"a horse by committee is a donkey"

Jaunty beings strut through technicoloured apocalypses. Gums bleed from chewed insulation padding. A wellington boot becomes a cinema screen and a racing car blazes past skyscrapers shaped like pumping speakers. We are not tripping, but we are in another dimension. Welcome to the dizzying world of Kyle Platts.

The Sheffield-born illustrator, comic book artist and animator has worked with everyone from NTS Radio to Snapchat and Bloomberg. He’s also the twisted creator of numerous books and publications, including Festival Frenzy, Megaskull and We’re All Going to Die Soon Anyway. We caught up with him for 5 Good Things.

Let’s start off by talking about your drawing style. It’s so bright and perky, full of gleefully subversive characters and grotesques. It’s almost LSD-drenched. Where did this approach originate and how has it developed in your career so far?

My style is a reflection of a love for drawing and a tendency to get lost in the details. I really enjoy repetition, so that’s contributed to my aesthetic, and so has growing up immersed in skateboarding. I was captivated by skateboard graphics back in the day. They were so subversive and grotesque, and that heavily influenced my sensibility. Over the years my style’s evolved, sometimes out of necessity. I’d love to embellish every piece with insane detail, but tight deadlines and client demands make you adopt a more refined, stripped-back approach.

What are your creative influences and touchstones? If any have stayed with you right the way through, how do they resonate with you now compared to back in the day?

There’s a painter from my hometown of Sheffield, Joe Scarborough. He depicts bustling streets and working-class communities with cartoonish charm. I used to love sitting and studying a print of his that my grandparents had on their wall. Even now, I’m drawn to artwork with intricate scenes. Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights has been a major influence on some of my recent work. I’d recommend checking that out.

Tell us a bit about your process. How do you draw? By hand, digitally? Do you need to warm up first? Do you get started in the day with a brew or get to it at night?

Professional illustration often means you end up working digitally on a tablet. It’s the most efficient way to compose an image, especially complex scenes. But if I get chance I always prefer a good pen on heavy GSM paper. I used to burn the midnight oil but now start my day with a strong coffee, and those first few hours are my most productive. Sometimes I’ll do a few drawing exercises before work, because the truth is I can spend weeks editing an animation. By the time I get back to drawing I’m pretty rusty.

Kurt Vonnegut once described writers as either ‘Bashers’ who go one sentence at a time, getting it perfect before moving on, or ‘Swoopers’ who write ‘higgledy-piggledy, crinkum- crankum, any which way’, before going back and fixing anything that doesn’t work. Does this categorisation apply to illustration? If so, which one are you: Basher or Swooper?

This absolutely applies to illustration, and I definitely consider myself a ‘Basher’. I admire illustrators who have a loose, expressive style because I find it difficult to let go in that way. My natural approach is very meticulous, although I will make a conscious effort to draw freely. I’ve got piles of sketchbooks where I’ll practice filling pages freehand by pen — just drawing impulsively, no planning. That gives me a break from all the precision.

Describe your big break to us, how it felt transitioning from trying it to doing it.

I remember this time vividly. I was interning at a design studio and trying to break into illustration on the side, unsure if I could make a living from the drawing alone. The turning point came when I published a book called Megaskull through Nobrow Press. It came out around the time I finished my internship. I thought, well, this is my chance to go for it. That first year I was in complete disbelief that it was actually working, and honestly, I still feel that way a lot of the time.

You’ve been illustrating for a good while now — for brands and in the world of comics and cartoons. How has the industry changed in the past couple of decades? What are the kicks you get out of it today?

Early on, most of my commissions were for editorial illustration, a process I love. Unfortunately I’ve noticed a decline in those sorts of opportunities because both print and online publishers have smaller budgets due to the shift in how we consume our media. On the other hand, demand for animation has massively grown. I started learning animation around a decade ago. It's endlessly rewarding (and challenging), partly because there are infinite ways to approach it. I have no doubt I’ll still feel like a student of animation in another ten years.

You’ve created books with publishers like Nobrow, been behind strips in Mint Magazine and been front and centre for influential names such as Pitchfork. How does the creative experience differ from publisher to publisher, solo to commercial?

Working collaboratively is an invaluable skill. Taking a brief, interpreting it, responding to the feedback, adapting your response to someone else’s vision. Most art directors are great at what they do. They’ll give you notes that genuinely improve a piece.

Things do get complicated when more people are involved. Especially with larger commercial clients, it’s common for multiple parties to weigh in, every one of them wanting to contribute in some way, sometimes to the detriment of the project. I once heard a designer say, ‘a horse by committee is a donkey’. I think that sums it up quite nicely.

What would be your tip for illustrators coming up today?

Collaborate - and keep collaborating. In the early years I’d put on exhibitions and publish zines with my friends, getting our work out there through strength in numbers. Group shows usually attracted more attention than solo ones.

After a few years in the field, collaboration still keeps me engaged. Not too long ago I contributed to the Sputnikat Comics Jam. Here every participating artist continues a story from the previous page. It’s the kind of collaboration that opens up opportunities to discover new talent. It reminds me why I started making comics in the first place.

To take this into your wider creativity, what else makes you tick? Any hobbies? You mentioned you were a skater in the past. How have your parallel pursuits bled into your primary practice?

Skateboarding was a huge part of my life. The culture inspired my work and gave me a chance to design board graphics. That was a vital early experience. More importantly, it was the foundation of my community.

In the last few years I’ve picked up a new hobby that keeps me busy most weekends: working on cars. Older cars especially, there’s always something to fix up or tune. At heart it’s a problem-solving exercise, which you get a lot with animation. For instance, when I’m replacing a part, I’ll have to remove other parts to gain access. This is just like working with the layers in animation software. Sometimes you have to improvise to make everything work the way you want.

What about your fashion? What do you like to rock these days and where do you rock it?

I’ve been freelance for so long that I never had to think about what I wore. I lived in jeans and hoodie for years. Then at some point my attitude toward clothes changed. I became more aware of how they impact the way you feel. The biggest shift for me is now I enjoy getting dressed for work. Even if I don’t see another soul all day, wearing something less casual gives me a sense of agency. I’m way more focused. 

Here’s where we ask you to send some cultural inspiration out into the world, recommending 5 Good Things and the reasons why you chose them.

A restaurant or cafe you like in your nearest city:

David Mellor was a key figure in British design, and the museum in Hathersage has a shop, cutlery workshop and cafe. It’s situated in a beautiful part of the Peak District, plus the food in the cafe is sublime. 

A film everyone should watch:

In the ‘70s, William Friedkin had a triumphant run with The French Connection and The Exorcist. A film called Sorcerer followed and was a comparative flop. It’s about four troubled guys who find themselves trapped in the South American jungle. Their only way out is to transport a truck full of nitro-glycerine through an impossible landscape. I’m constantly recommending Sorcerer to people, and now I’m recommending it to you. 

A book everyone should read:

Last year a friend of mine named Agnes Arnold-Forster published a book called Nostalgia, a History of a Dangerous Emotion. It’s a work of nonfiction exploring how nostalgia has gone from deadly sickness to marketing tool, even a political weapon. I had my head stuck in it for my entire holiday last year.

A musical album or artist who means something to you:

Moon Safari by Air is the most honest answer here. It’s not a deep cut, and most people will probably have heard of it. But for me it’s significant because it was the first album I heard at a young age that didn’t fit into a familiar genre. All I knew was that it made me feel good. I remember trying to explain it to my friends when I was about 11. I just had no idea how to describe it. Now, I’d say it’s a blend of dream pop and ambience, the perfect soundtrack to a sunny day.

Where you’d send someone if they were visiting your nearest city for the first time:

If someone were to visit Sheffield, I’d recommend Ladybower Reservoir, which is a short drive from the city. When the dam’s full the giant plug holes overflow and the water cascades into what seems like an infinite abyss. It’s pretty mesmerising. Also, the location’s historically significant as it was the test site for the bouncing bombs used to destroy enemy dams in World War Two.

You can find out more about Kyle and his work here.