Meet Kai Lysander | Freelance Illustrator/ Comic Creator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kai Lysander and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kai, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
One of the things I think people would find most surprising about the work-life of a freelance illustrator is just how much of that work is done for free. While illustrations made for clients, of course, pay the bills, much of your “free time” gets eaten by scouting for work, resources and connections. In a lot of senses, your ability to be successful is determined by how much you are willing to contribute to the artist community and uplift others, as the reciprocation of these efforts are often the most valuable resource one can have.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I first started taking art seriously– meaning making a conscious effort to improve my work– in the 7th grade. At the time, I had greater aspirations of becoming an author, inspired by my love for Cassandra Clare’s “Mortal Instruments” series and encouraged my a former teacher of mine. I had managed to write about 60 pages (double spaced, of course) of a story that amused me about a little British orphan boy who switched bodies with a rich little British boy (not orphaned), with them both being apprentices to adults who where actually them, but from from the future. Classic stuff.

The only issue I kept running into in the process of writing this undoubtedly Nobel Prize worthy novella was that of a particular frustration both in imagining the characters facial features and settings in descriptive detail. The solution, obviously, was to start drawing anime.

Over time, my passion for studying art overtook my passion for writing, and the majority of my efforts went into honing this craft. However, my love for storytelling never left me, and the art I created, more often than not, continued to illustrate original narratives I created, though I neglected to write them down in any way that I could truly share with the world. Of course, I attempted a few times to create a comic based off of these, but lacked the discipline to continue them for many years. It is a bit too easy to be satisfied with the accomplishment of creating a single page when that is all you have ever done.

I didn’t start the webcomic, GOLDEN HOUR, that jumpstarted my career until my second year of art school, and the first semester of online school due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. At the time, I was still a relatively undisciplined person, and was subject to many abandoned efforts and hobbies that did not offer immediate gratification. Due to this unfortunate habit, many of these inclinations began to be referred to as “Kai Thoughts” between me and my partner, a colloquialism simply describing something I would state a desire to do or learn without any intention of followthrough. When I first mentioned that I might make a comic to my partner, they initially asked me if it was a “Kai Thought,” and perhaps it was the sheer amount of free time the pandemic offered, or the simple but humbling embarrassment of realizing you are beginning to be known for your lack of followthrough, but I got to work and created a handful of “episodes” that could be scheduled to post online over the course of a month.

Initially when it published, the comic was not especially popular, though many of my friends took the time to read it, and were extremely encouraging through vocalizing what aspects they enjoyed about the plot and characters.

I’m not above the influence of a little praise.

I continued to publish this comic through school and began to amass an audience for it, eventually leading up to the very lucky circumstance in which I was recognized by an employee at a webcomic-hosting platform that was interested in acquiring the story for exclusive publication. This agreement came about a month before I graduated from college, and the comic itself soon became my full-time job.

As I continued to work on this, my technical art abilities grew exponentially as I drew frequently and no longer had the excuse to not draw what I found to be difficult or boring if it was necessary to a particular scene, and these skills were soon able to connect me to the world of greater illustration, where I have found a home in what is often print and queer media.

Having found this place, I do my best to uphold and maintain my relationships with other creators with the hopes that I can be a positive factor in creating the luck and opportunity needed for communal success.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As someone who lives in Glendale, I’d take some time to highlight some of the great food and culture in the area.
Starting out, we’d grab a coffee from Urartu on Artsakh Ave, then probably walk around the Americana just for show and maybe peek into the ReflectSpace at the library. From there, we’d grab a light bite at Zhengyalov Hatz, maybe ordering a side of okroshka or paxlava along with the titular flatbread. After that, we’d detour down to Forest Lawn Cemetery to check out the museum, admire the sights and architecture, and of course, try to point out some famous dead people. For lunch, we’d dip our toes into Eagle Rock for a beef tongue baguette at A La Beirut, where I will suggest to my friend the very good advice of requesting extra mint on the sandwich. Full from our sandwiches, or perhaps eating them along the way, we’d stop to see if we could catch a matinee at Vidiots. Ending the day, we’d head to Skaf’s Lebanese Cuisine to sample the best falafel and mutabal Glendale has to offer.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
All of my friends, my family and my partner of course have been all invaluable contributors to my life and success.

If I had to narrow this down, the friends I made in college all inhabit a very special part of my heart. Having grown up moving every handful of years, I do not really have what I would refer to as any “childhood friends,” at least in terms of relationships that are regularly maintained. Those that found me during this time in my life are some of the oldest I know, and I cherish deeply the ability to refer to them as “old friends.” Knowing that our current standing in life is somewhat a result of our relationships, and that we will continue to influence each other to grow in ways we might not on our own is both greatly rewarding and emotionally nourishing.
Seeing how full my life is of dependable and interesting individuals, and the assurance that there are different people in my life I can go to to shoulder different sorrows and celebrate different joys, is at times the most grounding aspect of a time that can often feel hopeless and bleak.

Website: https://www.kailysander.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kai.lysander

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kai-lysander-3b1470175/