An Interview with a Young Artist
featuring my friend, Kara, a bookish illustrator! đđ¨
I know Iâve only featured writers on A Bibliophileâs Notebook, but today, I want you to get to know Kara, one of my oldest friends and an incredibly talented artist. When we were younger, we encouraged each other in our creative writing pursuits, and I received numerous little artworks from her as birthday gifts. As sheâs grown in her skills and in her style, Iâve always thought she should do art for books!
And that is why Iâm so excited for todayâs interview!!
I hope you enjoy!
(All the photos in this post are created by Kara and can not be used without direct permission from the artist. Also, you can click on any image to enlarge it!)
Hello, Kara! Iâm so excited to have you on ABN. Could you tell readers a little bit about yourself?
Hey yall! My name is Kara and I am an artist, homeschooler, Christ-follower and Texas girl at heart. I just started my senior year of high school, and next fall I plan on attending college for studio art so that I can keep learning and growing my creative skills. Iâm so excited to be featured here and thank you to Nicole for having me on! :)
When did your art journey start?
I canât say what exactly started my journeyâjust that Iâve been doing some form of art since before I can remember. It probably started with a box of crayons and a sheet of letter paper. I was always doodling, drawing picture books, making paper dolls, you name it. I do think that a pivotal moment was my very first art lesson, which my parents put me in at age 6 or 7. That was when things became more serious because I realized how much I loved the world of creating, and the tools and techniques of it, something beyond my crayon doodles. Iâve taken private or semi-private tutoring consistently ever since.
Do you have a community who encourages you in your artistic pursuit?
My friends and family are my chief supporters; Iâve been blessed with the encouragement of my parents especially for my whole life! Verbal affirmation is definitely my love language and just receiving a compliment is always enough to keep me going an extra mile whenever I start to doubt myself.
What is your favorite medium?
Favorite medium??? *dies internally*
Thatâs a hard question⌠I definitely have the mediums that I tend to do more oftenâacrylic painting and graphite drawing, for example, but the ones that I get most excited about would be watercolor, charcoal and oil painting. I really like to rotate and will get on streaks of one medium, then ditch it and switch to another. It honestly depends on the dayâŚ
Who is your favorite artist?
The first master artist that really inspired me was Claude Monet. His famous work âBridge Over a Pond of Waterliliesâ especially interested me when I was young. Studying a different painting of his was also how I learned about impressionism, which was a big stepping stone in developing my own favored painting style!
Now, there wouldnât be an interview here on ABN without this question. đWho is your favorite author and and what is your favorite book?
Lord of the Rings will be a favorite of mine foreverâI think I drew only elves for months after reading those booksâHowever I think right now the Wingfeather Saga tops the stack. Itâs the most fun and beautiful fantasy story Iâve ever read! One of these days Iâll do fanart of it.
What would you say your art style is? What inspires it?
Most of my art leans towards soft, colorful and whimsical, especially when it comes to my digital illustrations, which I love to do for scenes and characters. I draw a lot of fantasy subjects as well, and fantastical characters. When I used to do more creative writing, all I would ever write was fantasyâinspired by all my favorite book series, of course. Since then Iâve switched to drawing the crazy things I imagine instead! But those novel-writing days of mine have influenced my art today, I think, because a huge aspect of illustration is storytelling.
What kind of art are you offering? (Character art, art specifically for bookmarks/stickers, outfit design, scenery from books, etc.)
All of the above! I have so many different favorite subjects and I always love a new challenge. Digital paintings of characters in a scene or landscape is something that I would love to do more of. Really the only thing I donât like to draw is vehicles⌠Machinery is definitely my Achillesâ Heel when it comes to art.
What would it be like working with you? How do you stand out from other illustrators that authors could hire?
As of now Iâm open for single commissions, rather than full book illustration jobs, as I wouldnât have time what with school and my other art commissions. However if you are an author (young and aspiring or otherwise) looking for a cover artist, a character designer, or you just want to see a scene come to lifeâthen reach out to me! Iâd love to hear all about your story and tailor the drawing/painting/design to exactly how you envision itâbecause I know how important that is as a former creative writer!
Where can we find you online?
Find me on Instagram! Just look for @karaemily.art and feel free to message me about anything. Itâs been a pleasure to be on A Bibliophileâs Notebook!!
Kara, Iâm so glad to host you on ABN!! It was a lot of fun doing this and seeing your skills grow exponentially throughout the years. Love ya, friend! đ
If you are a writer or author interested in âsoft, colorful, and whimsicalâ artwork for your book, Kara is your gal! Just reach out to her on her IG, @karaemily.art. Or, if you are not on Instagram, message me and I can get you in touch with her! Thank you for reading!
She is so talented!!! I will keep her in mind if I ever come to the 'character art comisssioning' stage, đ
Wonderful interview!
I love Kara's artwork!!