Artist Interview: Kati Drinkwine
Welcome to Artist Interviews where we sit down with an artist and ask them questions about their hobbies, processes, and favorite works. So many artists go unsung and we wanted to provide a platform where they could get a chance to speak and shine. We have put up artist galleries to show off their work as well, but why not hear things directly from the source?
Today we have the artist behind the Kindred comic books series, Kati Drinkwine! We have worked with Kati for years and we recently commissioned her for the Riieyu personality card that will be released with the Renown Kickstarter. Kati has done extensive work in the field of digital art and we had the opportunity to ask her a few questions that we had been pondering for some time. Without further ado, enjoy our conversation with Kati.
You can see Kati's artist gallery here.
Who is Kati Drinkwine?
Freelance illustrator - Obsessive gamer - An actual Goblin.
As we see online all the time, you do exceptional digital art. Do you explore more physical mediums casually or professionally at all?
Yes I do - I actually really enjoy painting, and it’s a goal of mine this year to spend more time getting back into physical media and maybe getting my art into some local spaces.
Freelance illustrator - Obsessive gamer - An actual Goblin.
As we see online all the time, you do exceptional digital art. Do you explore more physical mediums casually or professionally at all?
Yes I do - I actually really enjoy painting, and it’s a goal of mine this year to spend more time getting back into physical media and maybe getting my art into some local spaces.
We’ve had the chance to game together a bit on Steam. What are ya playing these days? Any old favorites you go back to?
Oh boy. Lately I’ve gotten back into World of Warcraft (Classic). Shame, I know. I just recently beat my first run of the Silent Hill 2 remake, what a seriously great experience that was. I’ve also really been enjoying Clair Obscur, Baldur’s Gate 3 and the Oblivion remake.
What kind of experience do you have with Tabletop Gaming? Do you get to roll any dice in person or digitally?
I’ve been a part of several different DnD campaigns both in person and online! We have some local friends that play weekly too. I’m also very proud to say that my very first set of dice was from the Renaissance Faire.
Do you have any recurring themes or characters that appear in your art, stories, or elsewhere?
I really seem to resonate with including weaponry in my art, especially medieval pieces. I also often tend to lean on more emotional themes. Usually concepts of growth vs loss. I really enjoy creating art that can mean something different to every onlooker.
Any other hobbies or skills you have outside of the art sphere?
LOTS of gaming. I’ve started going back and 100%ing some of my favorites. I’m also dipping my toes back into music! Growing up I had a Yamaha keyboard and I really want to get back into playing. I’d love to have a piano someday.
Oh boy. Lately I’ve gotten back into World of Warcraft (Classic). Shame, I know. I just recently beat my first run of the Silent Hill 2 remake, what a seriously great experience that was. I’ve also really been enjoying Clair Obscur, Baldur’s Gate 3 and the Oblivion remake.
What kind of experience do you have with Tabletop Gaming? Do you get to roll any dice in person or digitally?
I’ve been a part of several different DnD campaigns both in person and online! We have some local friends that play weekly too. I’m also very proud to say that my very first set of dice was from the Renaissance Faire.
Do you have any recurring themes or characters that appear in your art, stories, or elsewhere?
I really seem to resonate with including weaponry in my art, especially medieval pieces. I also often tend to lean on more emotional themes. Usually concepts of growth vs loss. I really enjoy creating art that can mean something different to every onlooker.
Any other hobbies or skills you have outside of the art sphere?
LOTS of gaming. I’ve started going back and 100%ing some of my favorites. I’m also dipping my toes back into music! Growing up I had a Yamaha keyboard and I really want to get back into playing. I’d love to have a piano someday.
Brother Riieyu
Kindred
What were some of your inspirations when coming up with looks and designs in Tao’s culture, locations, and wardrobes?
For me, a lot of my inspiration comes from growing up gaming. There’s certainly a pretty convenient cross-over between DnD themes and games like World of Warcraft. I also took a lot of inspiration from photography of medieval architecture scattered across Europe.
What are some aspects of Kindred that appealed to you? Any reasons you went with this one when you could have been working on anything?
I love fantasy narratives and general character concept work. I was very graciously given a lot of room to explore my own creativity with this project and that alone was a big deal to me. Every part of the work was a blast.
Are there any comics books or webcomics you really dig?
That’s a good question. I really enjoy the Fables series. I’ve also got a huge place in my heart for Hellboy, Berserk, and most of Bryan Lee O'Malley's work.
We’ve talked before about how much you grew in your comic skills from the prologue and then even more through Issue #1. Any lessons you’ll carry over into Issue #2 or other comics?
Oh gosh, that’s the crazy thing with having spent so much time working on comics over the past 5+ years. I feel like you’re always growing in this line of work, there’s always a problem to solve with each new page so you’re always learning and applying that knowledge as you go. I actually think it’s harder to remain consistent across several entries. Likely we will continue to see this sort of “maturing” of various elements and themes as the series continues.
One of the most iconic choices you made were the shadows that Kindred summons. My original draft was a far more static black/white dynamic, similar to Sin City. This choice made the entire series take on a purple and pink color palette that has defined Kindred in the best way. Can you speak a bit about the shadows and the choice of color you bring to a project like this?
I really wanted to capture something that had it’s own presence, has it’s own detail that pops out from the rest of the world. Something where if you see it, you KNOW something is going down haha. I also really enjoy the contrast of the kind’ve curved/trippy smoke vs the architecture throughout the comic. In my mind, it sort’ve reads like a “spell effect” from a video game. Perhaps not quite the normal way we’d interpret shadows, but it carries that fantasy element.
What were some of the challenges of working on the series so far?
I think for me, especially at the time of starting this series - I just didn’t know a whole lot about the DnD universe outside of one or two loose campaigns I had played previously. Other than that, I think I’ve really grown and learned more about the flow of narrative illustration particularly within a comic whereas before, I remember some pages being a bit daunting to sort out.
Are there any iconic monsters you’d be excited to draw?
Oh dude of course. I think I’d have a lot of fun creating a mimic, and I love owlbears. And I’m always down to draw some dragons.
What are your thoughts on dragons?
When I was a kid, most of the “How To Draw” art books I’d pick up focused on creatures, particularly dragons. I also really want a tattoo of a medieval dragon. I guess you could say I think dragons are pretty neat.
When the Kickstarter is funded, we are going to have to make an Issue #2. Thoughts?
LET’S GOOOOOOOO
If people want to hire you, what would you like them to know?
I’m really passionate about the arts. As an illustrator, it has always been both my goal and joy to help facilitate a space where an idea comes to life. There’s something really unique about every interaction, something that cannot be replicated with AI and shortcuts. It is my guarantee to address every new project with the same level of dedication, drive, and willingness to learn as the last. Let’s make something cool.
For me, a lot of my inspiration comes from growing up gaming. There’s certainly a pretty convenient cross-over between DnD themes and games like World of Warcraft. I also took a lot of inspiration from photography of medieval architecture scattered across Europe.
What are some aspects of Kindred that appealed to you? Any reasons you went with this one when you could have been working on anything?
I love fantasy narratives and general character concept work. I was very graciously given a lot of room to explore my own creativity with this project and that alone was a big deal to me. Every part of the work was a blast.
Are there any comics books or webcomics you really dig?
That’s a good question. I really enjoy the Fables series. I’ve also got a huge place in my heart for Hellboy, Berserk, and most of Bryan Lee O'Malley's work.
We’ve talked before about how much you grew in your comic skills from the prologue and then even more through Issue #1. Any lessons you’ll carry over into Issue #2 or other comics?
Oh gosh, that’s the crazy thing with having spent so much time working on comics over the past 5+ years. I feel like you’re always growing in this line of work, there’s always a problem to solve with each new page so you’re always learning and applying that knowledge as you go. I actually think it’s harder to remain consistent across several entries. Likely we will continue to see this sort of “maturing” of various elements and themes as the series continues.
One of the most iconic choices you made were the shadows that Kindred summons. My original draft was a far more static black/white dynamic, similar to Sin City. This choice made the entire series take on a purple and pink color palette that has defined Kindred in the best way. Can you speak a bit about the shadows and the choice of color you bring to a project like this?
I really wanted to capture something that had it’s own presence, has it’s own detail that pops out from the rest of the world. Something where if you see it, you KNOW something is going down haha. I also really enjoy the contrast of the kind’ve curved/trippy smoke vs the architecture throughout the comic. In my mind, it sort’ve reads like a “spell effect” from a video game. Perhaps not quite the normal way we’d interpret shadows, but it carries that fantasy element.
What were some of the challenges of working on the series so far?
I think for me, especially at the time of starting this series - I just didn’t know a whole lot about the DnD universe outside of one or two loose campaigns I had played previously. Other than that, I think I’ve really grown and learned more about the flow of narrative illustration particularly within a comic whereas before, I remember some pages being a bit daunting to sort out.
Are there any iconic monsters you’d be excited to draw?
Oh dude of course. I think I’d have a lot of fun creating a mimic, and I love owlbears. And I’m always down to draw some dragons.
What are your thoughts on dragons?
When I was a kid, most of the “How To Draw” art books I’d pick up focused on creatures, particularly dragons. I also really want a tattoo of a medieval dragon. I guess you could say I think dragons are pretty neat.
When the Kickstarter is funded, we are going to have to make an Issue #2. Thoughts?
LET’S GOOOOOOOO
If people want to hire you, what would you like them to know?
I’m really passionate about the arts. As an illustrator, it has always been both my goal and joy to help facilitate a space where an idea comes to life. There’s something really unique about every interaction, something that cannot be replicated with AI and shortcuts. It is my guarantee to address every new project with the same level of dedication, drive, and willingness to learn as the last. Let’s make something cool.
