Wolf Keane is a senior here at Yorktown High School whose art journey has endured from childhood to present day, and continues to grow everyday. In this interview they provided insight into their artistic journey and how they grew as an artist from a beginner to today.
What inspired you to start art?
I have been drawing since I was very young but I found art to be a way I can communicate with my own self consciousness. It’s definitely helped me through a lot of time and it’s helped me find myself.
How old were you when you started art?
Since I could manage to hold a crayon.
Is there any artist you are inspired by or look up to?
I wouldn’t say one collective artist holds my attention. I definitely get inspired by people I see on Instagram or show runners from animated shows I have seen, but I don’t have a direct inspiration.
What motivates you the most to start drawing?
One of two things motivates me the most. When I am drawing, I like to think of myself when I was younger when I was starting and how amazed they would be at how far my skills have come. But I draw because I like to draw.
How would you describe your art style?
The best way I can describe it is that I draw like an illustrator.
Would you say that your art style developed over the years? If so, how?
Definitely. My art style was very rough when I started taking art seriously in middle school and it leaned towards realism the older I have gotten.
What’s your favorite medium to use?
Right now I am doing a lot of experimentation with crayon for my AP portfolio and I absolutely love using crayon! As a time based artist, I tend to use animation platforms like Procreate Dreams or Adobe Animate a lot.
What is the purpose of your art?
My art has two purposes. I do art for school and career based things, then I do art for myself. I think it’s important for a professional artist to do art for themselves sometimes.
How would you say digital art differs from traditional art?
Digital and traditional art are definitely very different, I do a very big mixture of both but I have found myself trying to do my ipad cuts while drawing traditionally. I would say that they are two similar but different skill sets. The main thing is that for traditional, you have to map it out before you start while for digital you can just mess around and fix it as you go.
Are you going to continue on your art journey after high school?
Yes, I am planning on going to college to major in 2-D animation and right now I am planning on going to Savannah College of Art and Design. After college I hope to end up somewhere around the animation industry.
Do you sell any of the art you make?
I have done exactly one commission before and that is it. I did the commission because I was in debt to a friend and they wanted me to draw a video from a video game that was just text based. It was definitely interesting to do.
How do you get over art block?
The fastest way to get over art block is to watch a movie, read one of your favorite books, or listen to a favorite song. A lot of people will tell you to get over art block by drawing, but that has never helped me. I try to rekindle the things that have inspired me in the past.
What advice would you give to young or starting artists?
Learn anatomy as fast as you can! This will help you the most since once you learn anatomy, you can really stylize your art and make it your own.
