DCC 2018 Artist Preview: Jenny Parks
Denver Comic Con (June 15-17) will have booth after booth of fancy nerd art in Artist Valley. You need nerd art, but what do you buy? Our art previews continue with Jenny Parks!
Jenny Parks creates super cute cat art! Any nerd character who inspires you deeply in your soul, will probably be for sale at her booth as a cat! She’s made cats out of characters from Star Trek, Star Wars, Stranger Things, Game of Thrones, Hannibal, Wonder Woman, Spiderman, Avengers, Dead Pool, Batman, Sherlock Holmes, Supernatural, X-files, Dexter, The Hunger Games, Outlander, How to Train Your Dragon, Mad Max, Hell Boy, Harry Potter, Firefly, The Walking Dead, and Doctor Who.
She’s a go-to artist when someone thinks we should put cats on the cover of a comic. She has two Star Trek Cats books, one for original Star Trek, and one for The Next Generation. Star Trek characters re-imagined as cats almost work too well. We may very well be seeing the original inspiration…
What do most people come to your booth to talk to you about?
I’d say the topic most often brought up, maybe unsurprisingly, is cats. I hear a lot about other people’s cats and how much they love them, and sometimes I get to see pictures of their pets, which I absolutely encourage.
What new thing do you want everyone to know about?
My newest piece is actually one I haven’t even posted online yet (except for my Patreon subscribers)! I have done a Black Panther cat, which you can get prints, buttons and magnets of at the show.
What person, panel, or event at DCC are you most excited for?
I recently found out that Jonny Brugh who played Deacon in What We Do in the Shadows is going to be there, and I am super excited but also sad because I probably won’t be able to leave my table to see him perform his erotic dance.
I don’t see any erotic dances on the official DCC schedule, but he has a panel at 6pm on Saturday in the Metropolis Room (Mile High Ballroom DCCP2)
What’s your most popular item at cons?
It can vary from con to con, but one of my most popular pieces is Toothless from How to Train your Dragon as a cat. I think most black cat owners collectively agree that their cat looks exactly like Toothless… and they wouldn’t be wrong.
Most hilarious con story, please!!!!
I always have trouble remembering these on the spot. The main one I can recall is when someone, I think unironically, asked if I had the sloth from Zootopia as a cat. There are many confusing levels to this one that make it particularly memorable.
What’s the most interesting commission you’ve done?
It’s hard to choose, I get some pretty unusual requests. I’d say some of my more interesting ones, were “Fur and Loathing”, so the two main characters from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas as cats, and then more recently a Pinhead from Hellraiser, which was just an interesting costume and concept to turn into a cat (yes he was a hairless).
What can fans do to support your work beyond buying your cool stuff?
I have a Patreon, which is a way to contribute to every new art piece I create, and depending on the level, you can get rewards. You can check that out here: https://www.patreon.com/jennyparks
But also, for those unable to purchase, just sharing my work with the proper credit and links helps me out immensely!
Where can we find you at Denver Comic Con?
I will be in Artist Valley, S20. Hope to see all you cat nerds there!
You can also find Jenny Parks at her webpage, Patreon, Twitter, Facebook, tumblr and Instagram.