Kyle Platts grew up in Sheffield, England, and despite being told by a careers advisor to work in a steel mill rather than pursue a career as a cartoonist, he studied illustration at Camberwell College of Arts and graduated in 2011. Since graduating he has had great success as a commercial freelance illustrator and has published two books with Nobrow Press, Megaskull and Festival Frenzy. Kyle’s comics aim to create a graphic reflection of culture, where macabre content is juxtaposed with vibrant colour and comic humour. Here Kyle tells us a bit about his work, inspiration and what floats his proverbial boat…
What inspires and informs your work?
Fun has to be at the centre of work for me. I’m inspired by art that looks like it was fun to create, what ever form the art takes. I love to see people that are expressing themselves in a pure way. Art can do great things, it can convey emotive and important messages, but sometimes it can be ambiguous and inaccessible to the public. Comics and cartoons inspire me because everyone understands that format, I love to work in such a universal medium that can speak for itself.
Tell us a bit about your process…
My sketchbook and the notes application on my phone are the most important part of my process. Ideas come and go all the time so I have to get them down as quickly as possible. Most of the time they are silly gags, but sometimes I develop a narrative on a subject I feel very strongly about that has a more satirical slant.
My favourite part of the process is developing characters, its important to make them as animated as possible. I like to spend time on the expressions of the characters, how they react to scenarios can make it a lot more interesting.
