Caitlin Burks is a Sequential Arts major at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, Georgia. She was born and raised in Denton, North Carolina.
Every since she was little, Burks has always been drawn to art. She began considering art as a possible career when she was in middle school and learned about the behind-the-scenes of her favorite shows like Adventure Time and Invader Zim. “I poured over hours of animatics from [those] shows,” says Burks. “[I was] trying to understand what made them so great.”
Besides animation, Burks explained that she is also heavily inspired by graphic novels and comic artists. Two of her personal favorites are comic artist Jeff Smith, who worked on the fantasy series Bone from 1991-2004, and Tom Siddell who is the creator of Gunnerkrigg Court, a science-fantasy webcomic. “Both series were available at my local library when I was a child, and I quickly became obsessed with them due to their great detail and masterful storytelling.” Burk exclaims. She also takes inspirations from Greek Mythology, poetry, and her daily life that she spends with friends and others who support her and her work.
Burks’ future goals include getting a job in character design or storyboarding, or perhaps even as a comic book artist. She elaborates that her biggest dream would be to work as a showrunner in television animation.
“As an artist, I am fueled by the desire to tell stories and connect with other people through the power of storytelling.” She explains. “It would mean the world to me if a message, experience, or emotion I was trying to convey through my work touched at least one person’s heart in a meaningful way. I believe that in the end, all we have as humans are the bonds we make with one another, and that telling stories is the most impactful way to create them.”
You can find Caitlin and her work on her Instagram below:
GREENSBORO COLLEGE ART COLUMN 