It’s been such a treat for us to kick off our Sketches Exclusive column with the warm, amiable, and immeasurably talented Kim Krans of The Wild Unknown. Kim was kind enough to share a few of her old drawings and even make a few new ones exclusively for the site. Today will wrap up Kim’s series, so we decided to share a brief interview and a little celebratory treat for you all: Kim is offering Anthology readers a 10% discount on all items until the end of the weekend!
Simply visit her shop and enter the coupon code ANTHOLOGY10 at checkout to receive your discount. The offer ends Sunday at midnight EST, but I wouldn’t wait to head over there and shop the collection, as Kim’s coveted pieces can sell out quickly. You can read our interview with Kim and see her last pair of sketches below. Thanks so much for kicking off the series, Kim!
When did you first start making artwork?
My first official “job” as an artist was when my dad and his buddies paid me five dollars an hour to paint logos and characters on the sides of stock cars that they’d race on Sundays (picture very rural Michigan in the late 80’s). So I’d have to paint the Tasmanian Devil holding checkered flags, phrases written out of flames, that type of thing.
Where do you find your inspiration?
I get excited to draw just about any furry little creature… oh and I find lots of inspiration at our cabin upstate.
How has your creative process changed over the years?
The biggest change is that I’ve become open to making artwork that is affordable and appealing to a wider range of people, not just art for galleries. This was an absolutely liberating realization!
Do you have any routines or practices that you find helpful for working creatively?
Listening to records I love!
How many drawings/sketches/paintings do you create a year?
Eeeek, I make hundreds and hundreds of drawings a year! Sketches, doodles, finished pieces… thank god for flat files. I haven’t thrown any artwork away in a long time, but there are plenty of pieces that don’t end up being used for anything.
You just published a children’s book, ABC Dream. How did that project come about?
ABC Dream has a really simple concept, but its drawn in a way that gives kids and parents a break from the usual brightly colored and cartoony alphabet books. The books I love the most create an entire world that I can escape into, so I wanted to make a magical, intricate black & white world in ABC Dream. A few days ago I shipped my first order of books to the Whitney Museum and I just about cried with excitement!
What was the process for taking the book from idea to completion?
I spent quite a bit of time researching and sketching out each page, but once I was ready I drew like crazy for about 2 months and then had a fully realized book in my hands.
What are you looking forward to in 2012?
Finishing the drawings for my second children’s book… and drumroll… oh I can’t disclose the other project I’m working on! My instagram followers might know…
What’s the biggest challenge of your creative profession?
Phew, this is a big one: steering the wheel! Making sure that my day to day work is steering my business and life in the direction I want it to go. We live in a very distracting world and I could easily end up invoicing, emailing, making a few little drawings, and generally tweeting away my entire year. So I prioritize drawing, and I try to constantly envision my longterm goals, even though every day is filled with a zillion small tasks. Grab the wheel and turn it towards what you want!
