1. You both write about and draw your vampire characters. Which came first, the story or the drawings?
First off, thanks for turning the spotlight in my direction. I feel very honored, there have been some really great artists spotlighted here, and I look forward to more of your great questions. Now onto your question. The vampires. Well, I’ve always been fascinated by vampire tales so I supposed it had to happen sometime. My vampires actually came from a dream I had one night about two years ago. Which then turned into a challenge from a friend to put that dream down on paper. So the writing came first, and being the really selfish person I am, I wanted to be the one to give them all faces, so I started illustrating them. ^^ Since then I’ve learned to share, and there have been some really amazing renditions both in writing and painting done for me by artist/writer friends. Maggie Hawthorne, and Caron Vinson have both done beautiful paintings of Dorian, one of my main characters.
2. If you had to choose; which is your greatest love-writing or drawing?
Good question. Almost impossible to make a choice. Both writing and painting fill different creative needs. Painting is more intuitive for me; it makes anything bad in my day slip away as though it never happened. It’s a great equalizer for me and makes me very happy. If my body didn’t demand food and sleep, I could paint indefinitely, but every once in a while a person has to come up for air, darnit. I can always paint. Writing is not the same it is very personal. My head has to be in the right place to sit down and write, but once I find that place, it sucks me in. (get it ^^) Most of the time, it seems I come up with a much smarter story than I am capable of writing. So it takes me a while to figure out how to incorporate all the story details that I’ve decided are part of the tale into the tale. So in answer to your question, I can’t really say which one I love more, but painting is more second nature, but both make me feel like a richer person. Not really an answer, was it?
3. You participate in a lot of conventions. How did you first get your start with that and what tips do you have for others wanting to travel this path?
Conventions are great, and so much fun. Not only do you get your work out there, but also you get to be part of an artistic community. I have met some of my dearest friends at conventions that I’ve been a part of. I got started doing it with a friend I’d made on-line. We decided that it would be fun to share a table and see how we did. That was about 4 years ago, and I still share that table with her. As far as advice goes, the first order of business is to have fun. If you’re not enjoying the time you spend there, it will come across to everyone who visits your table. When you are just starting out, don’t pin every hope that this show is going to be the ‘be all end all’ for your artistic career. It could happen, but usually it takes time. But if you are genuine with people, and engage them with enthusiasm about your work, they will respond and you will start to see familiar faces when you return the following year. I have people who continually support my work year after year and that’s part of the real fun is seeing those people. From a set up standpoint, it is good to have little things that people can buy, mini prints, stickers, you know, little stuff that you don’t have to charge an arm and a leg for.
4. What one thing has helped you to grow artistically more than anything else?
Practice. I draw every day, without fail. When you do that, the only choice you give yourself is to get better. ^^ I also have friends and other artists who inspire me, and challenge me to keep stepping up my game. I know there are those artists that are really protective of their techniques and style, and are less than generous with information, but luckily, I do not know any of them. If you have a question about a particular technique you see, ask the artist. Almost all I’ve met have been more than willing to share any knowledge they have. It’s quite wonderful.
5. Tell us who one of your favorite artists is and why they are your favorite.
Though my style is nothing like his, I really love J.W. Waterhouse. Everything about his work disarms me when I see it. The thing I like the most is the emotion that he was able to put in his works. I am greatly moved by him. It makes me try that much harder to make all my work full of emotion and life.
6. What influences does your life have on your art and writing, if any?
My work is my life. Almost everything has some effect of what comes out of me creatively. My husband, my dogs, the sunflowers I have planted along the fence…everything. I can’t even count the times that my husband has said something to me that will trigger a thought that leads to a painting, or a line in my story. (whether he likes it or not, ^^) My dad was a pretty solitary person, and growing up, he taught me to take notice and be observant of my life. So I suppose that my habit of pulling my life into my work came from him.
7. If you could meet one famous person of your choice and spend the day picking their brain, who would it be and why?
Oh gosh. My first inclination is to say Johnny Depp, for obvious reasons. ^^ But I will resist that temptation. I’ve always been drawn to this fellow Terry Gilliam. He is a former member of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, and has since gone on to make really extraordinary movies. (Brazil, Twelve Monkeys, The Fisher King to name a few) He has such an interesting outlook on creativity and how he sees the world that I think it would be an amazing day if I were able to spend it with him. Or Johnny Depp.
8. What tips do you have to stay motivated to create?
I’m lucky in that I never really lose motivation, for long periods anyway. Usually if I don’t feel like working on art or writing, I just take a little break and the urge comes around to pick up a paintbrush or pencil. There are those days when I sit at my day job dwelling on the desire to go home and paint, and then when I get home I see the couch and think that plopping in front of the TV might be a better use of my time. At those times, if I can get past the couch and pick up a brush there is usually no problem. So I guess getting rid of comfy couches and good television programs would be my best motivator.
9. What medium do you find the most difficult to work with and why?
Markers. I’ve been doing a lot of small card work lately, and to achieve a colored piece on a thin 2.5×3.5 card you sometimes need to do marker work. I stink at it. ^^ I’m very used to the gradual building up of color, and with markers, there is really nothing gradual about it. I really enjoy the subtlety of watercolors, and have yet to get that effect from markers. So they are my new best friends, and I will play with them until I get the hang of them.
10. Are you drawn to creating a particular style of art or do you experiment with various styles?
I really try to test out new styles and techniques in my work. I enjoy the process of seeing if something is a good fit with your subject matter. Lately I’ve been trying out more cartoony styles, with bolder lines and very little shading. It’s been a lot of fun, but I still really enjoy the experience of doing a really polished sketch. There is nothing like starting with a blank sheet of paper and turning it into a vibrant, emotional piece. I concentrate mostly on people; I’ve just never really gotten the bug to draw landscapes and still-lives. But there are plenty of artists willing to pick up that baton. ^^
11. In your writing, do the characters represent real life people or are they purely figments of your imagination?
There are aspects of real people in the characters I write. None of them are straight forward a real person I know. My main characters especially, are made up of qualities that I find appealing or confusing or just sexy in real people that are in my life. I think it makes them more believable, richer, characters. The story itself has many details that are pulled from my life. Sometimes unintentionally. None are exactly taken from real life, but there are little things here and there throughout that are inspired by actual events. ^^ I sometimes read over things I’ve written and get a flash of déjà vu. It’s a little scary, but I haven’t really found a way to prevent my real life from seeping into my work. Actually, there is one character that I wrote specifically, for a friend, who is based on an actual person.
12. Tell us about your other interests outside of art and writing….
There’s life outside of art and writing? ^^ I have long been a fan of motorcycles, and quite recently become a fan of motorcycle racing. MotoGP to be exact, for anyone familiar. On any summer Sunday, my sweetheart and I can be found watching really fast motorcycle scream around a track in some exotic location around the world. I am also very fond of playing with my two great danes, they amuse me to no end, and many an afternoon has been spent lying in the yard with them. I am a certified diver, though I’ve only done lake dives in Minnesota and North Dakota. (don’t laugh) Someday I would love to dive in the big blue ocean. I like to ride motorcycle with my husband Craig. Sewing is good. I really enjoy singing, in and out of the shower. I am very good at planting gardens, and lousy at tending them once they are planted. I like to cook, though I am not all the fond of cleaning up the mess afterward. All in all, I am blessed with an interesting, adventurous life, thank you for letting me talk your ear off Kelly. xox
website: http://www.outofthemyst.com
Lj: http://mugmoni.livejournal.com/
DA: http://mugmoni.deviantart.com/
I would say that Opeth is my absolute favorite. It seems like no matter what mood I am in, they have something that will suit it. My other favorites are In Flames, Children of Bodom and Pantera.
