Katie Can Draw
Katie Cook likes cats. And robots. And monsters. And Star Wars. And Wonder Woman. And drawing. She really likes drawing—but what she loves is combining the things that she likes.
Cook is a Michigan-based web cartoonist, but more importantly, she is a nerd, born and bred.
“My mom loved B-movies and Star Trek and my brother was a Trekkie. I grew up knowing every line from every episode of the original Star Trek,” she said. “Then I switched over to Star Wars [and] I don’t think my family will ever forgive me.”
But it wasn’t just nerd culture that’s has been part of her for as long as she can remember. “I’ve wanted to be a cartoonist since I was in kindergarten,” she explained. Cook was one step closer to her goal after she graduated from the College of Creative studies with a BFA in illustration in 2004. She’s been working in the field for about 10 years now. “Being a cartoonist amongst a lot of fine artists [in college] means you’re kind of the lowest person on the totem pole,” she said. “After college, I worked at a design studio for a few years. I designed paper products, toys, packaging—a little bit of anything and everything,” she said. Meanwhile, she did freelance work and eventually devoted herself entirely to it. She now works for herself full-time and set up her website under her label, Katiecandraw. “Pretty much all my life, I was the kid always drawing. [I was introduced like this:] ‘Have you met Katie? Katie can draw,’” she said. Cook also is a regular guest at comic book conventions—something she said can get a little silly. “I was at a convention a few years ago and I sat across from someone who was a total idol of mine. I spent the whole time awkwardly staring at him, waiting for his line to dissipate so I could go over there. When I finally did, everything came out bumbling, too fast and idiotic [and I] ran back to my table,” she said. A second attempt at speaking to him, to apologize for her prior awkwardness, also proved embarrassing. “I have so many [awkward moments at Comiccon] I could write a book,” she said. “Really. I probably will write a book about them.”Regardless, Cook does over 10 shows a year and tries to visit a new one each year.
Besides the travel, she said, “I’m such a homebody, I like my own bed.” Travelling from her home in Michigan is also difficult since she has a nine-month-old daughter.
Cook said she’s looking forward to sharing some of her favourite comics—like Jeff Smith’s Bone and Bill Watterson’s Calvin and Hobbes—with her daughter. While her projects have always seemed child-oriented, it is her comic Gronk that gets all age groups laughing.
“Gronk came from a project back in college. We were supposed to do a self-portrait [but] instead, I designed what I would look like if I were a monster,” she said. Cook really lets her nerd flag fly in this strip, but she has also done decidedly un-nerdy licensed work for many companies, like DC, Marvel, Star Wars, HEROES and The Lord of the Rings. She also considers it a great personal achievement to have worked for the Jim Henson Company—creators of the Muppets, Fraggles, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, etc.—who had a big influence in her life. “They are the most influential characters and stories of my childhood. To be able to work for that brand was a check on my bucket list,” she said. Her ultimate goal is to do official work on Wonder Woman, one of her favourite characters. But for now, she’s happy drawing anything. Even her cats.