Katie Cook Speaks!

Hello, all!

I know, I know, it's been a while since I've written here, "but I assure you...My resolve has nevah been strongah!"

I've been hard at work over the past few months taking online art classes at Schoolism.com, which I'll talk about in the next post! First, I wanted to talk about a really great exchange I was lucky to have with Miss Katie Cook.

As some of you know, she's a pretty big up and coming Star Wars artist. She's done official sketch cards as well as illustrations for the Official Star Wars website!

She was kind enough to offer me some tips on getting started:

• 1. conventions convention conventions. take your portfolio to comic con and shop it around. both lucasfilm and dark horse have portfolio reviews there. or, get a table at a larger con and set up. editors aome around looking for new talent all the time!

• 2. web site. you have a deviant art. good. update it all the time. editors scour the internet looking for new people all the time. post your art in some of the fan forums as well. most of them have a fan art section, editors WATCH THESE FORUMS AND READ THEM. they'll see it. if they want to hire you, they'll come to you.

• 3. don't get discouraged if you haven't heard anything after a couple months. there are hundreds of artists vying for a spot on the "star wars artist" roster.... so they've got a lot to get through before they see your work and say "oh! we've got to use this person on THIS project!".

There you have it! Straight from one of the people I hope will one day consider me a colleague.

Thanks again to her for taking the time to offer some advice! You can see her great work here:

Katie's DeviantArt Page