Kevin 'Kilo' Thomas
Artwork
My aspirational philosophy has long held that nothing needs to be mundane, that adding beauty to one's environment, even in subtle ways, enriches the flavor of life. Making your physical and mental space your own through things created by hand both connects you to the broader human experience, and expresses your part in it. Like a shelf neatly stacked with antique books, there's an allure to the tactility and the promise of stories being told by physical work, and a shared experience to be had.
Animal
Creating portraits of animal companions has been a love of mine for a long as I can remember—one can't ask for more meaningful and expressive subjects.
If you'd like your own pet's portrait drawn by a loving human hand, please do get in touch!
Botanical
As a frequent wanderer and ponderer, the world beyond the window presents both a fascinating puzzle and a grounding sense of place and time.
Mechanical
A love of things mechanical, which fly, float, and drive comes part-and-parcel with a love of working with my hands. Some of these projects, while beginning on the drafting table, have made their way into the vector artwork realm—another favorite medium of mine.
Sketchbooks
Inspired by the beautiful fictional notebooks created for film and games by the likes of Henry Jones, Nathan Drake, and Ichabod Crane, and after several failed attempts to keep a written journal myself, I settled into a style of recording my observations, thoughts, and daydreams in a mostly visual format. The output has a tendency to be sporadic, but some of the results, along with perhaps some miscellaneous doodles and design sketches, can be found here.
The further task of crafting a 19th century written hand to match my illustration style was a journey in and of itself, but that another story.
Book 5
October 2023 - Present
So far this book has been mostly observational, drawing from flora, fauna, and pets with some whimsy (and several lighthouses) thrown in.
Book 4
May 2021 - October 2023
Emerging from the pandemic lockdown, this volume contains many natural observations as well some observations of man-made forms as well as a few design ideas.
Book 3
September 2020 - April 2021
Many shipwrecks as in the heart of the pandemic I scour the virtual seas—though one of wrecks is part of a story I began to create, the first five panels of which appear here.
Book 2
March 2020 - September 2020
This journal has by far the most writing, as during the pandemic lockdown I had a lot of time to think. Also in here, a new fictional creature, a tattoo design for my sister, and a guinea pig pirate flag.
Book 1
July 2018 - February 2020
This is the oldest volume I have which fits into the visual journal motif I've adopted. In here are many memories, including some observations of a trip to Norway, the design of my chimera seal, and some weapons for a d&d game.