Welcome to the Saturday illustrator spotlight on Bookish Ambition.
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| Courtesy Katie Kath |
Two weeks ago, I featured illustrator,
Kelly McMorris, whom I found while schmoozing with the online kidlit community.
In my research, I discovered she had been chosen for the
SIS. It seemed only fitting to feature the other recipient of the 2013 summer scholarship,
Katie Kath right before the LA
conference.
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| Katie Kath's Mia |
Katie is no less deserving of our attention here. Her style is playful and, well, fresh. Her simplicity doesn't seem forced. That is no small feat.
Katie is multi-dimensional, but I think her children's art shines brightest. She interjects emotion and energy into her drawings with minimal line. Her palette is very limited.
Perusal of her
blog reveals she struggles with developing style and direction, just like many of us, but what impresses (and inspires) me when I scan her
portfolio is the timelessness of her art. When I look at her cavorting kids, I see
Marylin Hafner or
Quentin Blake. The simple realism is honest, like
Aliki with a touch of
Jan Ormerod and a dash of
Erik Blegvad.
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| Sketchbook page courtesy Katie Kath |
Y'know, this is one of the best parts of my week. I love, love, love finding new artists and exploring their work. I encounter scores of people each month. The hardest part is deciding who to feature next. I try to post a mix of ages, backgrounds, and countries of origin. I can be inspired by style, color palette, technique, creativity, or backstory. I love an underdog. There are just so many artists who inspire me! What about you? Who inspires you? What grabs your attention when you sift through a sea of images?
Thank you for featuring me in your lovely article! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Katie. Congratulations. We look forward to seeing more great art and hearing about future successes!
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