Tyler Kirkham Interviews (Clover Press – Marvel Art of Tyler Kirkham)
We catchup with legendary artist Tyler Kirkham to talk comics and the upcoming Clover Press hardcover Marvel Art of Tyler Kirkham which is currently being backed on Kickstarter!
Welcome to Impulse Gamer Kirk! Your art has spanned so many corners of the Marvel universe—what’s been your favorite character or series to illustrate, and why?
Thanks for having me. Yeah I’ve been fortunate enough to draw quite a few Marvel characters! Mostly on covers but that is a great way to get a chance to draw a bunch. My favorite Marvel Character is Wolverine so I always love getting the chance to draw him. However, my favorite to draw with him would be Deadpool.
The Marvel Art of Tyler Kirkham showcases years of your work, was there a particular piece or cover that stands out to you as a career-defining moment?
Well I had my older Marvel work and new Marvel work and there is a big difference between them. I did interiors for Marvel years and years ago and then went to DC exclusively for a while. After that I am still a freelancer so I do work for everyone. So when I started doing covers for Marvel it was almost a new beginning for me there. Most people didn’t even know about my older interiors. That moment was career defining though. The Venom, Deadpool and X-men covers.
Your ‘Battle Damage’ covers have become fan favorites. Can you walk us through the creative process behind those striking illustrations?
Thanks. Yeah I have a lot of fun with those for sure! I mean it started as any other cover. A concept I submitted for an Invincible cover I got hired to do. I wanted a straight on iconic composition of the character after a brutal battle. I had just drawn one similar for my creator owned series Final Boss and I showed Skybound the concept and said I would like to do it with Mark from Invincible. They loved the idea and once the cover was released, it blew up. Spawning an entire line of them across multiple publishers for people to collect. To me it’s almost like a character trading card. You can collect your favorite characters or all of them to complete the set.
Having worked on both interiors and covers, how does your approach differ when telling a visual story inside a comic versus crafting an iconic cover?
Sadly with interiors I feel like you are always under the gun. Monthly books are hard and sometimes you don’t have enough time in the day to do what you want. I’m not saying this doesn’t happen with covers too, because it does. Sometimes something is just due and you gotta buckle down and do your best. It’s just with interiors, it’s like that every day, week and month. So I try to let myself breathe more with covers and put maximum effort into them.
Clover Press’s Marvel Art series features legendary artists. What does it mean to you to be included alongside names like Mike Allred, Russell Dauterman, and David Mack?
It’s an honor for sure. I was really excited when they asked me to be a part of the growing list of amazing artists they have worked with! They know what they are doing and have a reputation of creating beautiful art books!
Marvel fans love seeing their favorite characters reimagined through new artistic styles. Are there any Marvel characters you haven’t illustrated yet but would love to take on?
I love putting my spin on characters. No matter what publisher. I think that’s the fun thing about art. I love taking iconic characters and trying to make them my own, however I personally have more fun with the B list characters. For example Kyle Rayner from Green lantern, Deathstroke, Blue Beetle or Larfleeze. I got to put my spin on the Ultimate Fantastic Four which was cool. I would like to do a Hulk series or Wolverine or better yet Hulk vs Wolverine!
Lastly, looking back at your journey from DC to Marvel and now this major art book, how would you say your artistic style has evolved over the years?
I’m always trying to evolve and grow artistically. Always trying new techniques while having fun with it. I think my style has evolved into what it is now naturally by trying different things, whether it’s working with inkers or inking myself. Or digital drawing or painting my lineart. To mixed media like ink wash and colored pencils. I take influence from so many artists as well as real life. I think I have got to a point where I am just having fun with it and that’s what makes it enjoyable!
Check out the Kickstarter Page at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cloverpressart/the-marvel-art-of-tyler-kirkham-a-deluxe-hardcover-and-more?ref=c1brik
About the Author
Andrew Bistak When he's not trying to save the world, Andrew enjoys travel (although loathes turbulence), going to the movies, reading and being a dad to his two dogs (and now twins) with his wife.
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