Coatsinkleaf on Ribbon Collecting, Hollow Knight, and the Do-or-Die Path to Full-Time Art
In an interview with Anime Herald, artist Coatsinkleaf discussed his journey from a college drawing club to a full-time convention artist, driven by a post-graduation job market that left him unemployed. He described his first convention experience at C2E2 as a revelation that artists could make a living tabling events, contrasting it with his earlier perception of art as limited to galleries. After graduating in June 2023 and failing to find traditional employment, Coatsinkleaf turned to selling stickers at local Chicago conventions, then expanded to out-of-state and eventually international events, closing 2025 with 31 conventions. He also detailed his origin in ribbon collecting, starting at Youmacon 2023 and later creating his own ribbons. Coatsinkleaf credited his early success to fan art for Hollow Knight, a game he discovered through a friend in college, which he said he lucked into as an unaware niche. He cited Great Pretender and Witch Hat Atelier as favorite anime and manga, respectively.