by kate on February 2, 2012
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!
by kate on January 26, 2012
Coming up shortly, we have a special sneak peek at the making of the cover for Issue 6, which will be hitting stands very soon. But first, we’re thrilled to share the third installment in our Sketches Exclusive series with Kim Krans of The Wild Unknown. Kim has been sharing a few pages from her old sketchbooks, and has been kind of to create a few original drawings for the site. This week, she takes her inspiration from the intricate beauty of nature. Thanks for sharing, Kim!
How amazing are snowflakes and spiderwebs? Each is based on radial symmetry, but has its own unique, intricate, fragile structure. I also like how easily they disappear, and that you can’t keep or collect them. Magic! —Kim
by kate on January 19, 2012
We’re thrilled to share Kim’s second week of sketches. This week Kim was digging through her archives and spotted these two portraits. Kim’s love of country music runs deep, and her inspiration for these drawings are two of country music’s greatest legends. It’s cool to compare the loose, breezy drawing style of these to her newer work from last week; I like the use of little dots to create both the depth in the faces and the pattern for the border. Thanks for sharing some treasures from your past, Kim!
During the winter months I try to make my house and studio space as cozy as possible. One way I do this is to have my favorite country records from the ’60s and ’70s spinning non-stop on the record player. There are so many amazing singers and musicians from that time, but Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton have always been on the top of my list. I found these portraits I made a few years ago in my drawing archive. — Kim
Willie Nelson portrait: My favorite Willie record is Stardust. So perfect for cuddling up to! The album artwork is amazing, too.
Dolly Parton portrait: The list of great female country music stars is endless … but I love drawing Dolly because she’s become such an icon. “Coat of Many Colors” is my favorite of her records.
by kate on January 12, 2012
We’ve greatly enjoyed our Sketches column, and the chance it gives us to peek into artists’ sketchbooks and see the creative process. Now, in addition to the regular column, we’ve also invited some our favorite painters, drawers, illustrators, and doodlers to share original drawings with us each week for a month. I’m thrilled to kick off this Sketches Exclusive series with the very talented Kim Krans of The Wild Unknown.
Kim’s graceful drawings feel as fresh and effortless as the nature that inspires them. Based in Brooklyn, Kim creates lovely calendars, prints, and handmade goods that capture the wildness and beauty of the organic natural world. Today she shares with us a couple quick sketches from the week, inspired by the hardy plants of winter. You can see more of Kim’s artwork in the coming weeks, and if you have any desire to share your sketches with us, please send us a sample here. Enjoy!
Wow, its been frigid on the east coast this week! This weather has me thinking about how incredible it is that some plants blossom in the winter. How awesome and inspiring is that fact, as we move into a new year and the deepest months of winter?! —Kim
Camellia: I remember these blossoms from holiday trips to the coast of British Columbia. The stark branches and soft flowers are a gorgeous contrast.
Witch Hazel: I spend a lot of time in the Catskill mountains, and during the winter this is the only color around, its such a vibrant yellow!
by kate on January 4, 2012
I know it’s a bit early in winter to start anticipating the arrival of fresh green leaves, warm breezes, and beautiful spring flowers, but today’s Sketches has me thinking about nothing else. The pages shown here are from the sketchbooks and journals of Melissa Wastney. Melissa is an artist based far across the globe in Nelson, New Zealand—where it’s actually mid-summer right now. She runs the online shop Tiny Happy and curates a blog of the same name. Melissa’s illustrations are simple and sweet, and I fell in love with the painterly ease she exhibits on the pages of her sketchbooks.
Since Melissa also creates textiles, it’s not surprising that there are a few sample swatches tucked into the pages as well. It’s wonderful to see so many different mediums—fabric, painting, block printing, collage, and more—all tackled with a playfulness that feels perfectly suited to the spring-like flora and fauna depicted. You can view more of Melissa’s sketches here, and be sure to check out the goods in her shop as well.
{All images by Melissa Wastney via Flickr}
