#chriskindred

Last Friday Chris took over our Instagram as we celebrated the Student Scholarship Competition exhibition opening and his Scholarship win. Today learn more about Chris in the interview below. 

1. When and how did you decide to become an illustrator?

At VCUarts Portfolio Day in 2009. It was my senior year of high school and I spent the day shopping for art programs that I thought I wanted to go to. VCU was the last one I went to for the day, and Sterling Hundley just happened to be running that table. When I met him and told him I was maybe thinking about pursuing illustration, he gave me the most thorough portfolio review I’d ever had, and told me exactly what I needed to know to become an illustration student. Took 3 years after that day, but it paid off big time.

2. Who are the biggest inspirations for your career?

My friends. A lot of them I used to follow on Blogspot back before I moved to Richmond. They were (and still are!) a ragtag group of creatives who focused on the work and being as dope as possible. That energy is what inspired me the most. Even now I’m glad to be surrounded by folks who are always grinding, not only to be the best at what they do, but to be the best selves they can be.

3. Name one non-illustration inspiration in your career.

Prince.

                                                                                                                 All Black 

4. What is the best advice you have been given as an artist?

Know when not to take advice—When you get advice that steers you from where you want to end up, you’re by no means obligated to follow it.

5. What is your creative habit? What do you have to do to get into your creative zone?

I have to start in the morning, or else it’s exponentially harder to get into the zone. I need quiet or ambient jams to contrast my surging thoughts before calming down to focus.  

                                                                                 Boxing Taught Me to Survive 

6. What music and books inspire you to create?

I’ve been reading a bunch of Octavia Butler lately. The contrast between intimacy and brutality are themes I want to explore in my work soon. Also recently finished Sorcerer of the Wildeeps, by Kai Ashante Wilson. His attention to detail and matter-of-fact style of world-building is really up my alley.

For music though, I’ve been playing Lil Yachty’s Lil Boat a lot. It’s really playful, well refined Atlanta trap that’s easy to rope you in. Also Chance’s Coloring Book is flames. 2016 is a good year for music. Lemonade, James Blake’s The Colour in Anything, and Kaytranada’s 99.9% were instant downloads for me.

7. As it relates to illustration what advice have you never forgotten?

“Be loose without being messy.” It was recent advice, but hearing it when I did made things click for me—I’ve had the most fun drawing loose figures in motion, or anything in motion for that matter.

                                                                                                                Fanfiction

8. Do you see illustration as a group of individuals or a community?

That’s a tough one. Illustration to me is me and my friends I’ve met from all around. The wider that net of friends, the larger the community. However, I do wish illustration at-large could be as tight-knit as comics can be.

9. What sort of things keep you involved in the world of illustration?

Knowing that social discourse can be important within the image-making profession and as an image-maker. Illustration is the most impactful tool I use to communicate.

10. What is your dream project?

I want to run an animated show or direct a feature. Along the way, I want to work on a graphic novel.  A dream project for me is one where I can have total creative freedom without struggling to eat.

11. If you could time travel what year would you go to?

2100. When people talk about the future, they talk about the state of the environment and technology. I want to see how far society has progressed. I want to know if someone like me can walk around without people locking their hovercar doors, haha.

                                                                                        Benefits of Collaboration

12. What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

Knowing that my work has touched someone’s life in a very real way. Alternatively, when I go grocery shopping with money I got for drawing pictures. That’s so surreal to me.

12. What’s the most terrifying part of your job?

That moment when you send up your final draft and you wait to see whether or not there are revisions.

13. Love the Internet or hate the Internet?

Who would hate the internet?

Artist Spotlight #28 features the super cool Chris Kindred (chriskindred)! In his own words, “I was grounded for a month when I got into a fight in sixth grade over Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. During school days, friends used to give me manga to take home while I couldn't watch TV or played video games. After the third or fourth Shonen Jump, I decided I wanted to draw from the books, which lead into a love for comics and illustration that has followed me since.” And he won that fight by the way.

Ladies of Literature: Volume 2 Character: Hecate from The Golden Ass by Apuleius

Favorite childhood book: “I covered the 'favorite book' part in my bio, but Shonen Jump carried me through my roughest middle school years.”

Favorite work song: “2015 is turning out to be a good year for hip-hop after last year's mediocre showing. Drake's ‘6 God’ and ‘Know Yourself’ are in rotation, with a couple Vaporwave and Japanese 80s funk playlists.”

Fictional character you feel on a spiritual level: “Peco from Ping Pong the Animation...during his rough patch though. I want to be the hero, but I've got a long way to go. “

What are you working on right now: “I'm currently developing a webcomic I'm launching sometime this summer! Keep an eye out~”