Meet the Artist - Kenny Mays (Pt. 1)

Kenny's Gifs - Birbs 'n' Bread

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Kenny's Gifs - Birbs 'n' Bread 〰️

How did you come up with the idea for such characters as Birb, Bread, cats and more...

- I wanted to create characters that depict my favourite animals in a way that can relate to our everyday life as humans. This means creating something resembling the animal whilst giving it the ability to carry out tasks a person could. I also like to design each character to obtain their own personality changing many aspects of how they are animated. For instance, the “Birbs” are innocent and kind-hearted, with a romantic side regarding their partner. This being the case, I animate them at a lower frame rate and always try to create a calm environment. However, The Bread Mice, aka “Bread”, have an erratic nature with a slight ignorance of how we as people show love. They attempt romance but mostly fail spectacularly in their own irrational but innocent manner.

Who is your favourite, Birb or Bread? Cruel we know!

- I love them equally ;)

How does it feel to see them in Flick?

- It’s really cool to see them featured in Flick. I know they are very happy to have the spotlight shine on them.

How did you choose which characters from your animations to feature in your deck?

- When it came to deciding the deck for Flick, The fan favourites were a must!

Which is your favourite suit from Birbs ‘n’ Bread, and why?

- That's a tricky question... I’d have to say my favourite suit from Birbs ‘n’ Bread would be Hearts as it features my favourite card, The Ace of Hearts.

The birbs share tender moments from rubbing tummies to twerking and cheeky kisses - what inspires all the romance and love in your animations?

- I love to create work that connects people whether it’s a couple wanting to show affection or two friends that want to share a laugh together.

Did you always want to be an animator? Please tell us how you got into 2D animation.

- I have always had a deep love for creating artwork; however, when I left school at 18, I chose to enter a career as a Plumber and Gas Engineer as a means to support myself.

- Working in this trade was a great experience and offered many opportunities; however, I always felt an overwhelming sense that I would look back in the future and regret not attempting a career as an artist. This led me to quit my job to join the University of the Arts London and study animation in video games.

- 3 years later, with first-class honours and 2 video games made with one available to play online, I started to apply for jobs in the field... This was very tough, and the more rejection I faced, the more I practised my craft, which led to the creation of KennysGifs.

- KennysGifs was simply a means for me to practice character expression through GIFs and Stickers to be used on social media. Little did I know that it would gain so much attention so quickly and the more I posted, the more I realised how much my work could help bring people together. This is what pushed the decision for me to work on KennysGifs full-time.

Part Two coming real soon! Can’t wait? Check out Kenny’s artist page for loads more links and news. 💫