Todd Lyles

Todd Lyles grew up in Columbiana, Alabama, and has been drawing since elementary school. Throughout his school career, Todd drew...a lot. He has tons of old school notebooks and failed exams with drawings on the backs of them: D&D characters, video game landscapes, that sort of thing. Early on, he taught himself 3-point perspective after playing Xaxxon and Battlezone.

Later, Todd attended Indian Springs School in Helena, Alabama for high school and, based solely on a pamphlet and phone interview, went to Marlboro College in Vermont. It was there that he was finally able to dedicate himself more fully to art. He eventually graduated with a BA in Visual Arts in 1994.

After that, he returned to the South and discovered it's very difficult to sell Impressionist nudes in the Bible Belt. A friend encouraged Todd to return to his roots as an artist, and so he began working in science fiction art again. About six years ago, he began working almost exclusively in digital media, although a lot of his art combines found objects and photographs as well.

Aberrant Dreams: Which Muppet would you be and why?

Todd Lyles: Gonzo! He loves life and has a posse.

Aberrant Dreams: Describe your drawing atmosphere.

Todd Lyles: You mean my workspace? I have a G4 Macintosh with Photoshop and a Wacom tablet for drawing with a Stylus. I draw directly into digital. I sometimes add digital photographs. I usually work on multiple pieces at once. Sometimes I'll start an image, work 2-3 days, then stop. I'll pick it up a year later and finish it in a flurry of activity. Creativity comes to me in bursts.

Aberrant Dreams: What musical style do you prefer?

Todd Lyles: Trip-Hop, Drums & Bass, Electronica (in general). I enjoy music with a LOT of layers, especially when doing my art...I find a connection between the two.

I layer my art (my Photoshop files sometimes have 100’s of layers) and so do the DJ’s...loops and loops all playing at once. Most recently, I've been listening to the soundtrack of the video game Katamari Damacy, because it makes me happy.

Aberrant Dreams: If you had one wish, what would it be?

Todd Lyles: Yikes. Who would give ME a wish? Suddenly I feel like Miss America. "World peace!" Comic geek answer: "Teleportation!"

Aberrant Dreams: Who is your favorite artist?

Todd Lyles: I learned a lot from studying Henri Matisse and Vasily Kandinsky in college, but the paintings of Marc Chagall truly make me smile. As you can see, I really can't pick one. The comic book artists J. H. Williams and Gene Ha are awesome.

Aberrant Dreams: Describe your most embarrassing moment.

Todd Lyles: There are too many. No, seriously.

Aberrant Dreams: If they were to make a movie about you, who would play you?

Todd Lyles: Haha, a chubby Patrick Stewart, maybe? I have no idea.

Aberrant Dreams: What’s the last good movie you saw?

Todd Lyles: I liked Night Watch quite a bit.

Aberrant Dreams: Who would you most like to meet?

Todd Lyles: I would have loved to talk to Joseph Campbell.

Aberrant Dreams: What inspires the images that you create?

Todd Lyles: Games, comics, anime, fantasy stories, images knocking around inside my head...if only I knew the formula. Honestly, I feel like it's a great mystery where inspiration comes from.