Today we’d like to introduce you to Liana Kangas
Hi Liana, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
For those who aren’t familiar with my work, I’m Liana Kangas– a freelance creator, illustrator and writer, passionate about sequential storytelling and (editorial and merchandise) illustrating. My journey in this industry has been pretty wild, founded by a long run of little odd jobs in retail and food service in my early teens and twenties, and then during college, working in marketing and IT. Eventually a few years later, I jumped into freelance with a wide range of experiences.
In 2016, I pivoted from a full time day job in higher education to a full-time pursuit of comics.
Today, my portfolio is a range of contributions to IPs like Star Wars, Star Trek, Archie Horror and Godzilla, to collaborations with iconic musicians such as the RZA, Toadies, Blondie, and Joan Jett. I’ve been lucky to split my time and energy into creator owned projects and books, including the likes of TRVE KVLT (IDW Publishing) and newly Hugo long-listed, KNOW YOUR STATION (Boom Studios).
It’s important to me to tell stories and create ideas in the comics medium, exploring social issues and diversity to start a conversation through my work. I love to connect my community and readers, continuously try to improve my craft to create stories that I’ve always wanted to read myself.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Beyond the obvious of financial struggles, when I first started pursuing comics, I heavily stressed about finding my “art style” – something I had been considering for years prior, even before understanding that art could be a full time career. I wanted to make sure I put my own voice on my work. I wish I had realized sooner that your style develops as you work, and you lean into things that are exciting and fun– but I wish I had put less pressure and anxiety on myself as an artist and enjoyed the process more.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
The best part about working in comics and sequential art is that there can never be enough of it. The industry is needing more voices now than ever, and I bring reliability to the table, whether it be with characters you can relate to, the realism and acting I try to strive in my work, or the underlying themes we’re trying to hit home when we execute a story. I’m most proud of both that, along with my community and my collaborators. Without them, my career wouldn’t exist, and they keep me so inspired to keep putting out more work.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Apps or Blogs: Anatomy Reference! Online Comic Apps (continuous scrolling like Webtoon or Comixology.) For aspiring and working artists, Procreate, Clip Studio Paint, would be a great place to start! Patreon or Ko-Fi would be a great way to support creators in their craft! If a paywall is a concern, I think signing up for any creator’s mailing list is a great idea to stay in the loop!
Books: Framed Ink, Understanding Comics, Color & Light, Morpho Books and the Etherington Brothers How to Draw series
Podcasts: Off Panel, Condon & Phillips Patreon podcast, Strip Panel Naked Analysis Videos
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lianakangas.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lianakangas
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lianakangas6806
- Other: https://lianakangas.bigcartel.com/
