Kathy (also known as iloveapples) is an artist, who is mainly self taught through art books she found online. The instructional books of Andrew Loomis have been particularly influential in Kathy’s growth as an artist. She is especially thankful for the internet and the artists that she has discovered through it. Without this immense resource she would not have been able to gather as much inspiration or create the varied style that she is known for.

ToonariPost (TP): How and when did you first start practicing your art?

Kathy (K): I can’t really remember a time when I wasn’t drawing! I remember being introduced to anime when I was in elementary school and drawing Sailor Moon and other anime characters. I think it was in Middle School, though, when I tried to draw seriously and experimented with drawing digitally.

TP: What mediums do you use for your art work?  Which is your favorite and why?

K: I’m really used to using my tablet and my wonderful computer, but to be honest, I don’t have a lot of experience using different mediums! Aside from doing my art digitally, I also use colored pencils and ballpoint pens.

TP: What piece of your work is your favorite and why?  Which one are you most proud of?

K: I think that my favorite is “Shhh”. I’m actually pretty sure that it’s one of my more simple drawings, but there was a feeling that I wanted to capture when I was drawing it and I think that I succeeded!

I think the work I’m most proud of is “Fanart of an OC”. Unfortunately, it’s not my own character, but I really like how the lines and the colors came out.

TP: How would you describe your drawing style?

K: My drawing style is constantly changing! I seriously stop liking anything I draw after a couple of weeks, which tends to lead to me changing my drawing style quite often! I’m not sure how I would describe it, but I do my best to capture a certain character or personality in the people I draw. I try to keep my art very simple, whether it’s because I’m trying to be artistic or just lazy, haha.

TP: When you first started did you ever hit any bumps in your art process. How did you overcome them?

K: Anatomy and proportion are always the hardest things for me to draw. I’m still not getting it perfect in my drawings, but thank God drawing programs are very forgiving. When I need to improve on something specifically, I sort of study and practice it on my own. Lots of my practice drawings don’t get uploaded online, but I have loads of them.

I also used to put in so much time making line arts and then shading them in really painstakingly, until I realized that even if I put in so much effort, the finished product never really looked that great. I had to start forcing myself to step back and learn when to stop working on something. Now I’m not afraid to cut things out, flip things around, or just scrap a drawing entirely.

TP: Who or what are your inspirations and why?

K: I have so many, I’m not sure if I could even begin to list them! I really like Annette Marnat, René Gruau, J.C. Leyendecker, Gil Elvgren, and many other artists, but I also really admire a lot of people online! I can’t begin to list them all out, but I really like people’s art styles that consist of just simple lines or ones that have a lot of unique character to them! My art style is sort of a melding of what I love about other people’s styles, but it still needs a lot of polishing!

TP: What artists would you consider working with to do a piece? What type of work do you think would come from this partnership?

K: I think the only artists I could really imagine myself working with are people that I’m already sort of comfortable with online! A few examples would be Planetariums or Happy-Lollipop ,just off the top of my head, but I wouldn’t mind working with anyone really! I would hope that the best aspects of our styles really show themselves off in such a piece.

TP: If there was any art medium that you wish you could master, what would it be and why?

K: I don’t think that I would want to focus too hard on any one medium, but If I were to choose one I think it would some kind of paint. I really love Impressionism and really old fashioned artists and I want to learn how to paint like the masters!

TP: What are your goals in life?  Do you plan to continue art as a hobby or make it a career?

K: I’m going to have to see how my life unfolds! Right now, art is just a hobby because I’m not sure about how reliable it is as a real career, but I have other interests that I would maybe like to pursue. I would really like to be able to continue doing art, though, throughout my life.

TP: What other interests do you have that may turn into a career or what would you like to do if you are unable to support yourself with art?

K: To be honest, my primary career choice will probably be something like engineering or pharmacy because a stable job will probably benefit me more in the future. I still have some time before I actually decide to do anything, though. I’m going to have to see how much I improve in my art before thinking about doing anything serious with it!

TP: Do you feel that your culture has influenced you in some way that makes you different than other artists?

K: I don’t really think I’m in touch with my culture at all, but I’ve seen bits and pieces of others and they are all very interesting! I enjoy learning about other countries and customs and they help me add variety to my designs.

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About the author

Kala Istvanek
Presently, I am attending Carthage College in Kenosha, U.S.A. I will be graduating with a degree in Asian Studies, with a minor in English and Studio Art. I have been a bookworm ever since I could read and I can never turn down a book. Art is also one of my loves and discovering new artists is always a thrill for me.