Featured Artist: Carla Kurt

Today we're talking to an artist who works very closely with our brand. Carla Kurt is an artist who provides several of our Colour Pencil By Number and Sketching Made Easy designs. Her gift of capturing a beautiful moment through her drawings is truely something to be celebrated. Read on to learn more about her!

From Carla: "I specialize in highly detailed and realistic drawings and paintings of pets and wildlife. I became involved with Royal & Langnickel in 2013 when they asked me to provide artwork for their 'Colour Pencil by Number' and 'Sketching Made Easy' activity kits. My business relationship with Royal & Langnickel is very rewarding and I am always excited when I see my art on Royal & Langnickel products!"

Q: When and how did you start out as an artist?

A: I started learning the basics in college. It wasn't until later on that I found my niche creating animal art. I started with my first wolf drawing, then another, until I had an entire series of wolf drawings. I developed my photo-realistic style and increased my portfolio to include other wildlife, still life art and commissioned pet portraits.

Q: Who are some artists that inspired your work?

A: Thomas Kinkade for his amazing detail and how he sees light, shade and reflection. Claude Monet for his use of color. Norman Rockwell for his detail and fun subject matter.

Q: What are some of your favorite Royal & Langnickel brushes?

A: I like to use Royal & Langnickel quality sketchpads, color pencils, watercolor pencils and metallic color pencils to create my photo-realistic drawings. I am gearing up to begin teaching so I will be stocking up on Royal & Langnickel palette paper pads and paint brushes of all kinds!

Q: What's your preferred medium to work with?

A: Acrylics, watercolors and pastels are fun to work with, but my favorite medium is color pencils. I like the precision, blending ability and ease of use.

Q: Can you describe your creative process?

A: My inspiration comes from nature and from the work of other artists. When I am doing a commissioned pet portrait I work from photos provided by the customer. I keep my customer involved in the process, sending them photos as the work progresses. Customers like that the finished portrait captures the personality of their pet, something they are emotionally invested in.

Q: Have you always wanted to turn your creative passion into a career? What made you go for it?

A: The dream of working as an artist has come true for me. I turned my hobby into a business when I began selling my art on Ebay, then Etsy. It has been very rewarding and encourages me to keep creating. I recently quit my day job to concentrate on my art full time.

Q: What one piece of advice would you offer to an artist just starting out?

A: Put your art everywhere online! I've had an Etsy shop for 10 years and it is a great venue to sell your work and be seen! Post your work on Instagram and create a Facebook business page to showcase your work.

See more of Carla's amazing art here