Kara Kelly
Artist Biography
Kara Kelly is an artist that was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. She currently attends Campbellsville University and is working on her BFA in fine arts with an emphasis in animation. She has also studied abroad in Florence, Italy at the Florence Classical Arts Academy where she studied anatomy and figure drawing. She works with a variety of mediums such as charcoal, graphite, watercolor and acrylics, and software such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Animate CC, and Maya. She specializes in a range of subjects such as pet portraits, character design, concept art, and animation.
Gallery
Artist Statement
I am an artist who enjoys using a variety of mediums and experimenting with different techniques and styles. I use traditional mediums such as charcoal, graphite, watercolor, acrylics, ink, and Sculpey. I also enjoy doing digital painting, and graphic design in Photoshop and Illustrator as well as animation in Animate CC and Maya. My main areas of interest include painting pet portraits and story building process such as character design, concept art, and animation.
When creating pet portraits, my goal is to capture the essence of the animal. Every animal is a bit different, even if they are the same breed. For example, no two dogs look exactly alike or act in the same manner. When I am painting someone’s beloved pet, it is important to capture their unique personality, so their soul is captured in the artwork.
My favorite part of the development process for a story is taking an idea that starts off small and simple and turning it into a full-fledged story with lovable characters and an interesting plotline. Becoming invested in the lives of my characters helps the creative process be more successful since I am constantly thinking about the characters, who they truly are at their core, and what their motivations are in the story. Watching these characters come to life is such a rewarding process that always fills me with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.