship with this home decor company in New York. So either something with like accessories, some cute backpacks or bags like Baggu has, or hair accessories, putting patterns on those. I also thought it would be cool to do a book about different ways to style your hair no matter what age you are. Maybe how to wear your hair to work or how to wear it if you're going out or something. I just love showing women navigating different aspects of their lives and I love beauty and so just kind of like marrying those things together.