Picture of Socar.

There's a lot to be said for Socar Myles. It has to be said...because it's unprintable. Bad old jokes aside, however, Socar Myles is an illustrator, working mostly within the fantasy and sci-fi markets. In her spare time, she likes to paint rats, and lots of them.

Of course, Socar wasn't always an artist. When she was young, everyone always thought she'd be a writer. She was good at writing... or, at least, she didn't make many spelling mistakes. Socar also did well at maths, science, and history. The one class she consistently brought home C and D grades in was, ironically enough, art. One year, she even got an F. There was no doubt about it: Socar Myles could not draw to save her life. Even convincing stick-men seemed to be beyond her grasp.

It wasn't until she was twelve years old that Socar started taking an interest in drawing. Even then, she didn't draw much. Occasionally, she attempted a landscape or figure, but she didn't get much encouragement. There just wasn't any talent there to work with. So, after high school, Socar was consigned to pre-med, where she was extremely bored.

In her boredom, Socar started drawing and painting more than ever, and eventually decided to risk everything: she left university, moved to America, and spent the next couple of years learning to draw. When she had a reasonable portfolio patched together, she applied to art school and, miracle of miracles, got in.

The moral of the story? Hm. With practice, anything's possible, perhaps.

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