Interview With Celtis
Location: Anime Expo 2023 Artist's Alley
Interview Date: 7/3/2023
Anime Herald: I’ve seen you at so many different conventions. It’s like the James Brown thing. You’re one of the hardest-working artists. How did you first get into art? Was this a passion from childhood?
Celtis: Yeah, absolutely. Ever since I was young, I loved drawing, In elementary and middle school, I took part in a lot of art classes and projects. But around high school was the time where, as a kid, your parents are like “Time to start thinking about your future and what kinds of professions you want to get into.”
My parents weren’t the most supportive of the art field, because especially as a family of immigrants, there’s not a lot of exposure. There’s not a lot general knowledge about a field like this. It’s very elusive. So they’re like, oh, yeah, become a doctor, like, you know, accounting, that the classic things. So I was highly discouraged from pursuing art. And I understood. I understood their perspective. Just because immigrants, small business owners.
So through high school, I kind of strayed away from art. But in college I was, there’s just something about I was really drawn to. So I was starting to do it more as a personal fun thing. And around 2015 is probably when I just started drawing again, and sharing online, that’s kind of around the time when I started my Instagram account. And it was a very fun, casual thing. I would draw a little thing and post it online, and maybe get a few likes.
But it was kind of the time where I was really able to just… express myself. There’s no pressure from my family. I’m not necessarily going into art. This is just something that I’m enjoying for myself. And I was posting pretty consistently on Instagram for a couple of years. And online, there are trends.
There was one in 2016 that I did called Inktober, where online people draw stuff with ink. It’s a challenge for the month of October. I really challenged myself to try and participate as a part of this whole group of online artists are all taking part. Through that, I’ve met a few other artists. I think the pivotal moment for my art career I suppose, is when I discovered more of the online art community. There was this one convention in California that I heard a bunch of artists were going to. “You know what, I should go there.”
It was maybe my last year of college, around 2016. So I flew across the country, I went to Burbank, California, and I was at this convention where there’s a ton of other artists. That’s where I met a few other friends. Actually, Erik (Orbital Bloom), the one that we were just speaking to before, I met him at CTN x in 2016. And it’s just been like a slow progression of meeting people, connecting with other artists at conventions, and also further deepening that bond through online interactions, whether it’s through social media or Twitch.
I’m an art streamer on Twitch, and I would say Twitch has been such a game changer. I don’t want to use that word too much, but it really was, had such a significant impact on my ability to engage with people directly, and also to share my art and my personality with people online. So I think conventions and streaming on Twitch have been huge for my growth as an artist.
Anime Herald: What did you study in college?
Celtis: Originally, I was undeclared. I didn’t have my major picked out yet. But when I went in, I was interested in the studio art program. I’m from New York originally. I want to Hunter College. I went there because I wanted to take some art classes, but I wasn’t sure if I was going to actually pursue it. But the more I took classes…
it was it was kind of a mix. I did studio art and also emerging media in media studies as my concentration. That’s where I learned more with programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects. So, that kind of technical side of it, and learning the digital side of art creation, as well as the classes I took in studio art, beginning to drawing, and painting. I kind of merged those two together. Once I graduated, I was bringing that together to kind of slowly inch my way towards doing digital art. It wasn’t my goal originally, but that’s kind of the direction I ended up taking.
Anime Herald: You’ve been trained in multiple different areas. Do you think that’s helped you find yourself as an artist? Or do you wish you’d kind of focused on what you were doing originally?
Celtis: From hindsight, I would say it was necessary for me to go through those steps to find a way to convince myself that I have to work hard at this. No one’s going to hand me anything. I felt that, just as an introvert, and as a very anxious person, It’s tough to just go out there and find information about art jobs. There’s a lot I didn’t know back then. But I would say, college wasn’t exactly what set me up to get me on this path. It was after college, where I really started focusing on the, the influence I could have on Instagram. Building an audience through there.
After college is when, just doing conventions, posting on Instagram, Twitter, and engaging with people online, is where I really started to flourish as an artist. Seeing interactions and engagement with people was such a huge incentive. “Oh, I can’t create stuff that people really like.” So that really kept me going in the early days.
Anime Herald: Are there any other artists that you want to credit as just helping you in those early days keeping you going?
Celtis: Sure! I would say the first ever convention I attended was New York Comic Con in 2016. I was walking around with a few friends at the time. There was just one booth with like, there was one artist in the exhibitor hall that just had huge posters of incredible work. At the time, I had a few pieces on my Instagram, not really a portfolio, but a collection of work. I was talking to her, and I was introducing myself to her, jshowing her some of my stuff. She was so incredibly kind, so patient. She was running the table, so she was dealing with customers. But she really took the time to just talk to me as a person. I felt so seen and I felt very validated with what I was pursuing. And she’s actually at this convention. She’s LucidSky.
She was one of the very first people that like I was able to really talk to. I had a body of work to show. And sure, it wasn’t polished at the time. But, she was so encouraging, and so kind, and I feel so lucky that I can call her friend now. much later. A lot down the line, I started doing more conventions and whatnot. I reconnected with her. She probably doesn’t remember me from all the way back then, because she interacts with so many different people. But we got to connect and we talk a lot about things. I would say she was one of the most significant people in the very beginning.
Anime Herald: That’s awesome.
Celtis: Yeah. She’s incredible.
Anime Herald: I would suspect she does remember you. I’ll tell you this. My LucidSky story is first time I believe I saw her here at Anime Expo. That was the first time I ever saw just a huge mass of people around an artist’s table. “We’re going to have to go around.”
Perhaps that will be you one day.
Celtis: That would be incredible. I hope so. (Laughs)
Anime Herald: What is your process for creating your pieces?
Celtis: I’m always constantly observing things. Whenever I’m out in a car ride… we’re out in Pennsylvania. There are so many incredible views of nature. It’s so scenic. I love organic elements such as trees and clouds. So I’m always keeping that in mind.
But also, I have a deep love of fashion. I love checking out videos on YouTube where other girls are showing the outfits that they’re creating and talking about what makes them passionate about the different looks that they’re inspired by.
I think a mix of fashion, and wonderful scenery, and nature really speaks to me, just as a foundational part. But I grew up watching a ton of anime and TV shows. I’ve always been really drawn to hand-drawn animation, 2D animation, and the stories, the characters, from those shows. And I love just being able to immerse myself in a story and a lot of the characters from those shows. I feel so compelled to draw them because their design is so cool, or just the emotional kind of connection that I feel from it. But there’s so many other incredible artists that work with color and lighting that I’m deeply inspired by as well.
Anime Herald: That’s really cool. What were the shows that really caught your eye that inspired you to go in this direction?
Celtis: One of the first movies that I really fell in love with was Anastasia from 20th Century Fox. The 1997 Anastasia film. I love the art in it. I love the story and the colors and the brilliant textures throughout the movie. That movie really spoke to me a lot.
In terms of anime, I grew up watching Cardcaptor Sakura, InuYasha. There’s a ton of other shows I’m forgetting right now. Fullmetal Alchemist is one of my all time favorite anime that I grew up watching, as well. I think in terms of story, anime really pulled me in, because there’s so many different series to check out and watch. And as a kid, I loved drawing and also love watching TV. So I think that really impacted me and influenced me as a child.
Anime Herald: So now you’re one of the veterans of tabling. What advice would you give as one of the cool kids to one of the new kids for at one of their first conventions who are still trying to figure it all out?
Celtis: I’ve talked to a lot of people who asked me these kinds of questions as well. I would say, doing your first convention is such a scary feat. Because not only are you putting yourself out there… There’s a lot of logistics that are not considered when you are interested in doing Artists’ Alley. Just because there’s not really, like, a guide online. There’s so many more resources these days. But, like, “Where do I get things made? How do I set up a display? How do I choose what to use to set up my display?”
There’s a lot of experimentation. Every single time I do a convention… I started doing conventions the first year of Anime NYC in 2017. That was my first con. Ever since then, my table setup changes every single time because I’m constantly trying something new. So I would would recommend people keep an open mind. And not every convention is going to be a crazy success. The first con I did, I fortunately made a profit from, because it was a local show for me. But not every con is necessarily going to be a huge profit.
And especially, if you’re getting into it for the first time. Using that first experience tabling, try to absorb as much as you can. Whether your table neighbors have some more advice or more experience. You could ask them a few things, because usually people are really nice in the Artists’ Alley. You can Google lots of YouTube videos for how to get things made. Tips for how to sell your stuff. And there are so many more. I feel like, these days, there’s so many more YouTubers or artists who also Vlog their experience and their journeys during Artists’ Alley, and they provide incredible insight into the process. I highly recommend searching online for Artists’ Alley vlogs, because in those vlogs, there’s there’s so much more information that they provide than I can pack into this right now.
Anime Herald: Is there a particular vlog you would recommend?
Celtis: She’s an artist named Macy. Her handle is Mualcaina. She’s also in Artists’ Alley, as well. She provides incredible information. She’s so transparent, and so open about where she gets stuff made for her displays. I believe she’s primarily an enamel pin artist. But she has bags, and she talks about reaching out to manufacturers and traveling to cons and like, how much inventory she brings of things. She’s so observant whenever she’s at a table. She talks to the camera about how the flow is in the artists alley, and what kind of things to look out for that maybe could improve your own tabeling experience. So I would highly recommend her. I actually just spoke to her early today. She’s so lovely. She’s so sweet.
Anime Herald: It feels like Anime Expo is the social event of the season.
Celtis: It truly is.
Anime Herald: Alright, let’s go back to actually you mentioned Anime NYC 2017. I was there, as well. How would you see you’ve grown as an artist or as person since then?
Celtis: Oh man. So that was almost six years ago, five and a half years ago. Obviously, there’s the kind of gap with COVID in-between. But since then, I feel like I’ve grown to really be social in a way. Because, before that, it was kind of hard for me to find a way to talk to people. But after doing my very first convention, there were some people who met me for the first time in person, because they had seen my work online. I can’t even describe the experience what that is like. I felt like I’m just like a normal person. And, I do my little drawings and put them out there.
When someone comes to me and says, “I follow you on Instagram, I saw this online, I really love your work” that gives me a lot of validation for who I am. But now I would say I don’t necessarily need validation online to feel that I am successful in my own way. Because there are so many different things that are now obstacles as an artist. Especially as an independent artist.
Social media used to be a great way to grow an audience. I think these days, there are a lot of issues with the different platforms, and negative effects and whatnot. But cons have been a really great way to get your work in front of people. I would say, my confidence as an artist has grown because I’ve been working nonstop ever since 2017. Ever since my first convention.
I guess there’s still some things that I do that are maybe not the best practices. I always crunch right before a con. I pull all-nighters and I try to get out new stuff. But I think my my presentation is a huge thing that has changed from my very first convention. At my very first con, I had some wire grids, I had a photo stand and maybe 10 prints.
Anime Herald: Yes. I remember that. Some of them were part of a series.
Celtis: Yeah. Nowadays, I have a ton of stickers. I have lights on my table, which is a brand new thing for me. I have very clear signage. I think when you see my table now, there’s a very strong branding to it that I didn’t have before, which is totally fine. Because when you’re starting out you’re like “Well, how do I find my footing?”
So, I think my branding has grown quite a bit, just in terms of the setup for the Artists’ Alley table, and also the type of work I create. There is a huge focus on female characters from shows I like and games I like. But now, I also have a really strong following for my frog emotes. My stickers and enamel pins are very heavily based on the frogs that I’ve been drawing.
I stream on Twitch. I’ve been doing it for almost five years now. And the emotes I’ve created have kind of grown to be larger than what I ever expected, because they have been spread all over Discord. Every single convention I’ve been to post Corona, there’s always at least like two or three people who recognize my emotes. But, a lot of times, they don’t know who the creator is because it got spread and there’s no watermark on the emotes that people are on Discord. But minimum, three people at every show. no matter how big the show is, at least three people recognize it. At this show, there have been dozens of people who have seen the frogs and recognize it. That’s another thing I just wanted to throw in because my branding with frogs has also grown quite a bit since then.
Anime Herald: Frog girl.
Celtis: Yeah. Literally, on my Twitch stream my fans call me “Frog Queen,” and whatnot.
Anime Herald: So that one…
Celtis: this is one of my frogs. He’s, he’s a grumpier frog. There are a lot more cute frogs. But his name is Haggard. And he is. Absolutely. But yeah, a lot of my frogs have become very beloved by many, many people.
Anime Herald: Do you have any questions for us? Or is there anything else you’d like to share?
Celtis: I travel primarily throughout the year to different conventions. That is my main form of income. But I do also have a big presence online on Twitch. So if anyone is interested or watches ever wants to watch a Twitch stream, I’m live every Tuesday and Thursday on Celtis art twitch.tv/celtisart and I love connecting with people. Either I met them at a con or online and drawing and sharing stories.
