Tell us a little about yourself and what you do.
My name is Sophia. I like salmon sashimi, dogs, and long walks off the pier.
I write and draw things, of varying quality and professionalism. I spend most of my time practicing my drawing speed and looking at cool things online. I occasionally sell prints and take commissions, but have only recently gained the initiative to start making a business out of it.
Where do you get your inspiration from when you draw?
Nature. Video games. General escapism. Pretty colours.
Nature’s Revenants (Seal)
What are the five words that people who know you would use to describe you?
Humanoid, humble, awesome, creative and imaginative.
People like to exaggerate. I’m not very humanoid.
Tell us about your very first job and what path have you taken since then?
– I’ve taken art commissions, and mostly been on the volunteering track. Not a lot has changed.
I initially aspired to get into the animation industry, but the study environment, late nights and poor diet did a number on my physical and mental health. Volunteering in outdoor activities has proved a lot better for my health in more ways than one.
As an artist, what is your biggest frustration?
Physical and mental limitations. You can get pretty one-track-minded about a piece, but if you keep pushing ahead full-throttle, you can really suffer for it. I can currently only draw for 40 minute sessions with hour breaks in between, due to my wrist and shoulder conking out when I was drawing and animating overtime. Those set sessions might sound unbearable to some, but it’s an improvement on when I spent months being unable to draw anything at all due to nerve damage.
One’s passion about something can be overwhelming sometimes, but if you want to be able to keep it up, you really shouldn’t try sprinting a whole marathon.
Nature’s Revenants (Deer)
Tell us about how you prioritise your art?
I used to prioritise it over everything, but that ended pretty badly.
It’s generally about consistency. Keeping time to do everything else I need to function (which is a lot more than I originally believed) and my art. It’s difficult to balance if I’m immersed in something, but it’s important to keep myself grounded and work in reasonable shifts.
How do you connect with other artists, and your customers
Generally online, though social media such as Tumblr and Facebook. It sounds impersonal, but it’s easier to reach out to a wide variety of people and other artists who share your interests in that manner.
Your advice to artist who are just starting out?
Save yourself.
In all honesty though, what you put down on paper will rarely match what you’ve envisioned in your head. That can be frustrating sometimes, but I’ve never met an artist who is always satisfied with their work.
If you look at someone else’s work and feel self-conscious about yours, just remember – that artist is just showing their best side. They have ten times the amount of mistakes hidden away, somewhere. So please keep drawing. It’s not a competition, and all of us are constantly learning.
Tell us about your up coming SCG Group art exhibition Art at ArtSHINE Gallery?
It’s a collaboration of some very talented people from different walks of life, different experiences and with a unified love of comics. Though the founder of the SCG, Alex Hammond, cannot exhibit with us – she’s what got this project rolling. She’s what got all this stuff rolling.
Thanks, dude.
What is your proudest moment so far?
It’s hard to pinpoint things. I was top of the class for my first year of JMC, and shook hands with an ex-Pixar employee. That was pretty amazing, but long-term-wise, I think a lot of pride comes from completing long-term projects that gave me grief.
There’s also creating content – and inspiring someone else to draw something as a result.
That’s a feeling that doesn’t get old.
Miral’s Night
Who do you most want to meet and why?
Kate Beaton. I don’t think we’d have a lot to talk about, but I love her sense of humour, her art and her hilarious commentary on historical events and figures. Sometimes I don’t even know who the people she talks about are, I just sit and listen, and then feel compelled to look up the history behind them later.
What is the most important lesson in life that you have learned?
At risk of sounding pretentious… Sometimes you define your limits, and sometimes your limits define you. But you can do really incredible stuff in both cases. Keep at it, no matter what pace you travel at.
What book are you reading right now, and do you have a book you would like to recommend?
I’ve heard of these ‘book’ things. Strange contraptions of old.
In all seriousness, I don’t read a whole lot, thanks to a finicky attention span. A friend of mine has slowly been getting me to read Terry Pratchett’s work, and so far I’ve been enjoying it.
Graphic novels on the other hand… more than I can count on one hand. I recommend Emily Carroll’s ‘Through the Woods’ for those who enjoy subtle and non-so-subtle horror.
Where do we find you and your products?
As of yet, I have no sites that sell my work. My Facebook is a good way to contact me for commissions, however.
https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rabid
