Thank you for joining me in reopening the Artist’s spotlight section! Please welcome fellow artist: @astrodeath
- Tell me a little bit about yourself.
“Hi, my name is Kyle. I was born and bred in San Diego and moved to Honolulu just over 3 years ago. I’ve dipped in and out of drawing and art my whole life. I took all the art classes I could in high school and community college but really never took a crack at taking it further academically or professionally. Fast forward to my late 20’s and joining IG in 2014. Suddenly an entire world of different artists, sketchbooks, galleries, etc were all there to endlessly browse and I couldn’t stop the urge to pick up the pen and just start drawing again. Now I try to draw everyday with no particular goal in mind, just letting ideas flow. My art would be best described as some weird clump of reference mixed with different moods and repetition. I could probably do a better job of “curating” my stuff. But I’ve always considered my IG account to be a digital sketchbook where my creative thoughts land. No worries about style, consistency, or clout. It’s just me. ”
2. What is your favorite three pieces you created and why?
“I have a pretty scattered body of work. Very sketchbook-centric with few focused or “elevated” items that I would consider super important. But these few drawings I often look back to and wonder how the hell I drew them and how can I do it again…
“Options Exhausted(Missile Lady)” – I culled a lot of weird emotions in the months after the Hawai’i ballistic missile alert in Jan ’18. I honestly slept through the majority of the panic and woke up to a few minutes of confusion, texts from my fiance telling me to shut the windows and she loves me, and frantic internet searching before figuring out it was a false alarm. Since that day, the palpable idea of getting nuked out in the middle of the pacific was hard to shake. It’s been a little better with time but unannounced firework shows(common in Hawai’i, tons of illegal aerials) still get me out of my seat. Anyways, this drawing related back to that idea of wondering how we even got to a point where such weapons even exist…drawn with ink, markers, Kirby Krackle, and a little dread.
“Lil Countess(spiky girl)”- A quick browse through my stuff and you’ll likely notice a lot negative space and figures floating in nothing. This drawing is mostly just that. But I was stocked to add a little texture and love mixing ink and graphite. Nothing much else here aside from a nice, compact image of an evil cutey.
“Kvlt Kids(duo)”- Again, more figures in nothing. I just dug how I worked out their texture and details without using a ton of tones markers. I let the black speak for itself in these two. Definitely speaks to my heavy metal youth that I never let go of. A lot of people draw their super heroes or people they aspire to be, some just draw their mental manifestations and what their mind would look like personified. I suppose that’s what went down here…”
3. What has been your favorite collaboration and why?
“Favorite collab has definitely been with Skipbros toys. We made the first official Astrodeath figure. It was overall pretty simple. I brought him the idea and he shot me back a base figure. We pretty quickly bounced a few ideas and boom. He did all casting, painting, and construction and I handled the card art. True to my aesthetic, it’s monotone, there’s hoses and a helmet, and it’s all wrapped up in a very GI Joe-inspired package. “
4. Does your current location brings you inspiration in making your art OR what inspires to create your art.
“My location definite has a large effect on how I think and what comes out on paper. Hawai’i, specifically Honolulu, is incredibly diverse both culturally and economically. A lot of people have a certain perception of the islands stemming from their experience in Waikiki or hiking Diamond Head. But life is incredibly strange, interesting, often difficult, and much more complex than a mai tai at any sunset could express. But the nature is overwhelming and the aloha that you earn is unlike anywhere else. How this all translates on paper is often subtle if detectable at all. “
5. Do you have any exciting news or events that you would like to share?
“A few miles down the road, we should see Astrodeath mk 1.5, a new version of the figure Skipbros and I made. Other than that, just a slow burn on some new zines, stickers, and fake comics throughout the year. Any inquires about purchasing art, collaborating, or commissions can come through
@astrodeath instagram DM or
astrodeath1138@gmail.com“Until then, let’s get through this weird moment in history healthy, happy, and full of hope and clarity, shall we? Be kind to each other out there…”
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