Teknicolourful on Inspiration, Self-Expression, and Strange Pairs

Tell us about yourself, Tek! How did you start creating art?

I started teaching myself art as a coping skill on Twitch after college. Although it isn’t my main gig, I still do art for fun and self-expression. This story is a passion project of mine.

What was your inspiration for “Strange Pair,” specifically?

“Strange Pair” was inspired by the RP characters of a friend and mine from I was a teenager in a ReBoot IIRC Chat. Although the characters are based on the dynamic between myself and an old friend, the story is speculative fiction about a post-WWIII world without fossil fuels.

Did you work with someone else on “Strange Pair”?

Special shout-out to my buddy Mikey, who told me the chat characters would make a good comic—he was definitely right. In early development, a colleague from Twitch (Eldkrind) helped me find the plot, and my dear friend Shadowind helped me with the colouring of the background and figures.

We love these characters! Are you going to continue this story?

Absolutely! We can’t leave Annie as a kitten—the consequences could destroy the entire coast!

I’ve also got tons of notes on how this world can be expanded beyond the adventure of turning Kitty back into a person.

What comic book character do you identify most with?

Sometimes I feel like a cross between Klaus Hargreeves from Umbrella Academy and Klaus Beaudelaire from the Lemony Snicket series. (A book, not a comic, but close enough.)

I’m a walking encyclopedia that’s very fascinated with the supernatural.  

What does the word “cohorts” mean to you?

The first phrase that comes to mind is “partners in crime.”  However, “cohorts” can mean so many things, from a treasured collaborator to a reluctant group on the same mission.

What is one thing (an emotion, a lesson, a motivation, etc.…) you try to bring into the world with your art and online presence?

I think the most important things I accomplish are demonstrating that small efforts add up over time, and giving people permission to be themselves.  

Who are some of your art heroes?

Gavin Blair (co-creator of ReBoot): His dedication to his world, characters, and fans is truly motivational.

Jim Henson: The sheer imagination and inspiration of “The Rainbow Connection” reached a generation.

However, in terms of inspiring me to create visual art and keep on track with this project, my heroes are the small artists I’m friends with, who live with creative passion and integrity.

Are you working on any other projects right now?

I’ve already begun developing the next 8 pages of “Strange Pair.” I do have a few other projects I’m trying to get together, however I can’t comment on them as I don’t know which will be prioritized first at the moment.  

Where can our readers find you online?

You can find me under the name teknicolourful on YouTube, TikTok, and Twitch. I can be found on Twitter as JustNikki626 (while it’s still a thing). Where I’m actively creating changes constantly, the best way to stay up-to-date, is through my link tree: https://linktr.ee/teknicolourful