Catherine Epps, a recent graduate from Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, is an illustration artist storming her way into the two billion dollar comic book market.
The 2019 Steinert High grad sees the world differently and shares her stories via her illustrations and storylines. She does freelance illustration work, and will soon publish her own comic book series.
When did you begin in the arts? Were you always drawing?
My mother tells me that as a toddler, I often preferred painting in my high chair rather than eating in it. Unfortunately, as I got older, I had to often take breaks for less important things, such as going to school.
What was the most important lesson you learned in art school?
To sum it up simply, with all projects- start broadly, then work your way down to the details. Before coloring, make sure your values work. Before outlining, do a sketch. Place basic shapes across the page before starting any details.
I had a habit growing up of rushing through my art as fast as I could. It yielded good results up to a point; because I never planned anything out, I had no way of fixing basic mistakes. Forcing myself to slow down helped me take the time to plan ahead, and anticipate these problems.
What did art school not prepare you for?
The business side to being a freelance artist, mostly the money part, and how to think like a small business. The only reason I am aware of how to work my finances is because I sought out advice from my professors, friends, and partner (who is infinitely more patient with numbers, charts and finances then I am).
Which media do you work in for your illustrations?
All of my work is currently digital. I used to experiment with many traditional mediums, but due to a hand injury in high school, I had to switch completely to digital to lower the strain on my wrist. However, I don’t see this as a bad thing, as I’ve completely fallen in love with using my iPad for all my art. The ‘undo’ button really sells it.
Where do you get your ideas/subject matter from?
Every original piece of art I make, I like to tell some sort of story. Whether it’s a comic that makes people laugh, or concept art that deals with world building. So, it makes sense that I am inspired from many of the stories I encounter in the media I consume. Specific ones include Calvin and Hobbes, Studio Ghibli Movies, and most of the Cartoon Network shows.
How long is the illustration process from idea to final approval?
My iPad conveniently keeps track of the hours I spend on each piece. It usually ranges from 5 to 20 hours to render an illustration. However, this number doesn’t track how long a certain idea has been bouncing around my head for, which can be from weeks to years. I also physically can’t do it all in one go (believe me, I’ve tried), so one illustration will take about one to three months for me to complete.
Who are some of your artistic inspirations or influences?
I find myself inspired by a variety of sources. The many variations in animation styles are particularly hopeful, in the sense that both new styles and creators are flourishing.
The age of the internet means I also am shown a variety of independent artists on my feed, whose styles have often influenced me.
How did you decide to work on children’s books and comic books?
My art has always been sequential in nature. During college, I found that this lent itself very handily to being paired with text on a page. The natural next step was to pursue children’s books and comic books, both of which I have highly enjoyed creating manuscripts for.
What fight/struggle do you have regarding your art?
Right now, my main resource that I am lacking is time. Ever since getting a part time ‘not art’ job to pay rent, I have less time to work on my creative things. I struggle with knowing when the right time will be to “jump ship,” and when it will be financially worth it to wholly devote my time to creating art.
Is it challenging to illustrate an entire book, to make the images be continuous and cohesive?
Absolutely. It may sound surprising, making my comic book was a much harder task than creating all of my realistic portraits and paintings. This was simply because there was much more I had to think about: a plot, character personality, setting, and of course, continuity.
What is a dream project of yours?
Last year I finished writing what I consider to be the first volume in a comic series called “Lil and Friends Die for Real.” It would be a dream to find a publisher for it, or be paid to keep working on it. I’m currently looking into finding a way to finance this.
What is on the horizon? What are you looking forward to?
Right now, the future is full of infinite possibilities. In the short term, I would like to build up my commission client base enough that I can make it a full time job. Long term, however, I’m not sure where I’ll end up. The only thing I know is I want to keep creating pictures and stories for people to enjoy.
Instagram: @doodlecatcreations. Email: doodlecatcreations@gmail.com.
Illustration by Catherine Epps.,
