Questions answered

Wow, I got a lot of questions on that last post about highschool. I don't know if anyone ever goes back to read the comments, so I'm just going to answer them here. I'll add some drawings too, so it doesn't get boring!)

Jennifer:
"With all the "big eyes" in your drawings, were you influenced by Margaret Keane?"

Yes, I like Margaret Keane, and a lot of the people who ripped off the style, too...I have a lot of cheesy paintings from the 60's that I get cheap from the swap meet. My favorites are the ones of "mod" kids dancing around. Those are really nice paintings! I'll post some of them sometime!

Jorge Garrido:
"How come you look so sad, though? Cheer up!"

Ha, I wasn't really sad, just weird looking. :)

Chet:
"So Katie,whats your relationship status? Im just currious(besides im too young to hit on you hahahahaha)"

My boyfriend's name is Luke and he's a cartoonist too. This is him:

Davis Chino:
"Funny how you note when a drawing is "from memory." Are you just trying to dodge recriminations from your subjects?"

Ha ha ha, maybe that's part of it...I also was hoping people would notice the difference between the ones done from photos and the ones done with no reference. Hopefully the ones with no reference are cartoonier! When you draw someone from memory, you use more of your instinct and draw things that you wouldn't draw if you were looking at the picture.

Mom:
"Does it embarrass you that your dad and I comment?"

No, I like it. :)

m.pheuz:
"may i ask what materials you use to colorize your (killer!) drawings? i mean, do you use brushes or some kind of pens or markers?"

I use a different array of markers. I don't have a whole set of any of the brands, just lots of random colors. Right now I really like this one kind...I don't know the brand name...they're super stinky though, and make you feel funny when you draw with them.

Arrive Magnificent:
"Hey, do you ever sell prints and stuff? When you do, you should let us know (for reals). More eBay auctions, maybe?"

I don't really know much about making and selling prints. Do you go to Kinko's and stuff to do that, or somewhere else? Maybe I'll look into it...I'll put up more ebay stuff soon, and I'll announce it here when I do!

Samuel K:
"Katie, what shapes do you generally use in your basic construction of characters? For drawing faces and open mouths and body structures and things?"

Wow, that's a hard question to answer with words! I guess I usually start with the standard Elmer fudd shaped head, with the cranium and jaw in two parts...then alter them to be more like whatever person I'm drawing. I guess I'll draw some and scan them in!

Here we go...sorry this isn't very good but I drew it fast:

I sort of wing it when drawing bodies...and when I draw mouths I usually think about the open part first, and then draw the lips around it. I like drawings mouths. Maybe I should do a mouth post sometime?

Anonymous:
"Huh......where are your highschool male counterparts?....I'm curious to see how adaptable your "design" techniques are... (much like the rest of your loyal fans)...Anyways, I figure it will be pretty easy, with all the boys today wearing girl jeans and growing there hair long and stuff...more and more boys can be funny and cute too...maybe even funnier and cuter...?"

What Male counterparts?? No one was interested in a bunch of nerds like us sitting around in home-made sailor scout costumes. Well, I guess there were a few. The truth is, I HATE drawing guys...it's so hard!! I do actually force myself to draw them at home, but I hate showing them because the drawings are so awkward. Girls are so much easier. I'll post some guys soon though. :(

Qui-Que:
"Are there any tips when creating a proffesional art portfolio for jobs nd' such you could show me?"

I suppose the best thing to do is have a lot of variety? Draw lots of different things and clean some of them up nice and pretty. Then send it to everyone you know! Maybe take a look at some professional artist portfolios online. That might give you some good ideas of what kinds of things to include.

Here's another picture of me and Megan:

One more thing- if you've emailed me or asked me to draw you a picture and I haven't gotten back to you, I'm really sorry! A combination of traffic from John's site and the mention on Blogger has brought me a lot of mail, and I can't keep up with of it. My brain's just not that smart! If I were good at that kind of thing, I'd probably be a lawyer or something.

By the way, everyone who played my "guess which girl is which" game got the answers right. Hooray!