Spotlight on *the Art of Cat Craig*

Who is Cat Craig? Cat Craig is a friend of mine who is an amazing illustrator, fashion designer, and doll fanatic. I had the honor of attending art college with Cat. Cat seriously draws the prettiest hair.

Website links:
http://www.catzilla.deviantart.com
http://www.catcraig.com

1)What inspires your drawings and doll photography the most?

CAT: I have a lot of inspirations as far as my drawings go. My mom was my first inspiration. I had always wanted to color as good as her and she tells me now that I've far surpassed her... Sailor Moon, the show and the manga, is really what got me interested in the arts in middle school though. To this day, if I'm in a slump, I sketch miss moon herself to help me move on.

Other inspirations, past and present, are Alphonse Mucha, Fashion spreads in Vogue, Takashi Murakami, tokidoki, Ai Yazawa, Jhonen Vasquez, Japanese fashion magazines, my dolls and so much more. I'm also immensely inspired by so many of the artists I've discovered (and eventually met,) on Deviantart. That website has been a HUGE part of my growth as an artist. My favorite deviants are Loish (Lois van Baarle,) Deathofrats (Cynthia Liu,) Lolitaagogo, Kmye-chan, setsuna22 and liveloveburndie. I'm also very inspired by a couple of friends, Kristilyn Stevenson (http://www.thethungs.com/KL/) and Bethy Williams (http://www.bethywilliams.com/)

The dolls themselves are the inspiration for the photos they are featured in. I try to bring out their best features and their personalities.

2)What's your favorite artistic medium?
CAT: I LOVE markers. They're such a colorful medium. I've been using them for so long and they do just what I want them to. Recently I've fallen in love with watercolors though. You have to let them do what they want and learning to lose control of the medium has been difficult but very rewarding. I love colored pencils as well, but I have to be willing the spend ages working on something when I use them.

3)When and why did you to start collecting dolls?
CAT: I've been collecting dolls since I was a baby. I sold off most of my childhood Barbie collection but I had over 100 before doing so. I loved owning the Disney Barbies and had I don't even know how many Ariels.... Now I have a large stock pile of My Scene dolls, but they live in a plastic bin.

The other doll collection I still have from my childhood is from my dad. We were an Air Force family so he was always on leave when my brother and I were young. He'd go to countries all over the world and would bring me a doll almost every time.

My Pullip collecting started in 2008. I had seen a couple of these dolls in Japanese magazines (Kera specifically) and did not like them at first. Newbury Comics carried them for a short amount of time and I had them pull Eternia (who is a bride) off of the shelf for me to admire 3 times before finally purchasing her as a gift to myself for graduating from MassArt. She is now a custom Lady Gaga doll. I've really fallen hard for these dolls and have managed to get really good deals on the rare and early releases. They are so easily customizable and a lot of fun to take photographs of. The current count is at 29.

I also have 2 Ball jointed dolls and wish I could have more because they are just so realistic and really beautiful.

4)What fashion trend do you think is going to be be big in 2011?

CAT: I don't really keep up with fashion trends, but I do work in a jewelry store. A lot of women seem to be loving long necklaces and chunky bracelets. Boots are always popular with my customers and I've seen a lot of really awesome leather shoulder bags that are fringed or feature scalloped fish scale details. Subtle hippy styles, minus the floral prints and tie dye, mixed with a tinge of punk seem to be popular as well.

5)Where would you like to be in 10 years?
CAT: I'm not sure. I'd love to get a book of illustrations together. Possibly have work licensed for t-shirts or bags. I'd really like to start sewing again and make doll clothes an accessories. There's a lot I'd like to do (I'd love to get a book of illustrations together, possibly have work licensed for t-shirts or bags and I'd really like to start sewing again and make doll clothes an accessories.) But I don't feel confident enough to push myself where I need to. I would love more exposure. I would also love to be an art teacher. I only have short term goals at the moment, haha.

6)What work of art have you created that you are most proud of?

CAT: This is a hard question right now because I've been doing so much artwork recently.
http://catzilla.deviantart.com/art/Futa-Kuchi-Onna-dessert-180935764
I'm VERY proud of Futa-Kuchi Onna because of the size of the piece. It's colored pencil and marker and took me about 40 hours to complete. I'm really happy I was able to get the exact concept I wanted onto the paper.

I'm also really proud of my watercolor pieces. They're a journey for me and I think they're going to help me redevelop my style. They're truly a breath of fresh air and have been helping me to work harder on all of my artwork, no matter what medium.

7)Do you have any advice for aspiring artists?

CAT: Practice. It's what every aspiring artist HATES to hear, but seriously. You MUST practice. Anything and everything creative that interests you, try it. Take life drawing classes, try every medium you can get your fingers on, keep a sketchbook with you at all times and reference anything that inspires you.

And if you go to school, make sure your major is something you will love doing. If you are miserable in the major you picked, change your major. That was the best thing I did for myself senior year of college.