Interview with Princess of Swords
| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Interview with Princess of Swords |
| Interviewer: | tripperfunster at Deviantart |
| Interviewee: | Princess of Swords |
| Date(s): | 2010 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom(s): | Star Trek |
| External Links: | interview, Archived version |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Princess of Swords was interviewed in 2010 by tripperfunster.
Interview
How long have you been drawing? Have you had training?I’ve been drawing my whole life, being an artist is a large part of who I am as a person. I’m mostly self-taught, but I did graduate from an art college where I majored in Illustration. I still try to occasionally take a class to keep myself sharp. I also try to surround myself with artistic peers . . . so I stay awesome through osmosis.
How long have you been a Trekkie? What drew you to this pairing? The hotness of K/S drew me in, but the sheer amount on canon subtext, and the characters’ genuine affection for one another, is what made me stay. Star Trek has been in the corner of my eye since I was young and I happened upon my parents watching the end of The Wrath of Khan, where I got an eyeful of Spock’s death scene. That also started my 22 years long crush on Leonard Nimoy. I’ve considered myself a full-blown Trekkie since August of 2009.
You seem to have an asian/middle eastern influence in your art. Where are you from, and/or what are your artistic influences? I’m just a short, blond girl from DC, but I have always been very influenced by world mythology, religion, and spirituality. One of my current leading influences is Hindu deities and culture. A good story with strong characters has always been the best artistic inspiration for me. I am a self-proclaimed story junkie, a condition that has existed since I was very small, when I would go to “sleep” in the book corner during naptimes. Among my other inspirations are strange visual things I catch on a daily basis, such as the curls in a wrought iron gate, an interesting texture on a pair of jeans, the green shade in a turquoise stone, and so forth. Some of the art books that grace my shelves include Frida Kahlo, Michael Kaluta, Michael Manning, Wayne Barlow and Isabel Samaras, to name a few.
Did you start out drawing smut, or was it a gradual slide? I’m going to go with gradual slide. I’ve always been drawn to erotica, but I never really allowed myself to go explicit with my own art. My Inner Erotica Artist and Inner Rabid Fangirl teamed up, succeeded in a breakout together, and have run rampant since August. I can’t complain, it’s been very fun and very freeing, but I’m still a little Victorian about making my Trek Smut.
Are you comfortable doing all ratings, or will you only go so far? The only line I would really draw is at anything tastelessly pornographic. I hesitate to use the P-word because the line between what is considered pornography and erotica is very thin indeed. When it comes to smut I’ve always preferred the ideas of sensuality and erotica . . . I say leaving a teeny bit to the imagination is more exciting. But that’s also just my attitude right now. I have no problem viewing pornography though. *cough*
What sort of things would you refuse to draw? Hmm, I would absolutely refuse to draw anything involving violence and torture, sexual or otherwise.
In your Trek art, do you generally see one character as the 'top' or do you switch them around? In my first pieces of Trek Smut I had Spock topping, but I’ve always preferred to think of them both as switches. I just got finished reading a phenomenal K/S Series ('Sharing the Sunlight' by Jenna Sinclair) where Kirk is the aggressor about 70% of the time, the stories where written very well and very convincingly, so now it’s actually a little difficult picturing bottom!Kirk now.
Many of your drawings have K/S nude and/or engaging in sexual activities, yet there seems to be an over all theme of love and acceptance. Is that important to you, in your art? or just in this pairing?
Without question, love and acceptance are very crucial to the motivations and themes behind my artwork, and is especially important to my Trek work. In my mind, Kirk and Spock are two souls united by a deep, genuine, and respectful love for each other that transcends conventional concepts of gender and race. But that’s just me . . .