Today we’d like to introduce you to Dylan Kennedy.
Hi Dylan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m just a nerdy kid from west Texas who’s had a lifelong fascination with cartoons and comics. Through determination fueled mostly by laziness and lack of talent in any other field, I channeled this innate obsession into a craft. In elementary school, I sold my handmade comic series, Mecha Mutt, for 50 cents a pop to classmates during recess. I later stumbled my way through art school at Texas Tech University, where I received my bachelor’s degree in drawing and painting. During a few semesters of my (admittedly extended) tenure at TTU, I and a friend wrote and illustrated a weekly comic strip called Wastoids for the school newspaper. I now live and work in Austin, Texas, where I’ve met and collaborated with some amazing musicians and creators on things like album art, shirt design, live shows and as always, comics.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Art is the easiest thing and the hardest thing. I’m still far from where I’d like to be, career-wise. I’m a bartender by day in order to pay the rent. But I’m incredibly lucky to be where I am in this fucked-up crazy world, so I just try to enjoy the ride and make some stuff that people like looking at while improving my craft along the way. If I never made a dime off of my art for the rest of my life, it wouldn’t make a difference for me creatively. I have to paint monsters and draw dumb comics to keep myself sane. Other people liking it or wanting to buy it is just icing on the cake.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Since I graduated college and moved to Austin, I’ve been mostly painting with acrylics, doing small to mid-size work on canvas and paper. I’d describe my work as “contemporary psychedelia” but that just sounds kinda dumb in the context of the surreal world we live in. I do all of my art under the alias Doomtripper, which is a name that came to me years ago in college when I was finishing a painting under the influence of LSD, and I honestly think that kinda sums up my artistic path from there on out. My recent comic, BLI$$, which I release on my Instagram account, is the most fun I’ve had with art in years. And I always enjoy collaborating with my boy Zackery Golden aka Full Phonetic who is an amazing rapper and producer and is also the dude who runs the music promotion company Pressing Matterz.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I’m trying to get more people to catch up on my Instagram comic, BLI$$. Since Covid, I’ve been back on my comix shit harder than ever and I’d love to keep that creative train rolling. I post all of my stuff that’s worth seeing on Instagram. If you look at my page and see a painting you like, DM me. I’m chill and don’t charge a lot. If you’re in Austin, come to a first Friday Beats & Beers at 4th Tap Brewery (hosted by Pressing Matterz). We can drink beer and listen to good music and talk art stuff!
Pricing:
- $100-$400
Contact Info:
- Email: dylankennedy1989@gmail.com
- Instagram: @doomtripper
Image Credits
@doomtripper
