Kate Finnegan is a robust, gorgeous 26-year-old ex-RN who currentlymakes her living as a colorist for Big Dog Ink and Azurek Studios. This Irishbeauty hails from Pennsylvania and has a love for Batman that is unrivaled! Herinterests include Batman, comics, Star Wars, Batman, Game of Thrones,Photoshopping herself onto men and her ideal mate must possess a strongphysical build, resistance to most diseases, sharp eyesight, acute hearing,knowledge of wilderness survival, martial arts, and firearms/other weaponry.L: Kate, I’m going to start off by saying you are my female soul mate.How does that make you feel?
KF: It makes me feel like a unicorn farted in my chest and then sang me alove song.
L: Hahaha, that is hilarious to picture! Here we go, question #1: ifyou were a Star Trek [or Star Wars] character, which one would it be and why?
KF: For Star Trek, I would be Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S.ENTERPRISE because I would be bald, smooth, and sexy. Plus, I could run aroundtelling people to “make it so.” For Star Wars, I’ve been told I’m like a femaleHan Solo even thought I don’t smuggle things on a regular basis. If I got tochoose, I’d pick Chewie because then I would never have to shave my legs againand my lush pelt would be a thing of beauty!
L: Oh my God, you are cracking me up! Next question! If alienslanded in front of you and, in exchange for anything you desire, offered youany position on their planet, what position would you want?
KF: I would want them to go the hell away because I am deathly afraid ofaliens. If I could somehow refrain from soiling myself, I think I would make afantastic Surgeon General. I wouldn’t be a stuffy type either, I would be the“cool” kind. I would follow the warnings on cigarette packages with somethinglike: “It’s okay, we support you no matter what you choose to do, brah!” SinceI’m an RN, I am so qualified for this!
L: If you were a salad, what kind of dressing would you have?KF: I don’t really eat salad. I do like fruit salad, though and I reallylike that strawberry cream cheese flavored dip that comes with it. That counts,yes?
L: I SAY YES!
KF: Okay, that’s what I’d pick. I’d like to be chopped in tiny pieces andcovered in strawberry cream cheese dip (If you’d have said it didn’t count, Iwould have chosen thousand island dressing cause it sounds pirate-y)
L: Pirate-y is the best adjective there is. Now on to theserious stuff! Top Dog’s Penny For My Soul issue #6 is the first issue we getto see your work on. How did it feel getting to see your name?
KF: It was kind of surreal at first. I set a pretty hefty goal for myselfand seeing my name in print was proof I made it. If you set a goal, dedicateyourself to it, sacrifice and practice for it. You can’t fail; I’m livingproof! When reality sunk in and I saw the placement of my name, I had a verygood laugh.
L: For those who don’t know, Kate’s name appeared beneath a veryintimate encounter, hahaha. Kate, are you influenced by any colorists outthere?
KF: I’ve read comics for a large portion of my life so I leave it up to thepeople looking at my art to figure out who influences me. I love old schoolfantasy art…Frazetta, Luis Royo, Boris Vallejo, and Julie Bell and the like.For comics, it depends on the style of the lines you are coloring. When I wasyounger and first saw Battle Chasers, the guys over at Liquid! Completely blewmy mind. The times I color stuff for Stefano Cardoselli, I study stuff hehimself has colored and folks like Mike Mignola and Les Dorscheid. Since Istarted reading and working for Big Dog comics, I just fell in love with OrenKramek’s style. Take a look through Penny For Your Soul or Ned the Chainsaw Guyand those pages just pop out at you. For pin-ups and other styles, I’ve beenlooking at Jason Keith, Steve Firchow, Blond, Peter Steigerwald, and NeiRuffino. I watch Nei livestream a lot; she’s awesome all around.
L: Are there any comics currently circulating that you’d love tocolor for?
KF: It seems like a lot of folks chase the “dream” of working for the bigtwo but I gotta say, I am totally happy where I’m at and what I’m doing. I’vemet and am working with some of the most amazing people with totally fresh,brand new stories. Sure we grow up with DC and MARVEL and I will always lovethem, but I find myself drawn to small press. That is how Tom Hutchison foundme. I was a fan of Penny For Your Soul and we started talking about it, and Iwas like “Oh hey, I totally color stuff” and it went from there. I’m not sayingif an opportunity came along for me to color for the big guys I wouldn’t takeit, but it would have to be something pretty damn outstanding and it wouldn’tbe able to take away from what I’m doing now.
L: Why did you choose to pursue coloring?
KF: I bought a Wacom tablet on sale on a whim. I was feeling prettylow, and needed a creative outlet. I’ve only ever taken art classes in highschool and since they always brought me happiness, I figured I’d start drawingagain. Shortly after posting stuff on DeviantArt, I fell in with a group ofartists and found out you could just color stuff. That’s my favorite part so Istarted working at it. I never expected it to be more than a hobby and once Iwas laid off in October from my nursing job, I gave myself the winter to see ifI could do it professionally. Now, here I am!
L: That’s awesome. What medium do you prefer to use when you color?
KF: I built my own rig with digital art in mind. I upgraded my Wacom Intuous3 to a Cintiq 21UX recently and that made me happy. I use Photoshop and havebeen teaching myself through Google Sketchup as I would like to start drawingas well. I’m looking into purchasing Copic markers to do some convention piecesand I can’t forget my old standby: tub of crayons!
L: I feel lame; all I use is color pencils to color Pokemon! Do youhave any advice for girls out there who want to break into the comic industry?
KF: The comic industry, as it stands right now, is still a boy’s club.You’re gonna have people come right out and insult you, belittle you, makeinappropriate comments and advances just because you’re a girl. Nevercompromise your values to fit in and never let them treat you like less of aperson because you aren’t the gender they think should work in/appreciatecomics. There are many amazing creators out there that will respect you; besmart and find them. Tom Hutchison at Big Dog Ink is one of these people. Iwouldn’t work for anyone who is disrespectful or lewd to women, which is whyI’m happy to stay for as long as he’ll have me. Always be kind, supportive,respectful and appreciative of fellow fans and creators, no matter the gender.Just don’t try and take my job, ladies!
Like what you just read? Let us know in the comments below and keep up to date by following us on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr!
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder