It’s time for our next Featured Student! For August we are featuring:

Katie Kordesh

• Website: katiekordesh.com

• Instagram: @kordesh.sketch

• Twitter: @KatieKordesh

• SVS Forum: @KATIE KORDESH

Below is an awesome Q&A that Kathryn Adebayo (@KATHRYNADEBAYO) conducted with Katie Kordesh:

Some people take years to ease into an illustration career, and others, like Katie Kordesh, jump right in. Her definition of success as an artist, as well as her dedication to honing her craft, may be just the inspiration needed to kickstart your own creative engine.

Hi! Could you share a bit about yourself and your art?

Of course! My name is Katie, I’m 23 years old, and I’m currently working as a full time Illustrator in Los Angeles. Last year, I graduated from Ball State University with my BFA in animation, and then moved across the country to pursue a career in illustration and animation!

At times, I’ve struggled knowing which path I want to go down. I’ve gone from wanting to do fine art, to editorial illustration, to animation, back to fine art and now I have happily landed at children’s book illustration! Children’s books feel like the perfect blend of all these things to me. Now when I’m making art my goal is to find a balance between classic children’s books illustration and contemporary animation.  I love working with an old brush pen and I am inspired by artists like Ikegami Yoriyuki, The Provensens, Rebecca Green, Ludwig Bemelmans, and Christian Robinson.

Was there anything that inspired you as a child that led you to become an illustrator?

I loved copying the art from movies and graphic novels. My parents and teachers were always really supportive and I think that positive encouragement helped push me to keep going.

In highschool, I was doing a lot of realistic work when Instagram really took off. I started following a lot of artists who worked in animation and made the connection that you could draw cartoons for a living.  

You clearly have technical ability for drawing realistically but also create a simple and cheerful children’s style. How did you develop this style? Could we see some of your illustration work?

I am in a constant battle with liking and hating my work. For the moment, I am really liking the direction I am headed and that is because of the courses I have taken at SVSLearn and my mentorship with The Illustration Department.

During Lee White’s course on finding your style, I compared my work to my dream portfolio and my style did not match up at all. Moving forward I try to keep that dream portfolio in mind and how those artists use color, composition, and line. I still have a long way to go and I hope that my style continues to keep growing and changing :)

What does success as an artist mean to you? How have you been successful so far?

I think success is making work that you love! I think I’ve been successful in that my day job allows me to be selective about what I do with my free time, while still getting to draw full time. 

Can you call to mind advice that really helped you along in your artistic pursuits? Could we hear the story? 

It’s advice that you hear a lot, but a big breakthrough for me was when I started to make work that I just really enjoy making. I am having so much fun exploring different media and making quick messy drawings. Since I started having fun, artists that I have looked up to for years have started to follow me back on twitter and Instagram. It might seem silly, but that does mean a lot to me and it makes me feel like I’m a little bit closer to my goals. 

Since you’re able to work as an illustrator currently, what is your work flow like? Do you have any routines or tools that you use to help you stay focused? 

Now that we are in quarantine, I’ve gained an extra 3 hours a day from not having to commute. Typically, I get out of bed, brew a pot of coffee, turn on a podcast, and do some personal work before my day job begins. 

Art podcasts and youtube videos are essential to me getting focused in the morning. Even when I’m super tired, listening to a podcast about art gives me motivation to keep pushing towards my dreams! 

What would you like to see yourself doing professionally five years down the road, and what’s your ultimate dream as an artist?

In 5 years, I would like to have a handful of finished projects under my belt. While some of my goals are definitely to get an agent, get published, etc., I think it is important to have goals that aren’t totally reliant on outside recognition. That has been disappointing in the past. Beyond that, my ultimate dream is to make creatively fulfilling work as my full time job! In my dream I have a dedicated studio space with windows that let fresh air in, a french bulldog named Ravioli, and a healthy work-life balance. 

Thank you so much, Katie, for giving us a glimpse into your life as an illustrator!

We are planning a special edition of the Featured Student for October (it has a little something to do with ink) and would love for you to participate! Check out the SVSLearn Forum for more information in the coming weeks!