Talks with Tolkien artists: hitogata/kittykatkanie

For those who like a bit of anime/manga style mixed with their Tolkien, I have the pleasure to present you one of the popular atrists of this style who alse draws Tolkien illustrarions. - hitogata, or - kittykatkanie under an alternate account, is also a creator of the Noldorin Icon Family - . A few examples of her icons:


1. Hello! For the beginning, could you tell us something about yourself?

Hi! My name is Kat - some call me K for short or "hito" from my username. I'm a Japanese working in Japan right now, but I grew up in Malaysia.

2. When did you read Tolkien's books for the first time, and what impression did they leave in you?

I had to choose a book for free reading from a list back in 5th grade, and I happened to choose The Hobbit. I liked the book, but for the most part all I remember was that the book gave me a hard time to read... (because my English wasn't good at that time).

3. How extensive is your knowledge of Middle-earth? Do you consider yourself Tolkien expert?

I've read many of the Tolkien books so I consider myself I have good knowledge about Tolkienverse, but not an expert.

4. When the movies came out, many of the inner pictures of characters and scenes in the mind of the readers have been replaced by actors and settings from the movie. Did it happen to you as well? Did you try to prevent it?

To be honest, the movies gave me the reason I was hooked with the Tolkienverse. I haven't read the trilogy before the movies came out so there I had no inner pictures to start with. As for the Hobbit, I had some of my own images, but I like the movie versions too (even though I visualize them differently in books).

5. Now, could you tell us something about you and art? Are you a professional artist, or is art just your hobby? When did you start doing it, and who or what influenced your style?

I'm just an amature. I loved drawing as far as I can remember, and I spent most of my time drawing in childhood. My style is strongly influenced by anime and manga because I grew up with them, and most of my drawings back then were fanarts of manga I liked.

6. Could you also tell us more about the Noldorin Icon Family that you founded? How did you get the idea, and how does it work now?

I was seeing lots of icon family on dA that time, so I really wanted to make one of my own. And since I haven't seen one for Tolkien, I adopted the concept of Noldors - specifically of those from the House of Finwe down to the fourth generation. So I posted a tweet on my twitter about it to see if anyone would be interested in joining, and I had Finno (vinyatar), Turno (aire73), and Little Gil (AlaudeSketchbook) gave me a big go at the idea. Thus I decided to make them. Then I posted a journal to recruit the rest of the "family" with a small test - I had to add this rule because I realized some people who wanted to join the family had absolutely no idea what Noldors were. Currently, there are 32 of us

9. What art technique is your favourite? Do you rather keep to the art techniques and styles you are familiar with, or do you experiment with new ones as well?

Related to the style influence question, my art technique is strongly influenced from anime/manga. And I'm more comfortable using digital media rather than traditional. There are some traits I tend to keep in my works, but I like to try out new styles whenever I encounter inspirational works while browsing art.

10. Do you have some tips and tricks you would like to share with the other artists?

Enjoy what you draw, and draw what you enjoy.

11. Could you give us a link or thumbnail from your gallery of

- a Tolkien illustration you are most proud of?


- a picture from other fandom or original picture you are most proud of?


- a picture that fits your current mood?

- a picture that was hardest to paint?


- any other picture you would like to share with us and why?
One of the most frequent questions I get is "how do I make these pixels."
I fail at words, so by putting the process into a single sequence, not only it helps to explain the process to others, but it reminds me the amount of effort I put into these works - it helps me keeps my motivation.

12. What key people in your life, (on or off of dA) have been inspirations to you, or has supported you, as an artist? You can also tell us why, if you want.

My grandfather.
My father was never happy seeing me spend my time drawing, but my grandfather was the one insisted me I should keep drawing because it's what I love to do. He passed away last year so I can't talk to him anymore, but he has always been and will be my supporter who understands me the most.
Also, he was very inspirational - he was a pâtissier but was great at drawing too, and I learned many things from him including some drawing and crafting techniques.

13. Is there some artist(s) at dA you know, who doesn't have as much attention as they would deserve? If yes, could you give us some thumbnails from their gallery?

I have two if you don't mind!
Thank you very much for your answers!

Mirach (or in NIF )

Previous talks: with Gold-Seven fav.me/d6aprnx
                            with steamey fav.me/d6bx1lc
                            with ekukanova fav.me/d6dzooz
                            with Tulikoura fav.me/d6gqc7f
                            with AbePapakhian fav.me/d6l0qap
                            with kimberly80 fav.me/d6nt0jo
                            with jankolas fav.me/d6o41tp
                            with jgilronan fav.me/d720ty2
                            with ebe-kastein fav.me/d7432vw
                            with MatsumotoSensei fav.me/d76jc7r
                            with TurnerMohan fav.me/d78r8wr
                            with ullakko fav.me/d79rfcc
                            with batwinged-squirrel fav.me/d7aoebk
                            with wolfanita  fav.me/d7awlf3
                            with marisoly  fav.me/d7awlg4
                            with kaijukid  fav.me/d7n5duj
                            with faQy  fav.me/d7ox700