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Interview with
Kari Christensen
Featured Artist for May 2001
Would you introduce yourself and give a little personal background?
I'm just another kid that doesn't want to grow-up. Currently, I live in Utah with my wife and a house full of toys. I work as a Senior Production Designer for instructional design at Brigham Young University trying to make college courses more interesting by day- and by night I draw and paint as many demonic, destructive creatures as I can think of.
How long have you been an artist? How long have you been creating fantasy art?
I began drawing when I was four because I only had one storm trooper and I needed ten. Then I started drawing ships and dragons and monsters with different sized eyes and then I could draw any toy I wanted. I new they looked like a four year old drew them, but it was easier than convincing my mom to buy more Star Wars guys.
Have you had any formal training in the fine arts?
I received a BFA in Illustration from Brigham Young University in 1999.
What are your biggest artistic influences and inspirations?
My biggest influences lately have been Mcfarlane toys, and The Matrix. I always draw as much as I can. Sometimes it is even a surprise to me what comes to life on the paper.
Can you describe your creative process - how you come up with ideas for a new drawing and how you take those ideas and create a finished piece of art.
When I get a project description- like the RIFTs cards or more of a personal project, like the Prayer Dragon, I usually start out with a really loose drawing that has the flow of lines I want to create. Then I'll start working on concept sketches that show the characters in detail. If the characters aren't working out I'll look for reference. I'll usually do some sort of color study with the background and then start rendering the image with oils or the computer. I like to keep my paintings under 8 hours so I can keep up the energy.
Do you have a favorite fantasy artist or an artist you admire?
I admire the work of a lot my friends at Epilogue: Kevin Wasden, Todd Thompson, Igino Giordano, Stephanie Law and my wife Cambria. I think they're all on the beginning of a great career.
What advice would you give to young artists who are just starting out?
My advice to beginning artists is discover the things that you love the most and to not be frustrated when your work doesn't look like some other artist who you admire a lot. The beauty of art is that it is individual and there's always something that hasn't been done before.
If you could be a character from a fantasy novel, movie or game, who would you be?
If I could be any character I would be Darth Vader or a witch. It would be cool to drive an AT-AT and shoot everything. But, I've always wanted to fly around on a broom stick with pet bats and cook nasty things in a cauldron.
Finally, what cartoons did you watch as a kid?
I liked watching Transformers, Robotix, Inhumanoids, Robotech, and Godzilla. I thought He-man was full of bloated muscle men with Speedos. And GI-Joe was pretty mediocre but it had lots of cool explosions.
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