Kyla Smith
hello@aikosmith.com
NIHAO // 2020
A comic about memory, microagressions, and anger
greatest fear // 2021
two kids talk about their greatest fears
An Open Letter to Someone Who Hurt Me // 2021
Writer: Lucía Iannone // Artist: Kyla Smith
Lucía's Twitter // Lucía's Website
Ocean in My Kitchen // 2021
Starcrossed // 2020
Platform Comics 10k Challenge
Required Prompts: use "Maybe they should self-quarantine" + Fell in Love w/ an Alien + 4-8 pages
FIGURE OF US // 2020
These samples are for private portfolio purposes only.
Inio Asano x Clorets
Japanese to English Personal Use
Translation + Lettering +Touch Up
Original Comic
LOUIS' QUANDARY by Julai
Mandarin Chinese to English
Lettering and Commissioned Translation
Give My Regards to Black Jack by Shuho Sato
Lettering + Touch Up
CONTENT WARNING: Needles, Hospital Setting
Pride and Prejudice
Lettering
Art Template by Sara Linsley
greatest fear by Kyla Smith
NIHAO by Kyla Smith
An Open Letter to Someone Who Hurt Me
Writer: Lucía Iannone
Artist, Letters: Kyla Smith
THE ORGAN HARVESTER by Julai
Mandarin Chinese to English Commissioned Translation
Story, Art, & Letters by Julai
Vertical Storyboards
Chrysalis Thumbnails - Written by Phillip Maira
Suspense, Psychological
An Open Letter to Someone Who Hurt Me Thumbnails - Writen by Lucia Iannone
Memoir, Drama
Figure of Us Thumbnails
Slice of Life, RomCom
NIHAO Comic
Video Process
NIHAO Comic
Memoir
Color Design
Comic and Illustration
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
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
Letterer: TBA
Editor: Camilla Zhang
Designers: Tyler Boss, Jason Ullmeyer
Cover Artist: David Mack
Jump Tales Mag
Launches Tues, Sept 14, 2021 on Kickstarter!
Jump Tales is a small press comics magazine for western fans of manga and specializes in black and white, action-packed comics in serialized format.
Creators: C. Thomas Anderson, Mark Bouchard, Oliver Gerlach, Markk JC, Sam Owen, Alberto Rayo, Jorge Santiago Jr, Victor Santiago, Kyla Smith, Bayleigh Underwood, Stefani Vlusha, Darren Vogt, and Frankee White
Logo: Darren Vogt
The Out Side
Fully funded on Kickstarter!
I'm excited to be a part of The Out Side, a comic anthology of trans and nonbinary comic artists.
Artists: Apakilyspe, Ashi, Jam Aden, Kyla Aiko, Lae Schäfer, Liam Coballes, Maddie Tacobus, Man Time, Min Christensen, Nifty Fox, Sage Coffey, Tara Madison Avery, Toonie, Veronica Triumphant, Wey, and Zhen
Organizers: The Kao, Min Christensen, and David Daneman
Cover: The Kao and Min Christensen
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 do you use to letter?
Depending on the project, I usually use Adobe InDesign or Illustrator. If you're looking for a non-subscription model alternative, Affinity Publisher is similar to InDesign and Affinity Designer is similar to Illustrator (and both go on sale pretty frequently).
What digital brushes do you use?
I usually use brushes from these packs.
• Matt's Sketching Set (pay what you want)
• Trisketched Ink Brushes (pay what you want)
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"
• Phil Christie's "The Basics of Manga Punctuation"
• Phil Christie's "Manga Balloon Basics"
Twitter (@kyla_aiko)
Instagram (@kyla.aiko)
Support me on Ko-Fi
Purchase art prints on Inprnt
Download comics on itch.io
Kyla is an Asian American cartoonist and story artist who lives in a town with an ocean view and loves telling stories about ordinary people in magical situations.
When not drawing or writing, you might find Kyla learning the zhonghu, making handmade noodles, or listening to Mitski and Mao Buyi.
WORK
You can see my work as an artist in the upcoming graphic novel anthology Freddie Mercury: Lover of Life, Singer of Songs from Z2 Comics and as a lettering assistant in Everything is Fine, a Webtoon Original by Mike Birchall.
I'm also editing for and working on a story in Jump Tales Mag.
Click here to check out the Kickstarter, launching Tues, Sept 14.
CONTACT
Literary Representation: Jennifer Azantian, at Jen (@) AzantianLitAgency (.) com
Other inquiries: hello (@) aikosmith (.) com
PRESS KIT
BIO
Kyla Smith is an Asian American cartoonist and story artist who lives in a town with an ocean view and loves telling stories about ordinary people in magical situations.
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
Jen (@) AzantianLitAgency (.) com
BOOK INFO
Title
Publisher:
ISBN-10: TBA
Goodreads: TBA
Expected Pub Date: Spring 2024
Creator: Kyla Smith
Editors:
Designers: TBA
BOOK INFO
Freddie Mercury: Lover of Life, Singer of Songs
Publisher: Z2 Comics
ISBN-10: 1940878861
ISBN-13: 978-1940878867
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58164126-freddie-mercury
Expected Pub Date: February 22, 2022
Artists: Kyla Smith, Robin Richardson, Safiya Zerrougui, Tammy Wang, and Amy Liu
Writer: Tres Dean
Letterer: TBA
Editor: Camilla Zhang
Designers: Tyler Boss, Jason Ullmeyer
Cover Artist: David Mack
PRESS
› Rolling Stone Freddie Mercury Graphic Novel Press Release
hello@aikosmith.com
Literary Inquiries: Jen [at] AzantianLitAgency [dot] com