Today we’d like to introduce you to Kye Lynch.
Hi Kye, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My creative process started when I was 5 years old. Back then I was obsessed with Scooby-Doo, so I pick up a pencil and drew him line for line, freehanded, from a little image that came on a product tag with a toy I had. I never thought I would keep going with it but just did it to pass the time. As I grew older and fell deeply in love with comics and superheroes (mostly Marvel comics), I began to see different drawing styles and really wanted to learn more.
How do I get figures to look as though they were in motion, expressing emotion in facial features, and how can I eventually become a full-time artist? I have a dream of one day creating my own little comic book universe and telling my own story through bright and colorful imagery. Eventually, I lost my way in high school, turning my attention to sports and trying to make it to a university through a scholarship. Unfortunately, I left college after the first semester and truly didn’t know what I wanted to do anymore. I got a job, began paying my own bills, and got tied up with nothing too productive or creative. I felt lost for a time if I’m being honest. Throughout that entire process, the only thing I kept thinking was I wish I would have stuck to my creative side. I still had the skills but didn’t know where to begin. I hadn’t developed my own style or message through my work. The high school I attended was a magnet school focused on arts. There we had time to touch all different mediums before sticking to one thing. Now being out of school, my first thought was to try going the same route, re-try those mediums and see what speaks to me the most.
Long story short, I fell back into brush & spray painting as well as pencil/charcoal figure drawings. I knew I wanted to try something I never took too seriously back in high school which was digital media. Now that is my love! Its adaptability of it makes it so versatile and allows me a lot more room to grow as a future comics artist.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Not at all. For a time, my focus was just being an athlete. Although I went to a school for the arts (where I still developed skills and techniques), I had it engrained in my head by coaches that the only way I would make it to the next step in life was by getting to college through a sports scholarship. Hearing that turned me away from a lot of things I probably would have done had I not listened or even been told that. Yes, I love sports and being competitive, but that was never my dream from the beginning. I wasn’t even an athlete walking into high school. My main focus was just being successful after a short time, not doing what I love.
I’m not blaming my coaches in any way for that because they were looking out for my best interests and trying to guide me to be the best I could be. On the other hand, I wish I would have stuck to my guns and pushed for my true purpose which is creation.
After losing my way, it was hard for me to restart and figure out how to get back into being an artist. But of course, I eventually found my way back.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am currently working on a series of portraits for my art show in December (Love Letter to Baltimore) that depicts some of the people closest to me from my point of view. My love for comics is very similar to my love for people.
I try to see the best in everyone even when I shouldn’t, so my idea was to take life portraits and give them more of a caricature feel. Showing how I see things but keeping the background of the original image. It allows you to come out of the real world for a moment when you focus on who you’re talking to and how you interact with them
Networking and finding a mentor can have a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Finding a mentor is as simple as speaking to any and everyone who embodies your same vision. Yes, it can be a little nerve-racking because visual artists tend to be a little shy but stepping out of your comfort zone only enables growth.
No matter what field you’re in. Networking in the world we live in now has become so easy through social media. You can create something that is inspired by another artist and tag them, and they will find you. Even if they don’t say anything back, you’re growing in confidence and sometimes make new friends who evoke new visions for future projects.
Pricing:
- Custom Prints ($120)
- Custom Boxing Gloves ($150)
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/by.kojl/
Image Credits
Sean Allison, George Rollins, William Johnson, and Lamar Jacson
