Visiting Artist: K. L. Ricks

K. L. Ricks with her visiting artist board, drawn by Luke Howard.

K. L. Ricks is a freelance illustrator and cartoonist. She graduated from the Rhode Island
School of Design and now lives in Massachusetts. She is best known for her horror comic “Country Darkness” on Hazlitt.

Ricks was a fantastic, warm, and thoughtful speaker. She discussed her background studies and spent a good portion of time providing a demo. She works a lot with sumi ink because it works well to create fine, dark lines as well as beautiful gray washes.

Ricks discuss her tools, mainly sumi.

Ricks getting down to work.

In progress photo of Ricks’ demo.

She is committed to healthy work ethic and recommends people forgo the work to the bone attitude for a healthy life style full of plenty of water and sleep. “Self-care and self-love is paramount to being able to keep going in the short and long-term,” as she put it in an interview with Sonic Yonix.

As with most visiting artists, Ricks had a good time with Luke Howard, program coordinator.

Sandra Batholomew (’17) doodled notes at Ricks’ talk.

Sandra Bartholomew also drew some faces in the crowd, the faculty!