Grund’s relationship with her art has changed and shifted over time, but one thing’s for certain: it’s a major part of her identity, and most of all, a passion.
Learn about honing and improving your craft in this insightful talk with Katharina Grund about what art means to her and the impact it has on her life!
1. What form of art do you specialize in?
These days I specialize in digital art and more specifically in realism portraits but I have been trying to branch out into some more stylized work and trying to experiment a little more. It’s fun sometimes to draw without any kind of real rules in mind and just paint something. Still I do stylized portraits because I have this fascination with human faces. But I always find myself coming back to realism because it’s tiring but so very rewarding to do.
2. When did you start and why did you become interested in it?
I started doing art I believe back in 2012. Back then it was more of a way to escape the world and the problems I was facing. So art was a coping mechanism for me. I could just draw all my emotions into my sketchbook and forget about them. But over time it became more. It became part of me and something I wanted to pursue. I guess even today art helps me clear my head and just let out my emotions. In a different way than back when I started but still it’s a way to relax and get my mind off things.
But over time it became more. It became part of me and something I wanted to pursue. I guess even today art helps me clear my head and just let out my emotions. In a different way than back when I started but still it’s a way to relax and get my mind off things.
3. What made you decide you wanted to pursue that style of art?
For realism, honestly it always annoyed me when I couldn’t get something right. I wanted my work to be so good you couldn’t distinguish it from a photo. So I just always wanted to be able to draw a face so well you feel like the person is actually standing in front of you. And honestly I loved the responses I would get from people I showed my work to. I loved how fascinated they were and it motivated me to keep going and become even better.
As for stylized, I wanted a little more freedom. Realism has a lot of rules you need to follow to get it just right. And I love the results I can get. But I also love to have a little more freedom and just paint without really having to think. It almost feels like a breath of fresh air that I need every once in a while to keep myself motivated.
4. What has your experience been like continuing your art while in school/work?
Since I kind of study art it was easy for me to continue at first. Especially during my first few semesters were I had a lot of freedom and could draw whenever I wanted to. But I have to admit now that I’m doing my bachelors degree it is a lot more tiring. There is a lot of work I have to do and finding the motivation to draw is hard. There are so many other things I also want to do besides drawing so it’s not always easy to balance everything. But I’m hoping that I’ll find my motivation soon again because my art is a part of me that I never want to give up.
My art is a part of me that I never want to give up.
5. What is one of your favorite and one least favorite things about your art form?
When talking about realism, it’s a lot of work. A painting can take me months to finish depending on what level of detail I go for and what exactly I want to replicate. It’s a long process and I know once I started a painting that it will take me ages to finish it so it’s a real commitment in a way. One thing is for sure rhinestones and fur are a living nightmare but you feel so accomplished when you get it right. Which is also what’s great about realism. When you get it right you feel amazing and super accomplished and I love impressing people with what I can do, so that would be my favourite thing.
And one thing that really annoys me about digital art in general is, I usually paint on 4k or 8k canvas to really get in there and draw little details but sometimes it takes the computer ages to load when you do a single paint stroke and your brush size is too big. Sometimes the program even crashes and of course it’s usually when I haven’t saved in a while so that’s always a bummer and can lead me to even lose motivation to finish a piece and have it forever unfinihsed.
6. Do you have a story you want to share about your experiences in this field?
I don’t really have something particular to share about art experiences in general. I believe everyone has their own story and their own way they have to go to get to their goal. And with art it’s always the process that you should look at and not the goal Because honestly, there never really is a clear goal and it can always change along the way. So I guess the experience I want to share is that you should focus on the path that leads you there.
Because honestly, there never really is a clear goal and it can always change along the way. So I guess the experience I want to share is that you should focus on the path that leads you there.
7. What was a major setback in your artistic career and what did you learn from it?
The biggest setback I ever had was honestly buying my first drawing tablet. I was overwhelmed with all the things I could do with it but to be honest my art sucked the first time I started using it. Of course I wasn’t good at it because I had never used one before. It pushed me as far as even wanting to give up art because I felt like in this day and age you have to be able to do digital art. But that’s absolutely not true.
All you have to do is do your thing. Do your art. And the people will love it because that’s a piece of you that you’re putting out there.
Now I love digital art because I never gave up in trying and I honestly love it more than traditional art at this point.
8. What advice would you give to young people pursuing art as a passion or career?
The biggest advice that I wish someone had given me is to ask for feedback. Ask people what they honestly think about your work and ask how you can improve. I know it hurts sometimes because you’re attached to your art and I always felt bad when people said I need to improve. But when I got my harshest critique is when I improved the most. It really pushed me to try harder and make something that’s beautiful. Because always hearing from my mom or my dad that they love my work no matter what I showed them, was good for my soul but not good for my art and it took me so much longer to improve. So it’s important to have someone who honestly critiques your work to make it better. See it as an opportunity to learn and grow from mistakes and use that as motivation to improve and become the best artist you can be.
See it as an opportunity to learn and grow from mistakes and use that as motivation to improve and become the best artist you can be.
Do your thing. Do what makes you happy and don’t let anyone tell you no. If you want to draw in your style then do it. This is your art after all. If it’s what you love then don’t let anyone discourage you from it. But be open. Don’t be afraid to experiment and break out of your shell a little. Trust me it’s worth it and you might find something you love in trying new things.
9. What was your goal as a teenager and have you achieved that, or how does that goal look like now?
It’s hard to say because I don’t remember ever having a particular goal. At least not when I was younger. I just wanted to let out my anger and sadness and I decided to go about it by drawing dark and depressing images. It helped me grow and push past these times of my life and art in a way saved me. Because at the end of the day it just made me happy. So I guess my goal was to make myself happy through my art and I think I achieved that pretty well.
As for these days, I just want to draw because I love it. It’s sort of taking time out of my day for myself and to do something that makes me happy. I guess my goal hasn’t really changed. Well maybe a little because I also want to impress people with what I do these days. But in a way, it’s all to make myself feel happy.
10. Is there anyone or anything that inspires you?
Honestly just when I see a beautiful picture I have it in my head that I want to recreate it. That I want to be able to capture it perfectly down to the last tiny detail. And I like challenging myself these days with things I haven’t drawn before. Like drawing a rhinestone choker. I knew from the get go it would be challenging but it was also fun even when it was frustrating at some points.
A person that’s really inspiring to me is one of my friends. He’s also an artist and he helps me learn from my mistakes. He’s not afraid to show me his weaknesses as an artist and he also helps me learn by letting my see his vulnerabillity.
And one of my ex-teachers who I still keep in contact with. His work is so breathtaking and beautiful but he’s such a humble and nice person that I can’t help but aspire to be like him. We don’t have the same painting style or subject matter but his drive and determination to become the best artist he can possibly be really inspires me to push myself too.
Katharina’s Work:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oUtmBGZCxj6mQ8iT4XnMQ7LfZ8ZTkgBg?usp=sharing
Katharina’s Socials:
Our Socials: