Sammi:  Hi!  I'm a comic artist and illustrator.  I took a hiatus from comics for about a year, but I'm getting back into them!  I've been doing  traditional art for as long as I can remember.

Sammi:  Cal State Fullerton.  They have a really great illustration program. School's like pulling teeth for me, but I enjoyed it!  Due to the budget crisis here in California, there was a tuition hike every year though, and I kind of powered through school to save money.  It may have been a little too fast, since I don't feel like I really had a chance to sit and focus on the skills I wanted to...  But I did earn the foundational skills to learn more on my own, and I'm glad for that!

Sammi:  Nope! If you look long and hard enough, you can find all the knowledge you need online.
I feel like I've learned more through the Internet than I did in school.  School can teach you a lot, but if you're really driven, you can study on your own and advance. I didn't even take the watercolor classes in college - I learned through Youtube!  Youtube is a fantastic resource, as is deviantArt.  You just have to sit down and do it.  It's so worth it!

Sammi:  Watercolors!  It's kind of funny, because when I started school, I was very much like, "MARKERS!  YES, THIS WILL BE MY THING!" But then I started working with watercolors, and it really just seemed to click.  I guess it's a case of the tools choosing you, rather you choosing the tools.
I'm also a big fan of pen and ink. There's something therapeutic about hatching and inking.

Sammi:  I'd have to say... "Soft."  I really like "dark" and I really like "cute," but I feel like I can't get them to fit together.

Sammi:  Oh, man, stories!

I've always been an impatient kid, and when it comes to stories, I'm a bit of a motormouth.  It used to drive me nuts to try to write, because I couldn't get it done instantly. My dad got my family a computer in first grade, and my mom let me dictate the stories to her while she typed.  She couldn't always be around to do this though, so I started drawing illustrations about them.  Drawing comics seemed like the next step.   I've been doing them since before I even knew what comics were!

Sammi:  Well, I have two comics in the works.  One is a side story to a larger one I've been working on, called "A Shadow in the Castle."  It's a tough one to write because I have to carefully explain the mechanics of the world without giving away too much of the plot of my main story!

The other project is a collaboration with a friend.  It takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, where a plague is running rampant.  A traveling doctor seeks the last bookstore, full of lost knowledge, but it is inhabited by a demon.  The doctor has nothing to give so the demon demands his companionship in return for the book he seeks.
Creating comics makes me tear my hair out sometimes, but I love it!

I also just finished up some freelance work, where I was working on a few pages of a children's book.  I tend to do a lot of personal commissions, too.

Sammi:  I really enjoy being able to work on things at my own pace, rather than a regular 9-5 job.  I've done illustration for all sorts of clients, and it's nice to have a variety of different types of things to do.

Sammi:  I tend to approach people and get my name out there.
Just try to get comfortable handing out your business card to anyone and everyone!  It was difficult at first, and took a lot of courage, but I started getting calls and emails back.  Always be polite -- the art world is extremely small, and if you're icy with one person, everyone will hear about it.

Sammi:  When you get discouraged, it's just a feeling - like being excited or happy.  It will pass.  I've had so many instances where I wondered "why am I doing this to myself?"
I worry that I'm not talented enough, or that everyone else is better than me - but the moment I shut it all out and focused on being a better artist for ME, I find I make more progress.

So, don't compare yourself to others too much.  Be patient, and remember, art isn't a race.  You'll get better as you work through it.

Sammi:  Pretty much the same thing as my art. When things get tough, it's just a phase.  You gotta power through it.  I could never put my life philosophy into words until I read The Perfect Bait by Bobby Chiu.  He phrased it well...  "When bad things happen, good things are right around the corner."
So, when bad things happen, you can't give up.  There's always good that comes afterward. And boy, is this true!!

Sammi:  

Sammi:  My tumblr is the best place to find me.
I do sometimes check out my deviantArt, but I upload sporadically.  I'm =ThatDarnKat.
You can also find me on Youtube!

Kabocha:  Thank you, Sammi, for taking the time to sit down with me and chat!  Just talking with you made me feel more motivated to work hard!