Midnite Keister is mainly a 2-D artist who lives in Kansas. Her love of art and drawing started from a very young age as she watched her mother draw. She is very often found doodling in notebooks or on scraps of paper wherever she is. Most of her work is done with the traditional pencil and paper method and digital work on her tablet, but she has been known for a few canvas paintings here and there. Her works consist very heavily of semi-realistic and cartoon style drawings of cats and wolves.

Midnite uses her art as an outlet and a tool to help cope with any struggles life throws out. If you’d like to see more, please feel free to check out her DeviantART account here.

TL: When did you make your first drawing?

MK: When is a difficult question to answer, but I have drawings that date back to as early as 1998.

TL: Did you study art formally, or would you describe yourself as self-taught?

MK: Most of my art is self-taught, but I have picked up a few hints and tricks from classes that I took both in high school and college.

TL: Wolves—both naturalistic and anthropomorphic—recur often in your work. What is it about them as a subject that appeals to you?

MK: Both wolves and cats occur extremely regularly in my work. I draw mostly animals because people are hard. And I like the wild nature and interesting poses you can draw wolves, and other such creature, in. Plus I have a liking towards drawing fluff and fur.

TL: our work contains both an attraction to the wild side of things (literally and figuratively), but at the same time demonstrates a playfulness that some might call a “pop” aesthetic. Are these impulses connected for you? If so, how?

MK: Wild and playful is most definitely something I like to incorporate in my work. I like drawing in ways that show movement. I'm not sure about the "pop" aesthetic, though.

TL: You do lovely work with watercolor and pastels. Do you have a favorite medium to work with?

MK: Actually watercolors are difficult for me to use. I draw mostly in marker, gel pens, or colored pencil. My favorite medium, however, is hands down my Prismacolor pencils. I love how smoothly they draw and the texture they give on certain papers.

TL: Do you have any set rituals when you work on a piece, or is the process different every time?

MK: Usually it's pretty set. I sketch the initial drawing, tweak it here and there, take a lining marker or fine point sharpie to solidify the outline, then erase the pencil and start coloring. Sometimes I'll do minor shading but not of ten.

TL: Do have any advice for any up-and-coming young artists out there?

MK: Of course I can give the whole "practice makes perfect" speech, and it's been over played, but it's so true. You can only get better if you try. Even if you don't have a whole lot of time to draw, sit down for even just half an hour and doodle. You can change a lot about your style doing that.

TL: Who are some of the artists you most admire?

MK: Unfortunately I don't know many artists. Of course, there are artists like Picasso, Monet, Michelangelo, but a lot of the artists I aspire to be are online.

TL: Is there a drawing that has particular meaning for you personally?

MK: In collection all of my drawings have different meanings. Drawing is a way to express feelings that I can't verbally explain. Each one of my pieces had some significant meaning.