In this video interview Kevin Hinkle aka MrHinkleDraws talks about life after LEGO, where he had spent 12 years working as community manager for North and South America, in the marketing department and starting off as a stockist boy and working himself up to store manager.
Kevin has gone back to his first love of Illustration and Design that he has a fine art degree in (Kevin designed the Beyond the Brick and Brickfest logos, among many others). Kevin offers tips on how to draw and render minifigures.
We discuss Kevin’s artistic influences, his comics (including Bricks in the Middle) and his design work. How did Kevin end up designing the Beyond the Brick Logo. He talks about his work being swiped and his most popular piece. Kevin also discusses his patreon page and his most effective marketing tool.
He talks about what it was like having a year to get prepared to be fired, the seeds he planted and how those are bearing fruit now. Do you really matter to the company you work for?
This is the first part of a 2 part episode. Part 2 can be found here
Time codes to interview.
0:00 Introduction
0:12 Background with the LEGO Group (TLG)
0:55 Being let go from the LEGO Group and spending a year getting ready to potentially loose your job
2:40 Making preparations for the next job and planting seeds in 2017
3:22 Background in Fine Arts, Graphic Design and Illustration
4:44 Short list of companies would want to work at and be excited by
5:30 Launching own art business is a backup plan
6:40 “After spending 12 years of my life, do I want to start over at another company”?
7:18 Do you really matter to companies and self discovery
9:00 Becoming Unemployable, having to provide for a family and the motivation it provides, and flexibility
11:25 Having a strong work ethic, working lots of hours
11:55 How Kevin got into art and illustration
12:40 Impact of cartoons
13:20 Doodling while in meetings, actually means that Kevin is listening
14:25 High School was a Fine Arts Academy
15:40 Artistic Influences – Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, and fan art
16:50 Bricks in the Middle cartoon strip
17:30 Superman Red Sun – favorite story and comic book of all time
19:00 Making comics about work environments – “Minimum Wage”
20:30 Comic about LEGO AFOL Fandom – Bricks in the Middle
22:49 Some ideas that can’t go into the comic
24:00 Ways to collect ideas for the comic … but not offending people
24:50 Making fun of the comic ala Deadpool and breaking the 4th wall … especially on the merchandise… the ultimate compliment
26:20 Art getting swiped – “Vitruvian Man” … evolution to Technic version that got paid for
29:43 Professional Artists getting swiped and artists using social media followings to report those copyright breaches
30:30 What was the plan beyond Art School
31:30 From Stock boy to Assistant Manager at LEGO store
33:00 Initial Freelance Jobs – Luxury ski resort butler … a sweet 1st freelance job
36:15 Moving across the country for jobs with LEGO
37:25 Why didn’t you get the art roles within LEGO?
39:15 LEGO Universe, most expensive investment ever for LEGO – wanting to be head of a sinking ship
39:55 Pursing Traditional 2D studies in college … at the expense of 3D… not listening to teachers
42:00 What to do post LEGO. Designing Beyond the Brick Logo
43:45 Beyond the Brick shining a big, bright light on the LEGO community
44:45 Origin of the “Beyond the Brick” name
47:50 Proof of concept of being able to do brand design, brainstorming
50:00 At Brickworld / Brick fair and people wearing a lot of things Kevin has designed
52:18 Kevin Hinkle and his patreon page – support your favourite creators. Most favourite support level and what happens when you cancel your subscription. Most effective marketing tool
59:03 Tips on How to Draw Minifigures
1:03:15 Sneak peak at some upcoming Minifigure Sketches
1:04:00 Marvel and DC Artists drawing minifigures … and not getting it right
1:05:40 Clicking out of drawing minifigures
1:06:17 LEGO Artists / Illustrators
1:07:40 Tips on How to Render Minifigures
1:09:48 Illustration(s) that has gotten a great response
1:13:00 Bob Hoskins Super Mario Bros Movie sticker
1:15:00 Design, commissions, wait list, no marketing and the LEGO community
1:19:20 Drawing of someone’s SigFig … for free and/or “exposure bucks”
1:23:00 Average wait time for jobs and working schedule
1:24:10 Thinking about your own art projects past client work
1:25:10 Oil Painting, water colours and water color tattoos
1:27:18 Kevin Hinkle’s how to get in touch and contact details
Kevin Hinkle Links
Home Page https://www.kevinahinkle.com/
Mr Hinkle Draws Patreon https://www.patreon.com/MrHinkleDraws
Instagram Personal https://www.instagram.com/mrkevinhinkle
Art https://www.instagram.com/mrhinkledraws/
witter https://twitter.com/MrHinkleDraws
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MrHinkleDraws/
Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/MrHinkleDraws
Youtube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuCmBtG9SqYtnIFljb9IGWw
Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinhink/collections/72157693082330240/
Etsy Store https://www.etsy.com/Shop/MrHinkleDraws
Bricks in the Middle Comic
https://bricksinthemiddle.com/
https://www.instagram.com/bitmcomics/
Other LEGO Artists:
Dan Veesenmeyer http://dansartwork.com/
Greg Hyland http://www.lethargiclad.com/
Paul Lee https://twitter.com/polywen
