Samantha Whitten is one of the artists of the newly released How to Draw Manga Chibis & Cute Critters , and we are honored that she agreed to appear in our first September Artist Spotlight! Read along for her advice on never giving up, drawing every day, and playing video games along the way.
Walter Foster: What are your earliest memories of creating art?
Samantha Whitten: My earliest memories are drawing on a giant (or what seemed giant at the time) drawing pad on the floor, surrounded by pencils and crayons. I also vividly remember doodling in all of my children's books, adding in characters or other items to the existing pictures. I actually still have my favorite book that I filled with drawings until I couldn't fit any more in.
WF: What is your favorite medium to work with? Has this changed over the years?
SW: My favorite medium used to be colored pencils, but ever since I acquired a computer and a tablet, digital art has been my medium of choice. It's easier and faster to work in than traditional methods, and much more forgiving of mistakes or changes.
WF: Where do you find inspiration?
SW: Inspiration comes in many forms for me, but my two main sources are other artists that I like and real-life situations. When I see art that I like, it makes me want to create similar things, and sometimes when I'm going about my daily life I'll see a situation or environment that I feel like rendering in my next piece.
WF: Where do you typically work? Do you follow any sort of ritual to prep for a project?
SW: I have a sort of office set-up in the corner of my bedroom since I work from home. It consists of a very large desk, two computer monitors, my tablet, and any other items I need to keep the workflow going. The only ritual I can say I have is that I usually spend about 30 minutes or more doing warm-up sketches at the start of the day to make sure I'm in the art groove before I start work on a serious project.
WF: When you're facing the dreaded "artist's block," what do you do to recharge?
SW: I don't really believe in artist's block! But I do hit points where I am so unmotivated that I have a hard time working productively. The best solution is usually to take a break from art if the deadline allows it. Go for a walk, read a book, play a video game. Just take time to unwind and recharge. If that isn't possible or doesn't work, I try looking at other artists' work. Sometimes seeing a really great piece is just the kick in the pants you need to get your creative juices flowing again.
WF: What are your favorite subjects to create?
SW: My favorite subjects are cute things! Animals, people, critters out of my imagination—if it's cute then I enjoy making it.
WF: What do you do in your free time when you're not working or creating art?
SW: one of my favorite things to do is play video games. They can be a lot of fun and can also inspire me in other ways. I also really enjoy reading books or going to the movies.
WF: If you were to give advice to a beginning artist, what would it be?
SW: Never give up! It can be really easy to just throw in the towel and walk away when you're first starting out, especially when you see a bunch of really great artists that are so much better than you. But you have to remember that we all started somewhere, and if you don't keep going you will never get better. Believe in yourself and you'll go far!
To learn more about Samantha Whitten and to see more of her work, visit littlecelesse.com and sugarbunnyshop.com .