ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: LADYKRAKEN
Join us for an interview with one of our artists, and check out her fantastic artwork!
WHAT IS YOUR ARTIST NAME (REAL NAME OR ONLINE HANDLE. IF AN ONLINE HANDLE, WHERE DID THIS NAME COME FROM)?
I use LadyKraken to sign my works. I'm a big fan of Lovecraftian horror or cosmic horror genre, from H. P. Lovecraft stories to Junji Ito, tentacled monsters, spirals... that was what inspired me to choose that name.
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
I'm from Spain, so my first language is not English. I'm always making mistakes and double checking what I write all the time. So I'm probably making mistakes here too! Sorry in advance!
IS ART YOUR FULL TIME PROFESSION OR A SIDE JOB?
Right now I'm trying to make a living out of it full time, and I would really love for it to be a full time profession in the long run. Like everything, it's kind of hard, so I keep trying to do my best, hoping to be able to keep working on it.
DID YOU STUDY ART FORMALLY? OR WERE YOU MOSTLY SELF TAUGHT?
Yes and no. I always liked to draw and paint, I used to doodle and make crappy drawings in my class notes, and doing photo manipulations on the computer, but when I went to university I thought the best option was to major in computer science, after that I got a few jobs working in that field, but with the awful economy in my country, they were all temporary jobs.
That's when I started to go to a traditional art academy where I learned to paint in oils, pastel and charcoal. I learned a lot about color there, but not so much about figure drawing.
By that time I ended up in a summer job at a restaurant that lasted various years, and after having some medical problems I had to quit that job. At that moment I decided to start learning to draw almost by myself, as something therapeutic so I could try to make a living of it some day.
I'm mostly self taught in figure drawing and digital painting and after two years since I started, I guess I can't complain on my progress.
WHAT WOULD YOUR IDEAL JOB IN ART BE? SOMETHING FOR GALLERIES? AN ART DIRECTOR FOR A GAME STUDIO? OR JUST BUILDING YOUR CAREER IN FREELANCE?
I don't mind whether I work as a freelancer or for a company, as long I can be able to keep painting, creating characters and bringing them to life.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEDIUM TO WORK IN? DIGITAL? PAINT? PENCILS? SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY?
Digital is my favourite at the moment, it's faster, cleaner and offers lots of possibilities, though I also enjoy drawing with pencil and paper from time to time. Other favourites are oils and pastels, but both are more messier and expensive, so it's not a thing I currently do.
WHERE DO YOU MAINLY POST YOUR ARTWORK? WHERE CAN FANS FIND MORE OF YOUR FANTASTIC WORK?
I post all my work on Deviantart: https://www.deviantart.com/ladykraken
Although I post some exclusive content at my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ladykraken
I also have a Twitter ( https://twitter.com/ladyhildekraken ) and a Youtube account ( https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmb6wOc3LRM6l8vRDz-CVsg ), for quick updates and tutorials.
WHERE CAN PEOPLE FIND YOU OR CONTACT YOU IF THEY WANT TO COMMISSION WORK FROM YOU?
People can find my commission info at Deviantart: http://fav.me/db2eve2 or my contact info at Artstation: https://www.artstation.com/ladykraken/profile where an email is listed there too.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PRACTICING YOUR ART TO BECOME PROFESSIONAL?
I've been doodling on paper and painting in canvas for a long time, which gave me a solid base for developing a colouring technique, but I started to take it seriously in 2017 and that's when I started to really improve.
DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVOURITE THINGS TO DRAW?
I love painting fantasy related things, from human like characters, animal beings, to monsters and landscapes.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ANY NEW ARTISTS WHO WANT TO BECOME PROFESSIONALS?
Practice all you can, never stop practicing, and use reference pictures when having doubts. And even if you want to be a digital artist, work from time to time with pencil and paper, it really helps to see your progress in a medium with not as many shortcuts as digital.
WHAT’S THE BIGGEST MISTAKE YOU'VE MADE IN BECOMING A PROFESSIONAL ARTIST?
Thinking I already knew the human figure, and how bodies work. If I could say something to my past self it would be this: “Stop thinking you know anatomy, because no, you don't.” It really took me some time to recognise I needed to re- learn the basics, before progressing to the more complex stuff. I decided to work on multiple things at the same time, and while it paid off, it's been really stressful.
HOW HAVE YOU FOUND WORKING ON WARTIDE? HAS WORKING ON A LARGER LONG TERM PROJECT BEEN DIFFERENT TO OTHER WORK YOU HAVE DONE?
I love working on Wartide, and I mean it. It allows me to work in really creative designs, and face topics I didn't have the opportunity to try in other works. I usually work in short term projects, one, or two paintings, and I like that too, because I get to work in very different things. But I really enjoy working on a long term project too, keeping track of the work, collecting reference materials, creating different characters in the same universe, and seeing how some of them interact with each other, it's awesome. It's like I'm a witness to the creation of a new universe.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WOULD LIKE TO SHARE ABOUT YOURSELF OR YOUR ART?
Thanks so much for this opportunity and if anybody has any questions, or just want to say hi, don't hesitate to drop a line!