Tate O’Loughlin is an aspiring comic artist who has lived in Bedford for his entire life.
Tate is currently in third grade at Lane Elementary School. “I enjoy being a kid right now, but when I get older I do want to make comics.” When asked why he may have his sights set on becoming a comic book artist, Tate explained, “Comics are funny and silly and make me laugh.”
Tate started to enjoy drawing comics when he was at Davis School. John Preusch, the Davis Elementary School art teacher explained, “I started teaching comic strip illustration to my second grade classes a few years ago and they always have a lot of fun with it and come up with some very diverse and creative stories and imagery.” Preusch goes on to say, “If we think of art class as a place where students learn to express themselves and tell their own story, comics are one of the best mediums to do that.“
Tate finds comic inspiration in his favorite graphic novels Dog Man, Captain Underpants, and “a little bit Diary of a Wimpy Kid and a little bit Plants vs. Zombies.” He likes to draw himself being silly, the Dog Man, Minecraft, and Plants vs Zombie characters, his brothers, and his family dog, Tenny. Preusch shared, “As an artist, Tate always has a clear vision of what he wants to create and remains very focused on the details.”
In his free time, Tate said, “I like to bike to Chip-In Farm with my brother. I like swimming and I love video games like Minecraft.” This leads to another occupational possibility – Tate is also considering becoming a video game creator when he gets older.
Tate’s mom, Tara O’Loughlin, explained that while Tate has to work hard to overcome struggles in speech and learning, he’s always been able to express himself through pictures and art. She said the 9-year-old surfs, skis, bikes, swims, loves reading, and does what he can to try to keep up with the world moving so fast around him.
Some of Tate’s creativity can be seen driving on The Great Road in Bedford. In 2022, Tate and his family worked together to decorate the utility box at 200 Great Road, across from the intersection with Loomis Street. Tate’s response to how the family came up with the utility box design idea: “We all live in Bedford and we are all different.”
“Being different is the best.”
And now The Bedford Citizen proudly presents a Tate O’Loughlin original comic “Welcome to the Bedford Clubhouse.”
Loading ...
