Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome back to another exciting issue of Kharupt.com! For those of you for whom this is your first time, Kharupt.com is the website and online portfolio of artist, playboy extraordinaire and our distinguished editor, Mr. Khary Randolph. This is the 5th edition of Kharupt.com, 1st quarter 2005. Mr. Randolph hopes you all enjoy this issue and the contents therein, and that it tickles your fancy, stimulates your brain, and invigorates your soul. To start this issue off properly, our ace reporter Penny Sweetbottom was sent to catch up with Mr. Randolph and conduct a brief interview with the man himself on board his yacht, the S.S. Pimpjooze. Excerpts of the interview are below.*
We understand you're a very busy person Mr. Randolph, so we really appreciate you taking the time out of your very busy schedule to talk with us. :)
Not a problem at all, Penny. It's never an issue for me to take time out and talk to the people. I mean after all, they're the ones that made me the man I am today.
You're so generous, Mr. Randolph.
Please Penny, Khary will be fine.
Tee hee, okay. :) First things first, you're an incredibly gifted and talented artist. How did you get your start and have you always been this good?
Ha ha, thanks really. I appreciate that, but you're far too kind. I've always been interested in the arts, since I was a little child. I was able to read at a very early age, and so my parents would buy me all types of comic books and storybooks that would fascinate me and stimulate me to want to draw and create my own stories.
Did you go to school at all?
Yes, as a matter of fact. I moved from Boston to New York in 1996 and enrolled at the School of Visual Arts. I graduated in 2000 and received my BFA in Illustration and Cartooning. I've been living in NY and working professionally ever since.
Wow. Who are some of the clients that you've worked for?
Hmm, lets see, there's so many of them. . .Well, just off the top of my head, I've worked for ABC, Marvel, DC, New Line Cinema, Burton Snowboards, M&M/Mars, 4Kids. . really, if you want a more complete list, feel free to check out my resume. Everything is there and up to date.
That's quite an impressive list you've got there! Just how do you go about getting all of those jobs?
Well Penny, it's really just a combination of having built up a solid contact base, word of mouth, and understanding what a client needs and knowing how to give it to them on a timely, efficient basis. And of course, there is the lots and lots of hard work involved too. But essentially, I care about each and every one of my clients and strive to give them 110% on everything I do. It's just like making love to a woman, Miss Sweetbottom. You do it well and they'll keep coming back.
Oh. (*blushes*) I see. Well, apparently you're very good, you never seem to be lacking for work!
Well, all a guy can do is try.
I've noticed that you have a wide variety of styles and subject matter in your gallery. What if any, would you define your style as?
That's an interesting question, Penny. In reality, I'm a firm believer that I don't have a style, at least in the sense that most people define it as. When I work I generally let the subject matter dictate how I approach each project. There's a definite underlying thread in each piece of art I create, so that you can more or less always tell that it's me, but I don't let like to let styles dictate how I'm supposed to draw. I just draw and let evolution take its course.
How Zen. So would you say you have any major influences on how you create art?
I'm influenced by a lot of different things. Comic books and comic book art have been a big influence on how I approach art. They're my first love. Animation is a big influence as well. Whether it's American, European or Anime, if it's good I'll appreciate it. I'm also a big fan of graphic design and try to keep design and composition a major factor when I'm working. Music is an especially big influence on me as well. As for specific persons there are too many to count, but I tend to go for the artists who understand exaggeration and movement, those are big things for me. I appreciate all art but I can't lie, I'm a cartoony dude at heart.
Are you still down with Ledheavy?
Hells yes I am, those are my homeboys! I'm still friends with all of those guys and we'll still be doing business in some capacity, it was just a situation where all of the parties needed to grow and it was decided that it would be best for everyone if we did it seperately. But there is definitely no love lost and I still continue to talk w/ all of those guys on a weekly basis.
I've noticed you um, tend to draw a lot of women. Is there a specific reason for that?
It's pretty simple, I just happen to find the female form to be one of the, if not the most beautiful thing in nature. Whether short, tall, skinny, fat, dark, light, whatever. . .I just find women to be beautiful and I seek to capture that beauty in my art. I try to be as tasteful as possible, however.
That's sweet. The women at the office said that you'd be quite the ladies' man. ;)
My reputation precedes me. It's a curse.
Ha ha, you are so funny! Okay okay, one last question. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Still working, happy, successful, rich, and doing whatever it is I want to be doing at that point.
Thanks for your time Khary, and keep doing what you're doing!
Anytime, Penny. And hey, no need to leave so soon. There's plenty of champagne left and the hot tub should be the perfect temperature right about now. Want to join me?
Well. . .okayyyy. ;)
Excellent.
End interview. Photos by Ellen Stagg.
*This interview may or may not be totally made up.
