The Life and Times of a Kaitlyn

Currently I a working two jobs to help sustain me. By night I'm an IKEA Co-worker, which is actually a pretty decent place to work because they have flexible hours and totally take care of their staff. Plus the discount is fabulous for decorating my howse.

By day I'm a Youth Animation Project Participant, a government funded program run by the incredible staff of the Quickdraw Animation Society in Calgary.

I think who you are and what you do should be one and the same and I have come to discover that, not only am I a writer, activist, sculptor and painter, but I'm an animator too. I've always had a soft spot for animation in general. Since I was wee my parents would take me and my brother to film festivals or take collections of shorts out of the library to expand our minds.

The National Film Board shorts collections have a wonderful place in my memories, from 'The Cat came Back' to 'The Big Snit' to 'Wallace and Gromit'. My favourite animators are Nick Parks and Bill Plympton. One is whimsical, cute and amusing and the other twisted, provocative and just plain strange. I'm also quite fond of Don Hertzfeldt...which just happens to be the name given to the computer I'm currently writing this on.

Being involved in YAP has inspired me in a lot of ways...to start this Blog, to identify more strongly as an artist, and to see where I can go in a world full of creativity. *smiles softly*

Currently I'm employed at the Quickdraw Animation Society through the Youth Animation Project. I'm working on a stop-motion animation for the Calgary Police Service. One of the workshops we got to have at my job involved character sketches and how to make really awesome characters with simple lines...an obvious and old technique. I've always really loved 'furry' art and recently began to delve into it further while at work. I'm developing a portfolio for school/work. This is one of my recent pieces, which I'm pretty pleased with.

From Clay to Stone...

My first experience with sculpting was when I was eight. My aunt had me over for the weekend and she brought out her Fimo, a man-made clay that you bake int he oven to harden. The stuff is annoying and difficult to work with, requiring about twenty solid minutes of rolling it around in your hands before it's soft enough.

At the time it was all there was though and I dove head-first into creating with it.

I've often said the thing about someone who can draw is, they see all those shapes that make up what they want to draw and they can go straight from the diagram in their head to the thing on paper. I sculpt the same way. I just see the proportions and go with it, understanding the shapes that make a wolf or elephant or pig.

I have since moved on from Fimo to Sculpey, which is cheaper and softer. It's fun to work with and less messy than actual clay, being similar to Plasticine.

I work with clay as well, however. I paint the finished work with acrylic or glaze. *arm pump* Here's to my mum having a kiln.

Sneakers are for Sneaking

Custom Shoes!

Remember in the nineties when you could buy those really cheap little canvas shoes all over the place? I remember my mum getting them for my birthday one year. She bought tons of fabric paints too and everyone who came over got a pair of shoes and was given free reign to decorate them.


Apparently this stuck.



I made my first pair of rainbow shoes the year after I graduated high school. They lasted several years, traveling with me all the way to Australia where I left them, having lost the soles to hundreds of long walks.

I had a pair I swapped with a best friend. She decorated a pair for me, I did the same for her. Those ones were sparkle-Fantastic.

As with any of my artwork, I prefer not to mass-produce anything prior but to create something unique for the indidivual. They give me inspiration for a design based on what they request. The latest pair I did are the DJ shoes for a good friend of mine. Without Custom Laces I charge $50/pair.

Contact me at faunawolf@gmail.com or check out my listing on Etsy.com to place an order for your own pair of Custom Canvas Shoes.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14440809

The First Entry

Coming attractions:

Custom Canvas Sneakers
Clay figurines
Fantasmical Magnets
Tarot Card Paintings
Big Canvases Are More Fun

She's a colourful wave of electric energy creating around every corner.

My work will be displayed here and available for purchase through Etsy.com.