Meet Cai Burks | Sequential Artist & Illustrator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cai Burks and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cai, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Honestly, it’s all I’ve ever known! I like to say that I was born with a crayon in my hand. I grew up around artists in my family, all hobbyists but incredibly talented. There are quite a few painters on my mom’s side of the family. I remember being around 6 and asking my mom to draw my favorite cartoon characters for me. She handed me the box of colored pencils and said that if I learned to draw too, I could create anything I wanted. That opened up a world for me, and I realized that if I did learn to draw, and draw well, only my imagination was the limit. I started making little comic books, writing and illustrating them. I was always the “art kid” throughout school, but it was around middle school when I started learning about how I could turn my passion into a career. I was obsessed with YouTube at the time– or as I like to call it, YouTube University, because before college, it was the platform that I used to teach myself to make comics. (Thank you, YouTube speedpaint artists from the 2010s!) I started watching these videos about the behind-the-scenes processes of animation, and the sheer number of people that are required to bring these movies and shows to fruition. I instantly knew that was the path for me, and in high school, I started looking into art and design colleges and touring them. The Savannah College of Art and Design was one of the first schools I toured when I was 15, and though I did look around at others, I immediately knew it was the place for me. And– surprise! After two years at a community college earning my general education credits, Savannah was the place I landed. Now, I’m currently a senior in the Sequential Art program at SCAD and I’ve learned so much about myself and what I want for my future. The past two quarters at SCAD, I was a team member on the SCADpro x NASA collaboration project. It made me realize that I am not just confined to storyboards– my original career aspiration– but I would love to work as an illustrator and designer as well, something I now have experience in. It’s been quite a wild ride!

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
A big focus on my art is my preference for vibrant color, which is where I got my online handle from (@ historicalneon)! My main medium is digital art; over the years I’ve transitioned from Paint Tool Sai to Clip Studio Paint to currently Procreate. And if you’re really looking for a throwback, what I would consider my actual first experience with digital art would be the apps Inchworm Animation and Flipnote Studio on the Nintendo DS. I’ve been making comics since I was small, and knew that I wanted to work with storytelling through art as I was exploring universities and majors in high school. At the time, I was the cartoonist for the student newspaper and I was working on a 12-page comic for my AP Art portfolio– I felt I had really found my niche, and made the steps to eventually transfer into the Sequential Art program at SCAD.

Up until I transferred into SCAD, which was in 2021, I had been self-taught my whole life. I felt like I was really winging it when I was preparing to move to Savannah, and I had this irrational fear that people would “figure out” that I was actually not very talented. I thought that I wasn’t good enough for university yet and that I would ultimately fail. What’s interesting about university though, at least from my experience, is that you’re so immersed in learning new things that you really don’t have time in your schedule to worry! While it was easy to compare myself to my peers, I became more interested in learning about their inspirations and personal processes. A year later, I do still occasionally struggle with imposter syndrome, an experience a lot of creatives have been speaking about online lately. But I think if you really love the process of making art like I do, your passion will always exceed your anxiety. When I feel that same irrational fear again, I remind myself that I am currently where I never thought I was talented enough to be– and about to graduate!

Before university, I never thought I would gain the confidence to wear the label of professional artist with pride. But now, I feel my experience speaks for myself! I am a comic artist, storyboard artist, zine illustrator, and most recently, I worked as an illustrator and designer for SCADpro x NASA! It’s crazy where you end up when you have a little faith in your abilities, and as the quote from Meet the Robinsons (2007) goes, “KEEP MOVING FORWARD!”

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love this question! I’d like to think of myself as a bit of a local restaurant connoisseur. It’s funny to me that Savannah is such a tourist spot when almost everything closes around 9 pm. And for that reason, my restaurant recommendations would have to be the best breakfast spots in town (if, as a college student, you wake up early enough to go). My two favorites are The Funky Brunch Café and Two Cracked Eggs. The hands-down best plate at The Funky Brunch Café is a bowl of hash browns topped with bacon, eggs, cheese, and gravy, which they dub the Hangover Bowl. I personally think it’s the best post-exams-stress meal you can get in Sav. For later in the day, there are a lot of great rooftop bars along the river where you can get an incredible view of the water. And of course, I have to recommend a drive to Tybee Beach, where you can beat the Savannah heat.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My friends! When I am feeling unmotivated and burnt out, a little bit of time with my favorite people goes a long way. I have the privilege of being friends with some of the most passionate, intelligent, and kind-hearted people out there. Most of them are actually creatives as well. Having people in my life who harbor the same drive and love for design as I do inspires me to work harder, but it also inspires me to have a healthy work-life balance so that I can carve downtime in my schedule to be with them. If I didn’t have them around, I’d probably be a work robot, haha. A big shoutout to my Dungeons and Dragons group, who have been keeping me sane during my senior year. Love you guys!

Website: https://caitlinburks.myportfolio.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historicalneon/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlin-burks-a96124224/

Image Credits
Beetlejuice Character Design Sheet- Inspired by characters belonging to Warner Bros. Rosalina and Luma Redraw (file named CaiBurks_Artwork02)- Redraw of an illustration from Super Mario Galaxy, owned by Nintendo. Part of this online collaboration (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V59b73QhqWc) hosted by SwensonaDesigns.