Pat Kenrick
of
Amourable Art

Thanks for taking time to chat with us today! For those unfamiliar with your work, can you walk us through the process of how you create your intricate paintings and silhouette cut-outs? How long does an average piece take you from start to finish?

The art is created by a watercolor, cut-and-paste technique  I developed myself.  I start with a blank page of watercolor paper, which I then paint the entire page with a variety of colors. On top of the paint, I sketch my design in pencil. I then cut out the design with a sharp tool known as an X-Acto knife. This creates a paper cutout. This paper cut out is then pasted down on a clean sheet of watercolor paper. After the cut out is pasted down, I splatter the page with paint to compliment the artwork. At this point, the artwork is finished. I take my artwork to a professional printer, who then scans the artwork and reproduces the print that you see for sale. 

Each piece is unique, and depending on subject matter, each piece can take anywhere from 10 to 80 hours.

Have you always been a fan of comics, movies, and animation? What drove you to focus your work on these subjects over others?

I have always been a fan of comics and pop culture. I remember reading Batman, Archie, and other comics as a kid. I saw the original Star Wars in theaters 19 times. Walt Disney has always been a huge influence, and a hero of mine.  I enjoy working with these subjects, so it just came naturally. Even as a kid, people asked me to draw what was popular at the time.

You have traveled all over the country, displaying and selling your work at various comic cons and shows. What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of so much time on the road (and of con life in general)?

I love the people and the fans. I love experiencing new cities and eating new foods.  I love that other vendors become your family, and fans turn into friends, that you look forward to seeing each show.  My least favorite aspect of con life if missing important events at home. I’ve missed friend’s birthdays and weddings. They understand, but it still sucks.

You’re constantly debuting new art pieces. What inspires you to pick the specific characters/subjects that you feature in your work?

A lot of it comes from fans themselves. They ask and request for new characters, movies, shows, and pieces. When a fan requests something, it goes to my idea board, and I can pull from there when I need an idea. I’m never short on ideas these days because of fans.

You’re very active on social media. Not only do you post new works of art there, but you also take lots of photos with fans and cosplayers at the conventions you attend. Is there a particular cosplayer that stands out in your mind as “wow-ing” you at their level of detail?

I love unique takes on characters. I  love when a fan dresses in a character of a different gender than their own and really makes the cosplay shine.  I also love first-time cosplayers; you can spot them because they seem unsure if they are really pulling off the character, but you know they love the character and that love really shows through.

You recently posted on social media about the original art postcards that you are painting and then mailing out to fans. What inspired this idea? Can our readers still sign up for this?

I wanted to spread joy during this odd time with the pandemic. I made over 300 handmade postcards. We have closed postcard sign-ups but are now sending out free sticker packs. Your readers can go here to sign up for a sticker pack:  https://forms.gle/oBeGzbGChB7ADhjB8

Tell us about your Patreon offerings, and what exclusives fans can access by becoming a Patron.

Patreon is new for us. We launched it in February. We’ve had great feedback from our fans.  You can follow us in our travels (when we get back on the road), get exclusive sneak peeks at new art before anyone else, you can get a monthly print mailed to you, and even sign up for an original piece of art. We have a blast with our Patrons.

I realize that most convention dates are a bit uncertain at this point.
To the best of your knowledge, what upcoming shows are on your schedule?

Hopefully our June shows can happen.
If so, we are at the following shows in June:

Wizard World - St. Louis
Huntington Comic & Toy Convention
Wizard World - Philadelphia
Fan Expo - Dallas
Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con
Indiana Comic Convention

Thank you again for your time! We look forward to seeing you in person when it’s safe for all of us to be out and about again.

Thanks for the opportunity to chat with you. 

Find Amourable Art online:
www.patreon.com/amourableart 

www.facebook.com/amourableart

www.instagram.com/amourableart

www.AmourableArt.com

Mel Lang is a self-proclaimed nerd. Currently located in Topeka, KS, she lives with her husband Matt and their three Labrador Retrievers. A life-long reader, she spent 20 years as a bookseller - 7 of which were managing a comic book store in Wichita, KS. She has previously been published on StashMyComics.com and was also quoted in Wizard magazine. Her “to be read” pile is ever-growing, but she wouldn’t want it any other way.