Today we’re joined by Katherine. Katherine is a wonderfully talented artist who does both writing and visual art. She specializes in comics and is currently making a supernatural drama webcomic entitled Soul to Call. She is an incredible storyteller and her work is brimming with an extraordinary amount of detail, as you’ll soon see. My thanks to her for taking the time to participate in this interview.
WORK
Please, tell us about your art.
Comics are my specialty, and these days I’m applying those skills to Soul to Call, a supernatural drama webcomic about found family and demons, both inner and outer.
I love writing and drawing equally, so comics are a happy union of those things for me, but I also enjoy just writing or drawing on their own. I write all kinds of fiction, though none of it is currently public beyond my comics, and I enjoy illustrating standalone pieces too! Anything that tells a story, subtle or overt, is my bread and butter.
What inspires you?
Music is a major inspiration for me. It motivates and inspires me every step of the way, from planning, to writing, to drawing. It’s even there for me during artistic blocks. Exercising with some good tunes really gets my brain moving, so if I ever feel stuck or unenthusiastic, walking to music will usually fill my head with new ideas. When I sit back down, I’m rejuvenated and excited to work on my project again.
My friends are also a big source of inspiration to me. I’ve been lucky enough to be surrounded by some wonderful and creative minds. Chats with them leave me inspired to improve myself, and create great work!
What got you interested in your field? Have you always wanted to be an artist?
I’ve wanted to be an artist as long as I can remember, and a comic artist just as long. I’m pretty sure I was drawing and stapling together my own comics since I could hold a pencil. A cliché phrase I know, but I remember drawing comics before I even knew how to spell. I’d give my comics to my mum, then tell her what to write in the speech bubbles I’d left blank. I always made her write more dialogue than could possibly fit in the tiny speech bubble I’d drawn. I’ve gotten a little better at judging the text-to-bubble ratio since then.
I can’t say there was ever a pivotal point in which I got interested in art or comics, it always felt natural to me, and I can’t imagine my life without it. But I guess if I had to credit something for my introduction to comics, it would be my brother reading The Adventures of Tintin, Asterix, and Calvin and Hobbes to me.
Do you have any kind of special or unique signature, symbol, or feature you include in your work that you’d be willing to reveal?
Does texture vomit and tons of purple count? Heheh. I use a lot of textures to give my art a rougher look, and I incorporate my favourite colour purple in anything I can get away with, but otherwise I haven’t committed to a “signature” for my work at this point.
What advice would you give young aspiring artists?
Just go for it! If you have a story or certain kind of art you want to create, don’t wait to be ‘good enough.’ That moment will never come, especially if you just wait around for it. The only way you can gain the skills necessary to make something great is to be making things and honing your craft in the first place! Start creating! You’re gonna make some crap, maybe a lot of crap, but don’t be discouraged, and don’t be afraid to fail! I made two failed webcomics before Soul to Call, but both those failures taught me extremely valuable lessons that lead to Soul to Call’s success.
Make what you want! Create without fear! Don’t be swayed by what you think people want to see. You have a unique vision, and your work will be that much more powerful if you stay faithful to it. And last, but not least, have fun with it. If you’re having fun, eventually people will see it and come have fun with you.
ASEXUALITY
Where on the spectrum do you identify?
Aroace.
Have you encountered any kind of ace prejudice or ignorance in your field? If so, how do you handle it?
I’ve been very lucky to find myself among fellow creative aces, and some wonderfully accepting people in the webcomic community.
Sometimes readers of my comic can be a different story. So far, I haven’t encountered malice, but ignorance over the fact that two of my main characters are on the ace spectrum. Despite some heavy hints in comic, and some blunt statements outside of the comic regarding their orientation, it just doesn’t seem to click for some readers. In most of these cases, I just ignore it, and hope that my writing will speak for itself as I carry on.
What’s the most common misconception about asexuality that you’ve encountered?
I usually encounter the misconception that asexuality is a fancy word for abstinence or celibacy.
I also find a lot of people have trouble wrapping their head around the idea that I can appreciate another person’s appearance, and think they’re exceptionally good looking, without finding them attractive in a sexual way at all. I can appreciate a pretty person the same way someone can appreciate pretty art, folks!
What advice would you give to any asexual individuals out there who might be struggling with their orientation?
You’re not weird, or broken, or sick, and anyone who tells you differently doesn’t deserve your time. Don’t let anyone try to convince you that sex is a be all end all to anything in life. There are so many awesome experiences in the world, and so many ways to be close to other people.
And remember that asexuality is simply a lack of sexual attraction. Is sex something you’re indifferent about? Ace. Is sex is something that repulses you? Still ace. If sex still appeals to you, you just don’t look at people like ‘I wanna bang that,’ that doesn’t invalidate you! Still ace. Don’t let people police you one way or the other. Lack of interest in sexual things doesn’t make you a childish prude, and interest in sexual things doesn’t make you less ace.
Also keep in mind that sexuality is fluid. If you feel ace now, but didn’t before, or don’t in the future, that doesn’t invalidate how you feel now. All our journeys are different. Be kind to yourself, and know there are tons of people out there just like you. You’re not alone.
Finally, where can people find out more about your work?
You can read my comic at soultocall.com
And also find me and my art on a handful of social media like…
Tumblr: http://rommie.tumblr.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Rommierin
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rommiegram/
Thank you, Katherine, for participating in this interview and this project. It’s very much appreciated.
Asexual Artists 