Patrick Kyle is a commercial illustrator and multidisciplinary artist from Toronto, Canada. He graduated from The Ontario College of Art and Design in 2009. He has authored three books; the zine collections Black Mass (Mother Books, 2012), Distance Mover (Koyama Press, 2014) and the graphic novel Don’t Come in Here (Koyama Press, 2016). Patrick is an active member of Toronto’s independent comic book and zine community and has contributed to organizing the small press portion of The Toronto Comic Arts Festival since 2009. He became a co-organizer of the annual small press exhibition Zine Dream in 2015.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do. I’m Patrick Kyle, an artist from Toronto, Canada. I make comics, zines and other print projects, create images from commercial illustration clients, paint, make music and help organize small press events in the city.
How would you describe your aesthetic? I came into doing illustration and fine art though my interest in drawing comics – my style is very cartoon inspired and the techniques and materials I use are rooted in that world.
What is it like living and working in Toronto? I enjoy it – I have a lot of inspiring peers here whom keep me motivated. There’s a lot of good places to eat here too.
What are some recent, upcoming or current projects you are working on? I just finished my next book, a collection of short comics that will be published by Koyama Press this fall.
What is your process like? I picked up that phrase “Working without a predetermined end” from this short Barbara Rossi video where she talks about her process. I’ve mostly always worked in a similar way to what she describes – I don’t plan much, I start making something and see where it goes. I try to accept and elaborate on mistakes rather than erasing them. For me, a lot of planning can take away the excitement and discovery that comes with making a new image.
This isn’t always practical if you’re working with an art director on an editorial piece or you’re trying to pace out a comic in a really particular way. If I am working with existing material or elaborating on a sketch, I try to keep myself open to new directions when working on what will be the final image. I’m never married to any particular idea or style or narrative and I’m willing and eager to go in other directions if it feels right in the moment.
What do you collect? I collect house plants. I’m unfortunately running out of spaces with good natural light to keep them in, but I currently have 18 plants.
What are you really excited about right now? I’m traveling to Leipzig, Germany for The Millionaire’s Club Comics Festival in March. Very exciting to be personally exhibiting work in Europe for the first time.
If you could go back in time and experience period in history, which would you choose? None! Let’s only move forward!
