“Just make it exist first. You can make it good later.” - Adam Grant

Step One: Thumbnailing

Everything starts with an idea and research. Thumbnailing is how an artist combines information with inspiration. Each of Kate’s projects is born from these concept sketches.

Step Two: Roughs

This stage combines two parts of Kate’s practice- the rough sketch and tones. In this step, she will produce a final sketch of the selected thumbnail as well as tone the piece, either in B&W or in the approximate palette.

Step Three: Building/Executing

Next, it’s time to build up the layers and bring the piece to life. This includes adjusting shapes, light, and composition, as well as assembling physical assets, such as hand-inked textures.

Step Four: Final Render

Details, details, details— The final render is all about getting in there and flushing it out. This step is often where Kate adds the most amount of texture by painting digitally over what was prepared in step three.