Artist Spotlight: Kat Christodoulou

We interviewed one of our retail superstars, Kat and asked her all about her creative journey! Kat specialises is digital drawing but loves to get stuck into a bit of traditional illustrating using alcohol ink markers and coloured pencils! We were blown away by Kat's vibrant and fun little characters and we hope you are too! 

Tell us a little bit about yourself

Hi, my name’s Kat, I’m a Greek/Aussie artist that primarily works in digital mediums most of the time and for my business (SunsetScorpion) in which I get to vend at conventions and sell my artworks as prints, keychains, stickers, pins etc. I like to dabble in other art mediums such as coloured pencils (Prismacolor) and Alcohol markers. I’ve also had some great fun with pouring acrylic, though I always find myself going back to illustrative art forms.

How did you get into art?

I’ve been drawing religiously since I was a child, I always had an art supply in my hand and was always keen to get crafty. I started developing a serious liking to it in my early teens, first finding massive inspirations from cartoons and animated movies/TV shows such as Pokemon, Disney, Pixar etc. I picked up my first drawing tablet at 13 and have been digitally and traditionally illustrating ever since.

How do you describe your art style?

My art style is absolutely bright, toony, colourful and lighthearted. I am and always was drawn to the stylisation of animated media and that reflects heavily in the work I currently produce. You’ll most often find me drawing animals of many kinds and natural/nature inspired illustrations.

Talk us through the evolution of your art

My art evolution started off with a great obsession with dragons and horses. I’d be pulling out reams of printer paper and sketching them to my heart’s content. When I was a kid I definitely tried to start off with drawing realism, but very quickly found myself enjoying the bright and colourful cartoons and transitioning to that. From there my printer paper artworks turned into digital artworks. I was excited to start something new and worked on free ipad apps like DrawCast where I self-taught the basics of using layers and just drawing the things I enjoyed. This app also had a share/community function where I was able to post my art. After finding and connecting with like-minded people that’s where my work really started to evolve into how I create now. I taught myself the basics of colour theory, steady handedness, composition and tone through YouTube, and just pulled ideas from my imagination and inspirations.

What does a typical creative day look like?

A typical creative day for me involves a good breakfast and a coffee because I pull out all the supplies i need at my station! Depending on if I’m making a traditional or digital work decides how my setup is! I occasionally stream my digital art on my preferred streaming platform to my viewers who get the opportunity to watch my process and engage with me while we work together. In this case i prop up my Ipad,set up my computer and cast my ipad screen to the stream. Generally I like to work on my digital art on my days off and at nights after work! My traditional art is my fun time, so I dedicate some time to creating those works generally when I’m ahead in my commissions or just need a moment away from the screen, but still want to create!

Where do you source inspiration from?

My inspiration actually comes from a variety of different places, such as music, movies/tv shows and even from friends and fellow artists in my community.

Are there any particular artists or art movements that inspire you?

Most of my favourite artists are found online! Such as @reidf, @wallabytea, @clockbirds, @salululuart and @apofissx on Instagram to name a few. I always resonate with artists that work on character creation, cover art and splash art for games and painted digital works. If I was to pick a traditional movement that I enjoyed, I’d most likely choose Abstract for its bright colours and boldness.

What are your favourite colours to work with?

I always opt for warm and neutral tones. Browns, tans, pink, yellow, reds and purples are my absolute favourites

What are your favourite brands to work with?

For coloured pencils I reach for Prismacolor pencils, for alcohol markers I use both Copic and Ohuhu religiously and for my fineliners I usually opt for Microns and UniPin! I also LOVE Gellyroll pens for adding extra highlights!

What’s your must have art supply?

A must have in my collection are alcohol markers! I also love using lots of different washi tape designs.

What’s your most favourite artwork you have ever created?

The title for this would have to go to my digital artworks. Since my style is slightly versatile, I have favourites from each style! For example, I love these cockatiels and my bats! For my full scenes definitely either this sunset themed one or this desert mouse!

How do you combat creative blocks?

Most of the time I look to music or shows/movies that I really enjoy. Since my inspiration primarily comes from those categories, they are usually pretty effective in giving me ideas and helping me to imagine!

Any other art styles or mediums you’d like to try?

I would absolutely love to delve into polymer clay. I’ve seen some adorable miniature items and figurines that I would LOVE to be able to mould. I love the idea of bringing characters to life.

Advice for budding artists?

Stick to your guns, and never stop creating. Make work that makes you feel good and happy, branch yourself into different mediums and subjects/art styles and find one that makes you the most proud and happy to work on. Don’t worry about what other people think, you are making art for you. Even if what you make at the beginning isn’t amazing, you still made it, and every piece that you create after that will be better and better.
 

Upcoming events?

I travel quite a lot for my business so I have quite a good number of conventions coming up such as Supanova Melbourne, Dreamhack, FurDU and some others down the line like ComicCon where I have the opportunity to sell my creations.

Do you prefer TikTok or Instagram?

I love both for different reasons! Instagram is a great platform to use as a gallery for people to scroll through, whereas TikTok is the best way to show your clients and viewers the progress of your artwork! I’d love to utilise TikTok more to post my speedpaints and speed draws.

1. Copic Ciao 13pc Marker and Manga Illustration Guide Book Set
2. Mont Marte Premium Bleedproof Marker Pad A4 105gsm 50 Sheet
3. Copic Ciao Art Marker Set of 6 - Bright Tones
4. Copic Ciao Art Marker - 0 Colourless Blender
5. Prismacolor Premier Colouring Pencil Tin Of 48

6. Sakura Gelly Roll Pen Set 3pc - White
7. Sakura Pigma Micron Pen Set 6pc - Black
8. Gelly Roll Moonlight Pastel & White 6pc Set
9. Mont Marte Quick Dry Marker Pad 110gsm A4 30 Sheets

You can find more of Kat's work at https://sunsetscorpion.carrd.co/ 

Thanks so much for joining us on today's Artist Spotlight! Let us know if you have any questions, leave a comment or email us at customerservice@artshedonline.com.au