![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/7pics\/2018\/06\/travelling_clothes_2use.jpg\")
\nIt’s the first Sunday of the month, which means I’ve got the work of a student or debut illustrator here at 7-Imp. Today, it’s the latter, an illustrator and animator named Cat Min<\/a><\/strong>, who recently signed with an agent and is working on her debut picture book. <\/p>\n
Cat is here to tell us a bit about herself, as well as share some artwork. I thank her for visiting. Let’s get right to it. (And if you want to see even more of her artwork, you can find her on Instagram at: thecatpark<\/em>.) <\/p>\n Note for any new readers: 7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks is a weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. New kickers are always welcome.<\/p>\n 1)<\/strong><\/font> A trip to Providence this week. <\/p>\n 2)<\/strong><\/font> Reading a galley of Jacqueline Woodson’s<\/a><\/strong> new middle-grade novel on the plane. <\/p>\n 3)<\/strong><\/font> Scavenger hunt. Involving cocktails. <\/p>\n
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\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/7pics\/2018\/06\/inktober2017_cafeuse.jpg\")
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\nCat<\/font><\/strong>: When I was a child, I’d read and draw comics with my best friend for fun. We’d go over to each other’s house and sit in the living room, hunched over folded paper with a blunt pencil in hand. The result was something similar to a zine. The best part was reading each other’s work at the end of the day. I didn’t realize it then, but I think that was when my love for drawing stories started.
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\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/7pics\/2018\/06\/dontmissadropuse.jpg\")
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\nI went on to study film and animation at New York University and completed the Illustration & Visual Storytelling Summer Residency Program at the School of Visual Arts in New York. I knew I wanted to be an animator and illustrator, but it was during my time at SVA that I realized I wanted to pursue writing and illustrating picture books.
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\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/7pics\/2018\/06\/twinadventuressmall.jpg\")
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\nThere’s something quite magical about writing a story and telling that story creatively through a combination of pictures and words. I enjoy various types of storytelling through images (such as, film, animation, comics, visual novels), but the beautiful thing about picture books is that while they are meant for children, pretty much anyone can enjoy them, since they’re really just short stories told through simple words and illustrations (and sometimes only illustrations). I love how much you can come away with from just a few pages of words and drawings.
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\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/7pics\/2018\/06\/sleepinguse.jpg\")
\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/7pics\/2018\/06\/daydreamers004bsmall.jpg\")
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\nMy illustrations are mainly done in watercolor and colored pencils, but I also like to use brush pens and pencils. I have the most fun when painting and drawing familiar subjects in dream-like settings — it allows me to be as imaginative as I want to and gives me the most freedom. The stories that I write are quite similar in that sense; I like stories about recognizable characters that are placed in surreal scenarios.
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\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/7pics\/2018\/06\/daydreamers011buse.jpg\")
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\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/7pics\/2018\/06\/sowemeetagainsmall.jpg\")
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\nI currently work as a freelance illustrator and animator. I’m also a member of SCBWI<\/a><\/strong> and Women Who Draw<\/a><\/strong>. I’ve recently signed with Maria Vicente of P.S. Literary Agency<\/a><\/strong> and now working on my first picture book. It’s a long process, but every moment of it is very exciting and valuable to me. I also hope to do a memoir-type graphic novel in the near future.
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\n![](\"http:\/\/blaine.org\/7pics\/2018\/06\/4panels004small.jpg\")
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\nAll images used by permission of Cat Min.<\/em><\/p>\n
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