I’d like to
introduce you to an incredible student artist, Tracie VerKuilen. A passionate
and talented artist, Tracie drew the first “fan art” image for my upcoming
novel, Rabbit in Red.
I gave Tracie a
short description of one of my characters. It’s amazing to see what
others envision. Isn’t that the joy of reading? Creating your own image of the
characters and their surroundings? In this drawing, Tracie drew a
character’s nightmare. When you read the book, you’ll understand why I love the
drawing so much.
After she drew this,
I wanted to learn a little more about her to share with you. I firmly believe
that art inspires art, and whether you like to write, draw, sing, or act, we
can always use some extra inspiration.
Tracie is a 2-D
artist who mainly does pencil drawings, but she also loves paintings. Some of
her work is based partially on references, but she prefers to use her own
imagination. Drawing is a relaxing pastime for her. She’ll listen to music and
paint or draw, using art as a way to express any number of emotions she’s
experiencing. She’s also a writer, and she likes to draw the characters from
her own book. It helps her connect to them and add to their personality to
have that visual medium in addition to words on paper.
I asked Tracie what
advice she has for aspiring artists. She recommends that artists find their comfort
zones. She took a class in high school that offered a little bit of everything
to let people find what aspects in which they had talent and interest. She
found hers in drawing, and like any subject, she says, “You won’t be the next
Picasso in a single day. It takes practice and dedicated time.”
She enjoys working in
the comfort of her basement, surrounded also by her PlayStation and laptop. She
writes “fanfics” for various series, including Welcome to the Night Vale and an original short story about the
Marauders in Harry Potter. You can
find some of those stories over here at Archive of Our Own.
In terms of books,
Tracie loves the Artemis Fowl series for its originality and is also a huge fan
of the Bartimaeus books, which in part are about a sassy genie bound to serve a young
wizard’s apprentice who tried to summon something too powerful in order to
prove himself to his master.
Below you’ll find a picture of one of her favorite drawings, which she created using a mix of charcoal and
pencil. It’s titled “SuperWhoLock,”which is inspired by three of her favorite
television series: BBC’s Sherlock, Doctor Who, and Supernatural.
Thanks, Tracie, for
your contribution to Rabbit in Red!
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And be sure to check out the info for the upcoming horror adventure series, Rabbit in Red, to be released in September 2015 by Distinguished Press.
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