Graphic Designer Amanda Kulp #interview

Please give a warm welcome to

Tell us a bit about yourself

Hi, my name is Amanda Kulp or also known as Amanda Kulp Designs. I live in Pennsylvania, US. I am a mother of a 12-year old son, digital artist, gamer, avid reader, and lover of anything fantasy or sci-fi. I also love cats! I have a 7-year-old female tabby named Socks. I have been working in Photoshop for about 5 years now. I am primarily self-taught. I specialize in photomanipulations or also known as creative manipulations. I also design book, audio, and album covers.

Have you always wanted to become an artist/designer?

I actually did not always have the dream to be an artist. I have always been artistically inclined since a young age. I used to be into painting with acrylics as a young teenager. My dad used to take all my canvas paintings into work and show them off. He was a huge supporter of my art. But, as I got older I stopped painting and didn’t really get into art again until I was in college where I took a Photoshop class as my art elective. This class is what really marked my beginnings in digital art. I remember we had to do a dream collage or a photomanipulation and I was freaking out over it. We had never done something so complex in the class and because the task seemed so daunting to me I immediately began looking and trying manipulation tutorials. I was so amazed at the artworks that people were coming up with using everyday images. A lot of times you could not tell that real photographs were used at all. I ended up getting an A on that final project and felt so accomplished with my finished piece that I continued teaching myself from that point forward. I still have a good ways to go in my learning process but I have come so far since my first digital artwork.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

I find a lot of inspiration from movies, music, and books, mostly fantasy/sci-fi, but a lot of my inspiration comes from photographs. I will see a simple picture such as a photo of a sunset and an idea just pops into my head. It might be an entire idea or just a color scheme. Whatever it is I’ll usually go straight into Photoshop and basically just go with the flow! A lot of times, I do not have a full vision before going into a piece and have no idea what the final piece will look like.

What are you working on now?

I am currently working on a fantasy dragon, premade ebook cover.

Do you have any quirks while working?

I love listening to music while working. I really like listening to music such as fantasy, synthwave, and anything sci-fi. Lately, I have been putting on the Harry Potter soundtracks while I work. It might sound silly but I feel that listening to these type of genres help keep my creative juices flowing!

What are your hopes for the future?

I really hope that sometime in the future I can make cover design my full-time job. I really enjoy what I do and love seeing the amazing covers these artists put out. I would just love to fully be apart of that.

Do you have anything to say to your fans?

I just want to thank all the people who truly enjoy my work and constantly leave me such supportive feedback and even constructive criticism. It keeps me going and learning and I am so appreciative of that.