Interview with Artist @itskleine

I was scrolling through Twitter one day and came across @itskleine art page and fell in love with their work. So I decided to reach out and interview them all about their art!

1. What inspired you to start making art?

A lot of things inspired me to start making art like anime, manga, all the animated movies such as Studio Ghibli and Pixar were major sparks for me in creating when I was younger! I feel like a lot of artists can share this as well. However these days, a lot of my inspiration draws from nature and everyday things that seem so mundane, yet they stick to you. Fleeting moments that others can notice and realize that sometimes there’s joy in the small things. It can be as simple as a juice box I really like and it begins to develop in my head. Next thing I know you got a little frog selling his wares for coin in a little juice box!

2. Favorite thing about being an artist?

There are so many things I love about being an artist, the creation process, picking colors, and just mindlessly doodling when I need to brain-barf out ideas. My most favorite has to be making someone’s day, helping give that little bit of joy in their life is honestly very fulfilling. I also really like drawing frogs and being able to draw them in cute or encouraging scenarios is a major plus in my book!

3. Advice for new artists?

Advice is so hard, especially because a lot of artists have already said what I wanted to say. So here are a few things that I think might help:

-Do hand, wrist, and arm stretches OFTEN. These are some of your greatest assets when it comes to drawing, so constantly working without taking the time to stretch will result in injury in the future. Injured limbs mean less time to draw and that is not fun at all 🙁

-Surround yourself with things that you like. May that be artwork, plants, figurines, or pictures. Whatever your heart desires! You create a little artistic bubble that gets you in the mood to create and these fond objects of yours are the cheerleaders. I know a lot of probably draw on the bed, and I am very guilty of that too, but try not to do that too often! Once in a while is fine but the bed should be reserved for rest if possible.

-There is an audience for everything, but know that sometimes it can take a long time for the audience to find you. You can post every day but still not have the results you might want. So take your time and enjoy what you make. Do a hashtag here and there but remember that following trends isn’t the only way to grow. Balance is key as well as confidence.

4. Plans for 2021!

I have a few things planned for 2021, one of them being apparel! I’ve always wanted to make my own little brand of clothing, but I’m very picky about what I’d like so I have a lot of research to do. I’m hoping to do a hoodie, socks and maybe a t-shirt! Other things would be new merchandise like stickers, charms, and wash tape. I also hope to move off Etsy this year, fingers crossed I can get the ball rolling!