Step into the world where oldschool charm meets brand-spankin-new attitude and style; flawlessly creating artwork worthy of a nod from old cartoon masters and tomorrow's greats alike! The Comics and Cartoons gallery is proud to present Kyle A Carrozza, also known as =tvskyle as he treats us to his inspirations, his amazing achievements and his hopes for the future.



Hello hello, Kyle! Please introduce yourself for us.

Hi! My name is Kyle A Carrozza, I'm 27, and I like to use a pretentious initial. I live in Van Nuys, CA and I like to draw cartoons and record weird music.

When did you become aware of your interest in art and what were your first experiences with it?

Like most kids, I loved to watch cartoons on TV. My favorites when I was really little were Daffy Duck, and Chuck Jones' Tom and Jerry. I know it's unusual to like Chuck's better, but there was something about Tom's expressions and his weird storyline twists that captured my young mind. There was a clear point when I was something like four where I was watching Looney Tunes on TV and I decided-- THERE! THAT'S what I'm going to do for the rest of my life!! I knew I couldn't draw them right, but I decided I wasn't going to let that stop me. I dragged out a bunch of construction paper and made the closest cut-out representations I could.

One of the very first things I noticed about your gallery is how “oldschool” it feels! What are your inspirations? And favorite artists?

I could go on for days...
One of my big early inspirations was Ken Mitchroney's super-cartoony pencils for Archie's version of the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" comics. It really fed my hunger for lively drawings and unusual facial expressions, but in something contemporary. Bob Clampett is my hero, both for his Looney Tunes work, and for "Beany and Cecil". A lot of people assume that I get a lot of my inspiration from "Ren and Stimpy", and that's true to a certain extent, but I got a lot more out of "Shnookums and Meat", a show Disney put out in response. At first, that's really what it was, a response to Ren and Stimpy, but as the show developed, it became more of it's own thing, and it was really just my speed. In particular, Eddie Fitzgerald did some spectacular crazy stuff for that show. I got into anime in 1996, particularly "Project A-ko" and" Ranma 1/2". It was such a breath of fresh air at the time, and while I'm by no means an anime artist, it still influences me to this day. These days, I'm happiest to take in some "Dead Leaves" or "Puni Puni Poemy". A quick handful more before this runs too long: all things Super Mario, Jamie Hewlitt, Jhonen Vasquez, Jon McClenahan, Bruce Timm, Doug TenNapel and "Venture Brothers".

Your gallery consists mostly of digital pieces and the few traditional pieces are just as gorgeous as the rest. But what is your preferred medium?

I draw with col-erase pencils (or a reasonable facsimile), ink with Papermate flair pens, and color with Photoshop.

Where did you study?

I've always done a lot of studying on my own. How-to books and schools will only take you so far. If you're serious, find out what you like and why you like it, then incorporate it into your stuff. If you like a living artist, get a hold of them and ask them questions. Most of the time, they're surprisingly easy to get contact with them, and even if they're busy, they'll answer. That said, I spent several summer weeks of my teenagerhood in Long Island, NY studying under Brian Mitchell, a fantastic animator. Then, I went to college at the Art Institute of Philadelphia. They didn't teach me much about drawing cartoons there, but their life drawing classes were always top-notch, and they taught me computer programs like Photoshop very well.

What have you done with your artwork, as far as work experience goes?

Right after college in 1999, I worked as an animator/designer/voice actor at the now-defunct Funnybone Interactive in Canton, CT. I didn't have much luck again until 2005 when Nickelodeon let me make a "MooBeard the Cow Pirate" short for "Random! Cartoons". I've also done some storyboarding/storyboard revision work for "Danger Rangers", a show on PBS. In print, I did "Clare's Stupid Life" comics for Antactic Press' Manga EX. Radio Comix later reprinted them plus the later stories that never saw print in the pages of "Furrlough".

Do you have any tips for those interested in seeking a career in comics and/or cartoons?

Stick to it, stop doubting yourself, draw every day, and STUDY, STUDY, STUDY! Seriously, never give up. I haven't had the most consistent career thus far, but I'm going to succeed in this business or die trying.

What is your ultimate goal as an artist?

My goal is to entertain as large of an audience as I can. Not just in the Pixar "movies-for-everyone" way, but also hitting audiences that don't normally get attention from American animation.

What are your proudest moments concerning your art?

This one's a no-brainer. Having the privilege to make "MooBeard the Cow Pirate" was both my proudest moment, and the most fun I've ever had. I hope when you all finally get to see it, you'll like it.

Oh, certainly no doubts there! Outside the world of art, is there anything you'd like to achieve but haven’t had the chance to yet?

Most of my non-cartoon goals are music related. I want to put out more albums and start playing live shows. For certain, TV's Kyle and the Backup Band With the Constantly Changing Name will be playing at least a few shows in Southern California in 2007. I might try my hand at a little standup, too.

How did you find dA and what made you finally decide to join it?

My good friend, ~develynia was the one who showed me deviantArt. She looked like she was having a lot of fun and getting feedback, so I joined in. It was a refreshing change of pace from just having my website up, knowing people were looking at it, but never hearing anything about it.

How has your experience been so far?

I frikkin' love dA. I'm always curious to find out what my potential audience is going to respond to, and they surprise me almost every time. I love the community aspect here. In fact, I've met some of my best in-real-life friends here, like *aricacritter and *zoemoss.

That is the kind of answer I hope for every time I do one of these. It’s wonderful to know what you’re getting out of dA is exactly what it was created for! What kind of artwork do you enjoy looking at here?

I love well-constructed cartoon images of various styles that stray from the norm... And if you can't do that, at least make me laugh.

Kyle’s deviant Picks:


Do you offer commissions or any other services?

Commissions are available! Check my journal for details. I'm available on a professional level too, so if you've got a real production and you need a storyboard artist or character designer, please do consider me.??.

Kyle, I can’t thank you enough for this! In closing, do you have any words of wisdom for our readers?

Beefyboooooo!
_{Gallery Director Note: Let it be known that no amount of Googling could explain this cryptic message from this evening’s guest. I’m speaking for both the artist and myself in saying we encourage our readers to draw their own conclusions in regards to this mysterious “Beefyboooooo!”}.

You can get even more Kyle A Carrozza goodness by visiting these sites:
Cartoon Site
Music Site
Pitch Blog
Moobeard Blog
And don’t forget to stop by his gallery!

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Interview brought to you by your friendly neighborhood ^y2jenn. Thanks again, Kyle and Beefyboooooo to you too, mister!}

Past Interviews:
TraditionalDanimatio, Themrock, Spaghetti016