3 Days of Featured Artists: Kailynn @ WalkerWyn.

3 Days of Featured Artists: Kailynn. What can’t this woman do? At just twenty-three, Kailynn, aka WynTheWalker has taken the internet and The Walking Dead franchise by minimalistic storm. I was super excited to spotlight her in this exclusive three-day artist spotlight. The first of its kind. So today, I meet Walker Wyn.

@ WynTheWalker
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An original piece specifically for TWD showrunner, Angela Kang.

LORETTE: WHAT IS YOUR NAME? AND WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

WYN: My name is Kailynn, but most people call me Wyn. I currently live in Pillager, which is a small town located in central Minnesota.

 

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START DOING DESIGN? DID YOU GO TO SCHOOL FOR IT?

Funny enough, it was actually “The Walking Dead” that inspired me to start creating. All throughout high school, I was convinced I wanted to go into sonography.

However, shortly before my high school graduation in 2016, I discovered the show and instantly became obsessed.

“After spending the entire summer working on designs to showcase my love for the show, I ended up dropping out of the sonography program and changed my college major to graphic design!”

I graduated from the program in the Spring of 2019.

 

WHEN DID YOU START CREATING THE WALKING DEAD SPECIFIC PIECES AND ACCUMULATING SUCH A LARGE FOLLOWING?

I began creating Walking Dead pieces shortly out of high school. I started out by using free apps on my phone to create what most people refer to as “edits.”

Then, once I started the graphic design program at my local college, it was a requirement for us to have a MacBook and Adobe software, and that is where I was introduced to Adobe Illustrator – which happens to be my go-to program to this day.

All of my minimalist designs have been created through Illustrator. As for my following, it honestly felt like it happened out of nowhere.

“Usually what would happen is a cast member would repost something I had made and I could gain anywhere from 50-200 followers from that alone.”

But honestly, I could care less about the followers. I just love being able to design and as long as even a few people enjoy my content, I’m more than happy to keep sharing my creations!

 

DO YOU DESIGN FOR OTHER GENRES TOO?

I’ve been working on Walking Dead designs for the most part.

However, I have done designs for various other TV shows and movies. Most of them have been for commissions, but I do enjoy being able to step out of my comfort zone every once in a while to work on different designs.

 

DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE EPISODE OF THE SHOW?

“The Same Boat” from season six. I just loved seeing Carol and Maggie’s badassery on full display, and

“Alicia Witt’s performance as Paula was just *chefs kiss*. In addition, I’ve always been a sucker for episodes that Angela (Kang) writes.”

 

WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE CHARACTER?

 

Maggie! She’s so strong considering all that she’s been through. She ALWAYS finds something to continue to fight for and I admire her so much for that.

 

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SPIN-OFF SHOW? THEY NEED SOME LOVE TOO!

Both! I have to admit I haven’t watched much of either show, but the episodes I have watched have been nothing short of amazing.

 

WHEN DID YOU START GETTING CONTACTED FOR FREELANCE WORK?

I’d really only done 2-3 commissions a year, but once the pandemic hit, I had what I can only describe as a flood of people messaging me for commissions.

In just a week or so, I attained over 25 requests. It’s been steady ever since!

WHAT IS THE WEIRDEST INTERACTION YOU HAVE HAD SO FAR ON SOCIAL MEDIA?

Back in 2019, Angela actually reposted one of my designs in tribute to The Whisperers. Ryan Hurst (Beta) ended up seeing it and reposting it on his own account.

A few of my friends flooded his comments to let him know I was the artist behind the design and he ended up following me and reaching out because he wanted a print for himself!

I told him I would bring one to him at a convention in Atlanta that both of us would be attending later that week.

“However, his line was so long that I decided to have my dad hand off the print to his management, but Ryan said that he wanted to meet me and talk to me himself.”

He even tweeted me on Twitter that night telling me he wanted to see me! Long story short, I met with him the next day and now he has a 24×36 poster of that design! I wouldn’t call the interaction weird per se, but it was definitely unexpected.

 

WHAT’S ON YOUR IPOD RIGHT NOW AND WHAT ARE YOU READING?

I’m a massive fan of anything by NF. I normally don’t like rap music, but there’s something about his music that I just can’t get enough of.

As for books, I’m not much of a reader, but my most recent read was “They Both Die at the End” by Adam Silvera. I finished the book in less than a few days. It was quite the tear-jerker.

 

HOW DO YOU AVOID ARTIST BURNOUT?

To be honest, it can be hard at times. I try to give myself breaks every so often, but I also have a hard time saying no. It’s something I’m still working on.

But even when I’m trying to work on a design while I’m feeling burnt out, I still find ways to stay positive and keep pushing! Music, specifically instrumental music, always helps me to somewhat de-stress in those situations.

 

WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST FAMOUS EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE HAD SO FAR?

There’s been so many! I think my favorite experience so far was when Mike Flanagan, the mind behind “The Haunting of Hill House”, found my work on Twitter.

“I was getting ready for a long shift at work when, all of the sudden, I saw a PayPal notification come through.”

It was a generous donation to my artist fund from Mike himself! Moments later, he followed me and ended up sharing and expressing his love for my work on his own Twitter account. He even shared the link to my online shop and bought a few prints for himself! It was such a surreal experience.

 

WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE TO ASPIRING HOPEFULS?

Do more of what makes YOU happy. Always take time to create for yourself.

 

WHO INSPIRES YOU?

There are quite a few! I find inspiration through so many different artists, but some of my favorites are @sg_posters, @aleks_phoenix, @rafaorricodiez, @designbysalome, and @73×5.

 

WILL THERE BE ANY YOUTUBE TUTORIALS FOR ANY HOPEFUL ARTISTS IN THE FUTURE?

That’s a good question! Perhaps someday. I think at the moment I’m still working on finding my niche and figuring out ways to grow as an artist myself. I love watching YouTube tutorials and trying new techniques to better my skills!

 

WHAT IS NEXT ON YOUR PLATE?

I’m just finishing up my last few commissions and then I will be taking a break from commissions for a while. My plan is to work on some new TWD designs now that the show is back!

 

And there you have it. Gnarly work from a sweetheart.

Go check out Kailynn, buy something, and don’t forget to share this post on Twitter and follow Lorette!

As always TWD family, be nice to each other, and be kind!

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