Kendra Binney

Where do you live?
Vancouver, Washington which is just outside of Portland, OR

Where have you lived?
I grew up in the tiny town of Pinetop-Lakeside, Arizona but have lived in the Pacific NW most of my life.

What medium do you use?
Anything I can find:  acrylic, watercolor, pencil, and collaged paper are my favorite materials.

How do you stay inspired? 
I find Nature especially inspiring.   If I’m ever feeling stuck, I usually go for a hike or work in my garden, or just watch birds from my window.

Where do you buy your art supplies? 
There’s an Artist and Craftsman store walking distance from my house. I go there a lot.

Do you work traditionally or digitally?
Mostly traditionally, but I do a lot of my collage work digitally lately.

What color combination are you most excited about right now?
Navy + royal blue + purplish-pink. This will likely change to a new color obsession next week.

What blog(s) do you read? 
I don’t think I even know the names of any blogs.

Why do you like being an illustrator in 10 words or less?  
I can make up imaginary worlds.

If you weren’t an illustrator, what would you be? 
Sad, empty, and looking for purpose.

What illustration job would you love to get (your dream job)?  
I’d love to illustrate a book of fairy tales or Greek mythology, or a book about imaginary flowers

Name something you do in your spare time. 
I’m usually petting an animal of some sort or trying to tame one so it will let me pet it

What’s the strangest work experience you’ve ever had? 
I randomly met a woman one time who had tattoos of my artwork completely covering both her arms. There are probably odder experiences, but that one stands out. It was pretty flattering.

What are you reading now? 
The last thing I had time to read was probably my washing machine’s instruction manual

What recent book do you recommend for a good read? 
Not the cheap romance novel referenced above. It’s pretty terrible.

Where would you like to travel to next? 
Kenya. I’d like to go on a Safari.

What’s your favorite TV show? 
I don’t really watch much TV.

What movie have you seen several times? 
All of the “Alien” movies.

Who is your favorite cartoon character? 
Not sure I have one, but I’ve been told by multiple people that I’m a lot like Lisa Simpson so I’ll go with her. Not sure if that’s a compliment though…

What is your favorite cheese? 
Really sharp cheddar

If you could name a nail polish, what would you name it? 
“Petty Squabbles.” It would be a nondescript greyish purple-ish color.

Do you wear shoes when you do art? 
I don’t wear shoes for much of anything.

What do you listen to while you work? 
It varies, but sometimes when I’m working on a specific painting I’ll listen to the same song over and over again on repeat so I can “keep a consistent mood” for the piece.

What artist are you reincarnated from?
Buckminster Fuller – not exactly an “artist” maybe, but I think we’re similar paper hoarders.

What’s your middle name?
Lorraine

What do you wish your middle name was? 
I got my middle name from my Grandma, so I’m ok with it as is – even if it does sound like it belongs to a telephone operator from 1953.

If you could eat only one food, what would it be? 
Something covered in chocolate

How do you stay in shape? 
I walk my dogs a lot and very rarely sit down.

How don’t you stay in shape?
Eating too many things that are covered in chocolate.

What is your current favorite font? 
I have no idea, but it would probably be a swirly looking script font with lots of flourishes.

How do you take your coffee? 
In a to-go cup while pushing a stroller and trying to wrangle a bunch of dog leashes.

Whom would you like to meet?  
I can’t think of anyone specifically but they’d probably have fur and a tail.

What question would you most like to be asked? 
“Kendra, can I please clean your house everyday, forever?”

What was your favorite illustration assignment? 
Private painting commissions are always my favorite. They feel so personal and special and I love channeling pieces of someone else’s life and personality into my paintings.