Toby Mikle, 1975-tbd, new media / traditional artist from Hastings Minnesota. Lived in Mn, Wi, Ne, Fl, Tx. INTP. Bipolar type2 (unlimited energy with bouts of delusions of grandeur) , Anxiety, Introvert, Optimist. Mostly commonly used mediums: CorelPainter, Adobe Photoshop / Illustrator, Runway, DALL·E / GPT4- OpenAI, 4-6B Mitsubishi pencil, .005-.25 Micron pens, Oil on Panel.
I spent a lot of my childhood with my cousins in Minneapolis. We would often also go to my grandpas shack in Luck, Wisconsin (no plumbing) where he would scrap metal and whitewash barns. We’d explore far into the woods looking for Indian mounds (Native American, but that’s what we called them). Once we found a car and my cousins convinced me there were skeletons in it, but I braved it anyway. No skeletons. There were newspapers about the moon landing under the seat and the nearby pond had frog tadpoles, so there’s that.
Witnessing the things that once had a purpose (cars, tractors, mowers, chairs, washing machines, unidentifiable somethings) cast out into the surrounding rural countryside, slowly grown over and blending with the soil from which it came. In fact, that whole property was bulldozed into the ground (house, barn and outbuildings). A part of the surrounding farm that owns all that land now, like it was ne v e r t h e r e .
I love detailed harmonious compositions, photography, and oil paint on board. I’ve worked as an art director and teacher, but forever a student. I’ve illustrated over 1,000 books for self-publishing authors and created my own children’s books and graphic novels. In addition, I’ve completed thousands of technical illustrations. (some of my favorites pictured below)
Interesting Jobs I have had; farm work, night shift truck stop cashier, Walgreens cashier then ast. mngr., printing press operator, Air Force (mostly in Omaha), newspaper store/box route, art director in Minneapolis (videos, commercials, meetings and events), community college art teacher, Taste of MN webmaster for 10 years, mental hospital orderly in Cambridge MN, Amazon courier, Uber driver, technical illustrator, children’s book illustrator, ARTIST.
Youtube
tobymikle@gmail.com
You have permission to use my work
for any purpose.
Large vector commissions;
