What was your dream job when you were 12 years old? Are you doing it now? Kat Hudson is a character designer living in Los Angeles, California and working for Warner Brothers Animation. She’s been drawing the characters for the DC Super Hero Girls show, and her next big project is Batman Caped Crusaders. She is living her childhood dream. Kat shares her story of how it all began. She wants to convey to young people that their dreams can come true if they want to be an artist.
Kat grew up in the small town of Holly Bluff, Mississippi. At 12 years old, she started sketching, and by age 14, she declared she wanted to be an artist. She recalls how her journey began,
“I was a very serious kid and very goal oriented. I drew in my sketchbook every day.”
She was fortunate to have supportive parents and grandparents who encouraged and allowed her the opportunity to get training through art lessons and a formal education in the craft she loves. Her mom found an art instructor in Jackson, Mississippi, and her grandmother paid for her lessons. Throughout high school she learned to draw still-life objects. The lessons and her daily dedication to her craft led her to Belhaven University, where she received her BFA. Later she completed her MFA in Illustration from the Savannah College of Art and Design. During college she had unforgettable experiences that she fondly shared. A scholarship provided the opportunity to travel abroad and spend time in Italy and France. Kat recalls,
“I cried the first time I went to the Sistine Chapel.”
She talks about how she sketched every chance she had so she could remember the weather, the smells, and the experience. While in Italy, she had one week each in Rome, Florence, and Venice. In France she spent a month and a half in Lacoste at the SCAD campus and a few days soaking in the art of Paris.
For someone as passionate about art and her skills, I wanted to know the answer to how does art make her feel? She replied,
“Art helps me express my emotions, work through emotions and frustrations, anxiety, it brings me closer to God. I can feel the beauty of things through art.”
Kat’s success was built over long-term devotion to her craft and with love and support from her family. She loves her work designing for Warner Brothers. She said, “I can’t believe I can draw cartoons for a living!” The process of drawing each character takes multiple sketches showing different angles and outfits for that single character. A lot of time and creative energy are spent on each episode, and several teams work together to build the finished product of one 30-minute show.
Kat’s Instagram page, Kathudsonart, is filled with her vibrantly colored, larger-than-life female figures who are voluptuous and strong. Check her out and be inspired to pull from within your female prowess. In October, she attended Lightbox Expo 2022 in Pasadena, California. The expo celebrated the best in the live-action, animation, illustration, and gaming industries. She had several of her designs at the expo and shared them on her Instagram page. There is definitely a vintage quality to her female figure’s appearance, and also an understood modern day empowerment.
In addition to her full-time job when her schedule permits, she is an instructor with CGMA, Computer Graphics Master Academy. The website states: CGMA courses are for everyone: high school students, young artists looking for an affordable and skills-based substitution for traditional art school, and established professionals who want to learn the latest tech, workflows, and craft. An artist is never done growing!
An artist is never done growing, and as Kat progresses through her very successful career, she has more goals for her future. She wants to create illustrations for children’s books. She would love to teach kids as a way to pay it forward.
Do you know a kid who wants to be an artist? Kat created this short example of a graphic novel for the young aspiring artist in your life to guide them through the steps that can help them attain that goal.
