Moira Zahra, the Maltese illustrator advocating for environmental protection

Introducing Moira Zahra, a Maltese illustrator, lecturer and researcher in digital arts. Her work is influenced by people, their surroundings, and the nuances in between. Her style ranges from playful compositions to textured artworks, reflecting both the Maltese lifestyle and the Scottish countryside. She has received several awards for her illustrations from the Malta National Book Council and won the Kelpies Illustration Prize in Scotland. Moira is also the founder of the Malta Community of Illustrators, which publishes a yearly Annual showcasing local talent in both Malta and London.

She let us into the inside of her world and we were very happy to hear all about her works and what her purpose is. 

What would you say is your best piece of work / collaboration to date, and why?

It’s hard to choose, but a couple of years ago I did some illustrations for a Michelin-plate Maltese restaurant called ‘fiftynine republic’ through their ad agency. The drawings were relatively minimalistic and worked well on the website and menus, but they also put some of them on their china - something that I really loved. The result was quite unusual and I felt they gave their brand an iconic identity. The team was also very specific with what they wanted, but they also gave me a degree of creative freedom. Overall it was a great project and opportunity for me.

Where do you like to go to be inspired, or how do you find your inspiration?

My mind is always switched on and scanning my surroundings for anything that might trigger an idea or a drawing. I live in Malta, a small Mediterranean island which can be very chaotic, loud and busy, but also quite dreamy and warm. All of these things inspire me. When I travel and when I lived abroad, the characteristics of the places I am/was in feed into my work sometimes without my knowledge. I am constantly in search of colour palettes, beautiful typography and unusual compositions. I take screenshots and photos of films I like, scenes, angles, projects that interest me. I have libraries and notes on my laptop, phone and all over my desk.

Is there anything you'd say you would be a good advocate for? Please elaborate if so.

I think I would be a good advocate for environmental protection. I live in a small country that is under constant development. It’s great to see growth, but it also puts a lot of pressure on our natural resources. I feel we need to find a balance that allows for growth while heavily protecting our environment. The lack of environment protection is causing collective mental health problems.

What would you say sets you apart from other illustrators? Something you feel is unique to you.

Aside from being an illustrator, I am also a graphic design lecturer and a researcher. I am also a mother of two children living on a small island. In one way or another, I feel that all of these things work together to make my work unique.  I am very much influenced by graphic design principles and I am trained as a designer rather than an illustrator. As such I approach illustration as I would a design brief, so quite strategically. With that said, I always like to use a degree of chance and happy accidents in my work, and since becoming a mother, I have been observing the drawings of my children and trying to approach my work with the same fearlessness and wonder that they do.

And finally Malta inspires me in more ways than one and it does reflect in the uniqueness of my work. I realised this when I moved to Scotland. My work evolved with my surroundings, yet I continued to draw inspiration from Malta. The sea, our climate, the laid-back Maltese lifestyle, as well as our unique architecture and language, are all recurring themes in my work.

If you have done paid commissions prior to joining the agency, what would you say is something that clients repeatedly come to you for (up to now)?

I am typically approached for drawings of food and to illustrate people in various settings such as hotels or restaurants and even fashion events. I am also approached for book covers. These all happen to be the things I love to draw the most so I’ve been quite lucky in that sense. How would you describe your style? I would say I have two main styles. My main style is very much influenced by classic fashion illustration, however I do give it a contemporary and sometimes abstract and graphic twist.

As much as I love fashion illustration, I also see the importance of experimentation. I always work with texture in one way or another. I typically go for a mix of pencils and watercolours. In my personal work I tend to draw people and their rituals, often made up of gestural drawings and quick, sketchy lines. When I draw for children, my work tends to be inspired by mid-century modern style illustration and cartoons. I tend to work with bold patterns, vibrant colours and again, lots of textures. 

Please give a scenario of a project that would mean the world to you, if you were offered it - something that connects to something meaningful to you.

I’d love to illustrate a series of book covers for classic literature, especially for works by Virginia Woolf, who was one of my favourite authors growing up. I would also be over the moon if I had the opportunity to create promotional illustrations for fashion brands like Hermès or Loro Piana.

Are you working on any personal projects you can share with us?

I am presently working on a project aimed predominantly towards Maltese children and parents called ‘Frances and Ġorġ’. Frances and Ġorġ began as a vague idea to create something beautiful, educational and multilingual for Maltese children. The two main characters and their names are inspired by my late grandparents, with ‘Frances’ representing an English name and ‘Ġorġ’ being the Maltese form of George, which we affectionately used for my grandfather.

The Maltese identity is shaped by a complex history of colonisation by various powers, including the British, where some locals speak Maltese, some English, and others a mix of both. I’m currently working on the first Frances and Ġorġ activity book set to launch this summer and collaborating with an Ennie-nominated TTRPG studio (The Wandere’s Tome) to create a role-playing game for small children called Frances and Ġorġ Camp Make-Believe. We’ve secured funding for this project, and we’re very excited to bring it to life!

Finally, if you were to illustrate a book related to a real life person, who would that be?

I think I would love to illustrate a book about Anthony Bourdain, showing and drawing both scenes from his travels as well as all the food he tried.

If you’d like more info, please contact: [email protected]

At illo agency, we pride ourselves in representing a collation of global illustrators, distinctly diverse in creativity and uniquely celebrated by like-minded clients across a range of commercial markets.