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greatest fear // 2021
two kids talk about their greatest fears

NIHAO // 2020
A comic about memory, microagressions, and anger

Ocean in My Kitchen // 2021

AN OPEN LETTER TO SOMEONE WHO HURT ME // 2021
Writer: Lucía Iannone // Artist: Kyla Smith
Lucía's Twitter // Lucía's Website

STARCROSSED (~10 hour comic) // Made for Platform Comics 10k Challenge // 2020
Required Prompts: use "Maybe they should self-quarantine" + Fell in Love w/ an Alien + 4-8 pages

FIGURE OF US // 2020 // Read on Webtoon (on hiatus)

COMIC STRIPS // 2020

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PEN AND PAPER: PITCHING 101 // 2020 // Download on itch.io
A how-to comic about how to pitch editorial articles

二階堂幸 "雨と君と" // Japanese to English Personal Fan Translation + Lettering
Twitter // All images copyright 二階堂幸, Kodansha

井田喃子 (@idasouthsan/@cuponcup)'s Cooking Comic // Japanese to English Personal Fan Translation + Lettering // Read Right to Left
Twitter // All images copyright @idasouthsan

中村一般's 最高のあんぱんを買いに行く (三軒茶屋) // Japanese to English Fan Translation + Lettering // Read Right to Left
Note // All images copyright 中村一般

夏达 (April)'s 子不语 // Mandarin Chinese to English Fan Translation + Lettering // Read Left to Right
All images copyright 夏达, 漫友, New Century Press, U17, Shueisha

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Femme Divine Tarot // Full Design: Layout and Hand-Lettering
Twitter // Instagram

CLSAS // Layout and Lettering (globe icon by CLSAS)
Website // Facebook

Greeting Card

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These samples are for private portfolio purposes only.
These were translated, retouched, and lettered for personal use and have not been distributed anywhere. (excludes comics created by me)
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Inio Asano x Clorets // Japanese to English Personal Use Translation + Lettering
Twitter // All images copyright Inio Asano, Clorets

greatest fear // two kids talk about their greatest fears
All images copyright Kyla Smith

NIHAO // A comic about memory, microagressions, and anger
All images copyright Kyla Smith

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AN OPEN LETTER TO SOMEONE WHO HURT ME // 2021
Writer: Lucía Iannone // Artist: Kyla Smith
Lucía's Twitter // Lucía's Website

THE ORGAN HARVESTER (excerpt) // Julai // Mandarin Chinese to English Commissioned Translation // Read Left to Right
All images copyright Julai // Story, Art, & Letters by Julai

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Inks and Ink Tests
This page is not public. Please do not share or distribute images on this page.
Deor by J.oori, unOrdinary by uru-chan

Color Tests
This page is not public. Please do not share or distribute images on this page.
The Kiss Bet by Ingrid Ochoa, Deor by J.oori

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Freddie Mercury: Lover of Life, Singer of Songs
Coming November 2021 from Z2 Comics // Rolling Stone Press Release

Preorder here! http://z2comics.com/freddiemercury

For the first time in comics format, Freddie Mercury: Lover of Life, Singer of Songs will be a journey through Freddie’s life; from his childhood in Zanzibar, through his formative years in England, to becoming the rock star known and loved by millions around the globe. The story is told in his own words, with each chapter giving a glimpse into the many facets of his life.

Artists: Kyla Smith, Robin Richardson, Safiya Zerrougui, Tammy Wang, and Amy Liu
Writer: Tres Dean
Editor: Camilla Zhang
Designers: Tyler Boss, Jason Ullmeyer

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Freddie Mercury: Lover of Life, Singer of Songs
Coming November 2021 from Z2 Comics // Rolling Stone Press Release
Preorder here! http://z2comics.com/freddiemercury

For the first time in comics format, Freddie Mercury: Lover of Life, Singer of Songs will be a journey through Freddie’s life; from his childhood in Zanzibar, through his formative years in England, to becoming the rock star known and loved by millions around the globe. The story is told in his own words, with each chapter giving a glimpse into the many facets of his life.

Artists: Kyla Smith, Robin Richardson, Safiya Zerrougui, Tammy Wang, and Amy Liu
Writer: Tres Dean
Editor: Camilla Zhang
Designers: Tyler Boss, Jason Ullmeyer

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Foxes, Fire, and Other Magic // A Middle Grade Graphic Novel
PUB DATE, PUBLISHER // Book Announcement Link
Goodreads link coming soon
Preorder link coming soon

Summary goes here!

Author/Illustrator: Kyla Smith
Editors: Editor Name, Editor Name, these are ~secret~
Designers: TBA

If you somehow found this page, you're not supposed to have seen it yet! How did you guess this url at all?

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Editorial
Greyscale // Big Hype Vol. 2
Artist: Kira Okamoto
Writer: Jeff Trammell

They're After Aster // Big Hype Vol. 2
Artist: Oliver Kiyoshi Ono
Writer: Aaron Sullivan

Battle Road // Jump Tales
Creator: Darren Vogt

If you somehow found this page, you're not supposed to have seen it yet! How did you guess this url at all?

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Frequently Asked Questions
What do you use to draw?
I draw digitally on an iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil (1st gen). I usually use Procreate and Clip Studio Paint.

What digital brushes do you use?
I like these brushes! I also use Procreate Pencil a lot.
• Matt's Sketching Set (pay what you want)
• Trisketched Ink Brushes (pay what you want)

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Resources (all links open in new tabs)

All About Literary Agents (comic creator specific)
• Danielle Chuatico and JesnCin's "Comic Creator's Guide to Literary Agents" (downloadable pdf, pay what you want)
• Wendy Xu's "Why You Should Get an Agent and How to Present Yourself to One: A Primer for Comic Artists"
• Victoria Ying's "Finding an Agent as a Graphic Novelist"

How to Put Together a Graphic Novel Pitch
• Go Komikimok!!'s "Comics Creator's Guide to Graphic Novel Pitch Packet" (Part 1)
• Go Komikimok!!'s FAQ About Pitch Packets (Part 2)
• Go Komikimok!!'s How to Submit Your Pitch to Publishers, Editors, and Agents (Part 3)
• Ethan M. Aldridge's GN Pitch Packet Twitter Thread
• Literary Agent Maria Vicente's "Creating a Graphic Novel Pitch Package"
• Victoria Ying's "Scripting a Graphic Novel"
• Victoria Ying's "What's in a Graphic Novel Proposal?"

Complete graphic novel pitch packets usually have these components (there's no standard order):
• Sample Cover Page
• About the Book (back cover copy, page count, b&w/color, genre, demographic, comp titles)
• About the Author (include relevant publishing credits)
• 5 to 20 Completed Sample Pages
• Sample Script
• Character Descriptions and Drawings
• Full Outline/Synopsis
• Extras (concept sketches, thumbnails)

Lettering Tips
• Sara Linsley's Manga Lettering Wiki
• Sara Linsley's Manga Lettering Scripts for Adobe InDesign
• Nate Piekos's "Lettering Tips"
• Nate Piekos's "Comic Book Grammar and Tradition"

Fun Brushes
• Matt's Sketching Set (pay what you want)
• Trisketched Ink Brushes (pay what you want)

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ABOUT
Kyla is a cartoonist and story artist who lives in a town with an ocean view and loves telling stories about
ordinary people in magical situations. Many of Kyla's stories explore identity and draw inspiration
from her Chinese, Japanese, and Korean heritage.

When not drawing or writing, you might find Kyla learning the zhonghu,
making handmade noodles, or listening to Mitski and Mao Buyi.

I'm currently working on Freddie Mercury: Lover of Life, Singer of Songs (Z2 Comics, Nov 2021) + other secret stuff :)
Preorder it here! http://z2comics.com/freddiemercury

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CONTACT
Direct Contact: hello@aikosmith.com
For publishing/book inquiries, please contact my literary agent, Jennifer Azantian, at Jen (@) AzantianLitAgency (.) com

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LINKS
Twitter (@kyla_aiko)
Instagram (@kyla.aiko)

Support me on Ko-Fi
Purchase art prints on Inprnt
Download comics on itch.io

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PRESS KIT

BIO
Kyla Smith is a cartoonist and story artist who lives in a town with an ocean view and loves telling stories about
ordinary people in magical situations. Many of Kyla's stories explore identity and draw inspiration
from her Chinese, Japanese, and Korean heritage.

When not drawing or writing, you might find Kyla learning the zhonghu,
making handmade noodles, or listening to Mitski and Mao Buyi.

Literary Agent: Jennifer Azantian at Azantian Literary Agency // Jen (@) AzantianLitAgency (.) com

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BOOK INFO

Foxes, Fire, and Other Magic
Imprint: Feiwel and Friends // Macmillan
ISBN: TBA

Creator: Kyla Smith
Editors: Editor Name, Editor Name
Designers: TBA

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PHOTOS