Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathryn Chan.
Hi Kathryn, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona, a town emersed in nature. At a young age, I could not help but become enamored by the beauty of our world, and I admired artists for their ability to capture it.
By chance, my parents gifted me a small 6×4 inch Wacom Tablet for Christmas one year, and I soon began to fall in love with drawing.
At first, I drew simple characters inspired by YouTube artists. Before I knew it, my passion for games collided with my love for art, and I found myself immersed in the concept art world. I watched interviews, read blogs, and studied books about artists who could make a living by creating work for games and animation. I wanted to become an artist who could make inspirational pieces for entertainment media, so I applied to art colleges in Los Angeles.
I am currently in my final semester at Otis College of Art and Design, and I learned a lot over the last four years. I am grateful for the friends, mentors, and opportunities I made at art college and everything they taught me. I learned a lot about myself while studying, and my goals are similar but different now than when I first entered the Otis dorms in 2021. As I prepare for graduation, I find myself excited to see where my interest in Pre-Production for Games and Animation takes me as I open the door to the next chapter of my life.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I feel that everyone faces struggles in their journey. Personally, I find that an artist’s infinite potential to grow is what challenges me the most with art, and yet, simultaneously, it is what I love the most about drawing, painting, and creating. I enjoy hacking at art as a technical skill. I often find myself doing anatomy, plein-air, and film studies. At the same time, I often grapple with myself, questioning, “Where does my work stand?”
It is difficult not to compare yourself and your journey to the artists you admire. However, this challenge is one I face because I fixate on the goal of becoming a professional artist, the best artist I can be. I find that looking back toward old sketchbooks, illustrations, and paintings at the progress and effort I made aids me in overcoming this challenge of self-doubt.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a concept and visual development artist for games and animation. I specialize in 2D pre-production work and am recognized for my character designs and feedback implementation. I love exploring new techniques and am excited to show my latest projects at the Otis Senior Showcase in May.
Although some of the media I sourced for my redesign and visual imagining projects may be obscure, I hope that my work can bring interest and thoughtful discussion to the original media.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
In my optimistic outlook, I hope to see the Entertainment Industry foster more creative and unique works. Witnessing the spotlight shift toward movies like Spiderverse and games like Hades is inspiring for the teams’ ability to take risks with unique art styles and storytelling moments. In the next five to ten years, I would be thrilled to see an industry that promotes thoughtful, meaningful, and influential storytelling that fulfills both creators and consumers.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kathryn-chan.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tired.kart/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-chan0/
- Other: https://bio.site/kathrynchan
Image Credits
Kathryn Chan
