CARMINE MAGAZINE

Carmine Magazine: What drives you to create? Also, what inspires you and your work?
Sarah Ferrick: I think what drives me to make stuff is the fact that I get bored easily and quickly.
I get inspired by other artists but I also draw from other sources such as astronomy, music,
mythology, geology, optics and lots of things I don’t understand very well at all. Sometimes I spend a lot of time on Wikipedia and just follow a whole bunch of links. I’ve got a folder labeled “ideas” with a big list of bookmarks to various random Wikipedia articles.

CM: Were you formally trained in art or self taught? Do you think it has helped you or hindered you?
SF: Both I guess. I think everyone is self taught in many ways, otherwise he or she wouldn’t progress. I’ve got some formal training too. I’m in college at the moment. I definitely think having some art classes has helped me a lot. It never hurts. I haven’t run into any bad teachers yet so I’m lucky in that respect.

CM: What mediums do you work in the most? Do you have a particular brand that you love working with? Why do you use them?
SF: Ballpoint pen, ink and acrylic are usually what I wind up using. I really dig Winsor & Newton’s drawing inks. They’re pretty good to work. I find myself using drawing materials most often because they seem more direct.

CM: At what point did you realize that creating was going to be a large part of your life?
SF: Maybe when I was 11 or 12. That’s when I started drawing a bit more. Up until then I wanted to become a paleontologist or a bird breeder.

CM: If there was one style of art that you could take up, what would it be?
SF: I’d love to start doing animation or installation art. Or maybe something really big. Or something that’s more interactive with viewers. If I was a smarter person I’d do something with games or programing. I’m trying to learn Python now but I’m really…really bad at grasping stuff like that. Choreography would be really interesting to get into but I know nothing about dance or how people move.

CM: How do you deal with creator’s (or writer’s) block?
Not very well. I think I’m constantly trapped in some kind of block.

CM: How do you prepare for art shows where your work will be shown?
SF: I haven’t really done any shows yet.

CM: How do you define your style? Does it represent an inner you or something completely different?
SF: I’m not really sure at this point. Also, the work I’ve made so far is kind of not what I want to do. I think that the comics I’ve made so far (about two…more like one and a half) rely on repetition a lot. When I make drawings they tend to have some kind of narration so I feel like I’m constantly working on a bunch of comics. Or something like that.
I think some kind of vague pseudo-science also comes through at times. Specifically, for work that’s really linear, I try varying the color based on where the line would be in space. Things that are closer wind up being more reddish or warmer and things moving further away become bluer and cooler. That’s kind of not right though and it’s based more on color theory and psychology rather than natural science. Sometimes I put a lot of effort into doing the opposite because technically light would appear bluer when traveling towards us and redder while moving away. I find that I set rules for myself and try to follow them.

CM: What kind of environment do you need to create in?
SF: I’m usually pretty good at working in a variety of environments but being in a quiet, isolated, comfortable place is much better for me. Somewhere with readily available food.

CM: What does your workspace look like? (Pictures or a description work for this one)
SF: Usually I sit on the floor of my bedroom to work. I have horrible posture as a result but it works.

CM: What was your worst experience with art? And the best?
SF: The worst might be my first year at art school. I had a lot of trouble adjusting and there was a lot of work to be done. I also let myself get discouraged and wound up falling behind and I eventually dropped out and transferred to a smaller school. Looking back now, I wish I had stayed there. I did learn a lot after all and I’m learning now that I did better in that sort of environment. I can’t think of any experience with art that I’d describe as the best. It hasn’t happened yet.

CM: What movies, books, music, etc get your creative juices flowing the most?
SF: The Secret Garden is one of favorite books ever. I don’t know, it never gets boring for me. It’s energizing. I also love reading The Lord of the Rings, various folk tales and works by James Joyce. With music I get inspired by Bjork, Animal Collective, and too many other people to name.

CM: Do you think the internet, technology, media, etcetera are helping or destroying the art world?
SF: I think it’s helping a whole lot and opening up so many more concepts and opportunities. This is coming from someone who really doesn’t have any perspective on the art world but that’s what I think. It’s great though having easy access to information and different artists. And it’s great seeing people use it as a medium. The same goes for technology in general.

CM: Aside from art what do you do with your time? Is there anything else that drives you or that you’re passionate about?
SF: I am a passionate whistler. But I don’t do it in front of people. And I’m not very good at it. Still very much into it though. I practice a lot.

CM: Do you have any upcoming shows, events, releases, etc. you would like our readers to know about?
SF: Not at the moment.

More places for find Sarah Ferrick’s work on the web:
Tea-For-One
Elf-Shojo on DeviantART
Okageaberdene on Livejournal