Art & Life with Kat Monster

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kat Monster.

Kat, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I’ve been drawing since I was in early Elementary school. I grew up doodling characters from comic books and animated movies throughout grade school and into middle school. One of my favorite things to do was create my own goofy lil’ stories and made my own makeshift comic books!

Come high school, I started branching out and trying lots of different things like acrylic and oil painting, watercolors, ink, etc. I even dabbled in photography. Around the same time, I started working with sfx makeup and used that as a creative outlet, too. Eventually, in college, I focused on life and anatomy drawing (specifically with charcoal) and continued to practice makeup on the side.

Throughout school and over the last few years, I’d taken up drawing pet portraits in charcoal for commission work as a way to really hone in on my skills in shading and light. After studying with charcoal for a while, I’ve since decided to move on to an almost totally different medium with ink and gouache. Currently, ink and gouache are what’s making me happy. I’ve also started teaching myself how to work digitally. From here, I plan on continuing to build my body of work and become a full-time illustrator.

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
While throughout college I studied with charcoal and focus on values, I’ve recently come to find myself and my style better with ink and gouache. I’ve learned to let loose and try new things without fear of it being “incorrect”. Aside from drawing and painting, I also still love doing makeup! I do like to pick up makeup gigs every now and then, but I find the most joy out of making myself into a monster for a day. I feel like a lot of my makeup goes hand in hand with my drawings and paintings.

I’m inspired by SO many things! The dark shadows and striking highlights of the Baroque period heavily influence my early charcoal works. Caravaggio and Peter Paul Rubens are a couple of my favorite painters. A lot of my recent inspiration comes from growing up reading comic books and watching lots of horror movies, cartoons, and Disney films. I love all things spooky and unusual!

I make art because it’s what I know best. I can hardly recall a time in my life when I wasn’t making some form of it. It’s what keeps me going. It makes me happy and feeds my craving to constantly learn. When other people support me and like what I’m doing, I feel so grateful and humbled!

Any advice for aspiring or new artists?
I’m hard on myself in most aspects of my life, including my art. Beating myself up for making things that I feel aren’t up to my high standards has often times made me stop creating altogether. With that said, the best advice I have is offer is to not be hard on yourself as an artist. Stay positive and take each day as a learning experience. Even though I still need to remind myself of this every day, I wish I wouldn’t have been so tough on myself in the past.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
Right now the best way to get in touch with me or to see my work is by visiting me on Instagram: @katmonsterart. If Instagram isn’t yer fancy, you can reach me by email for makeup or commission work at katmcgrathartwork@gmail.com. I also have an Etsy shop until I get a website up and running where I sell prints and original pieces. My shop name is art by thekatmonster.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/thekatmonster
• Email: katmcgrathartwork@gmail.com
• Instagram: @katmonsterart

Image Credit:
Personal photo shot by: Dino Webb. Makeup by: me!

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