Kye Ottley Illustrator, writer and storyboard artist from Bristol, UK
Kye was born and raised in the countryside near Bristol, and has always felt drawn to natural spaces and the tales that come from them. From a young age they’ve been writing and illustrating stories, hoping to one day publish their work. They then studied Animation at university, and worked as a 2D animator and then a storyboard artist. This was an experience that Kye learnt a lot from, and they met many brilliant creative people, but they missed telling their own stories. So they are now focusing on writing and illustrating professionally, and hope to publish their work and inspire others to explore natural spaces, too.
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"A quick dnd character doodle I’m really pleased with - meet Maude (also Mort) the necromancer!"
What brought you to art/work?
As a child I was constantly creating stories, drawing and writing all of my ideas down in scruffy notebooks. I think it came from being read so many books from a young age; myths and mysteries and tales of brave characters fighting against the odds. I also lived near a beautiful woodland so I had plenty of inspiration and freedom to explore ideas. I was an avid reader, and fell in love with entering new worlds through these books. Cornelia’s books were some of my favourites. I’m surprised the pages haven’t started to fall out of "Dragon Rider", "Reckless" and "The Thief Lord", since they’ve been read so much! This love of creating my own stories never went away, and now it’s developed into my professional work, too.
"Nettlebrand the Toad"
How did you get the opportunity to participate in Cornelia’s Artists in Residence program?
I saw that Cornelia was coming to the Bath Children’s Literature Festival and was so excited to be able to see her again. I’d last seen her when I was about nine years old, when she had come to Bath for a book talk and I’d begged my mum to let me go to see her. But since my sister wasn’t interested I had to go in by myself, and while I was nervous it was absolutely worth it. It was such an inspirational moment. So seeing her again was an amazing and beautiful experience. I’d drawn her a picture of Nettlebrand the Toad, and after that she asked to see some more of my work. So I sent her some of my writing and art, and I then recieved the invitation to Fraggina!
How did you like your time at Fraggina? Did you find inspiration there?
I loved my time at Mulinaccio and Fraggina. The spaces were so beautiful and full of nature, and it was amazing to share this space with so many other creative and inspiring people. During times of intense exams, university and then a fast paced job I’d started to feel long term burnout. But here I felt the inner spark of creativity start to grow again. Sometimes it was just the peace of sitting in the studio and listening to the birds outside, or someone sharing what they’re working on with you, or just the wonderful community feeling of coming together for dinner every evening. Not only would I describe this experience as inspiring, but also healing. In a world that’s currently so busy and isolating, the importance of places like this cannot be overstated. A place to connect not only with others but also yourself. It’s amazing.
What did you take home from there?
I took home with me many beautiful memories that will stay with me. Sitting under the stars sipping tea and talking with Oksana, getting paninis in Volterra with Nora and Constantin, having a cozy chat with Cornelia about all kinds of wonderful things. The place is beautiful, but it’s the people that make it so special.
