Bettina M. Kurkoski
Creator, writer, penciller, inker, toner,
coffee maker, dark chocolate eater & cat entertainer extraordinaire of the
My Cat Loki series from TOKYOPOP Inc.


Name: Bettina Marie Kurkoski
DOB: March 26, 1973
Place of birth: Montague, Massachusetts USA
Current Residence: Plymouth, Massachusetts USA
Hair: changes frequently, but is naturally medium-dark brown and currently(2009) cut short pixie style
Eyes: Brown and completely blind in right eye with a congenital cataract
Height: 5'4"
Blood Type: AB
Occupation: Freelance Comicbook Creator/Writer/Artist, Illustrator & owner of Dreamworld Studio

PUBLISHED WORKS- in chronological order
Rising Stars of Manga vol. 2 (2003)TOKYOPOP - Runner-up with original story entry, Axis Lumen -creator/writer/artist
My Cat Loki vol. 1 (2006)TOKYOPOP - creator/writer/artist
Star Trek: TOS manga vol. 1 (2007)TOKYOPOP & Paramount - 40th Anniversary Convention Exclusive cover
My Cat Loki vol. 2 (2007)TOKYOPOP - creator/writer/artist
Star Trek: TOS manga vol. 2 (2008)TOKYOPOP & Paramount- Cover and short story art for Communication Breakdown
Warriors: Rise of Scrourge (2008)TOKYOPOP & Harper Collins - Cover and interior story art
Princess Ai: Encounters vol. 1 (2008)TOKYOPOP - Story and art for Princess Ai/My Cat Loki crossover short story
Star Trek: TNG manga vol. 1 (2009)TOKYOPOP & Paramount- Short story art for Loyalty
Seekers vol. 1 (2009)TOKYOPOP & Harper Collins - Cover and interior story art

EDUCATION
1991
- Plymouth North High School - Plymouth, Massachusetts
- DEGREE: general studies
1996
- University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth - North Dartmouth, Massachusetts
- DEGREE: BFA in Illustration

Favourite Artist: Joe Madureira, Amano Yoshitaka, Tetsuya Nomura(Final Fantasy Artist), Kazuya Minekura, Kubo Tite, Alex Ross...there are lots & lots...
Favourite Anime/Manga: Saiyuki, Fruits Basket, Bleach, Full Metal Alchemist, Trinity Blood, Rurouni Kenshin, TriGun, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, Outlaw Star, & lots more!
Favourite Music: Various Anime, Game, JRock/Pop and Movie Soundtracks, Buck Tick, PLC, Barenaked Ladies, Lorenna McKennitt, Enya, Dave Matthews Band,
Favourite Books: Mercedes Lackey's Last Herald Mage trilogy (Oh my god gorgeous Vanyel! Need I say more, Read it!), ...okay those were the last books I read..
Favourite Movies: "Singing in the Rain", "Too Wong Foo", "Lord of The Rings"!, "Harry Potter"(all of them of course! XD), "Monty Python and The Holy Grail", "The Goonies"

"That's my story and I'm sticking to it!"
Well, I've pretty much been drawing since I can remember! Througout elementary school, I'd entertain myself drawing thousand of pictures of Garfield. By the time I hit seventh grade, I was bitten by the comic book bug and had a healthy dosage of anime: "Robotech", "Starblazers", "Voltron", "Force Five", "Tranzer Z" and other cartoons such as "Thundercats", "He-Man", "G.I. Joe", "Silverhawks", "Galaxy Rangers". I then began creating my own characters and comics with a very eighties flare to their styles! By my Junior year in high school I discovered fantasy illustration thru the likes of Boris Vallejo and Frank Frazetta. Then went off to college, majored and graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration from UMass-Dartmouth. After college, I took up some regular Joe jobs to pay back college loans and rekindled my love for anime, which I had all but forgotten during high school and college and have been thoroughly addicted to anime since 1996! Thru this addiction my style evolved with a very anime look to it.

Even though I did go to college, I'm pretty much eighty percent self taught! There are a lot of things I learned on my own during high school, college and even after college! This doesn't mean you don't have to go to get a good art education . I highly recommend going, if not, for the fun alone and you'll be more inspired to work with like-minded people all around you!

 
eMail Address: bettina@dreamworldstudio.net | bettinakurkoski@gmail.com
Web Site Address: http://www.dreamworldstudio.net