Bored Panda reached out to Kenny Mays to learn more about his creative process and inspirations. We were particularly curious about what led him to create Birb, Poku, and Bread. The artist shared that many of his characters are inspired by his favorite animals. "I wanted to create characters that felt simple, expressive, and universally relatable. At the time, my wife and I were in a long-distance relationship, and these characters became a way for us to stay connected through humor and storytelling.
I also wanted to design something that wasn’t tied to gender or race - something that anyone could see themselves in. By keeping them abstract and expressive, they can connect with people on a more emotional level, whether it’s through their misfortunes, little victories, or just their everyday chaos."
Kenny told us that he usually doesn’t plan too much when integrating his characters into real-life scenes. Instead, he focuses on capturing moments as they happen and finding natural ways for his characters to fit into them. "A lot of the time, inspiration comes from everyday life, especially moments I spend with my partner. I love taking those little interactions, whether it’s something funny, sweet, or completely chaotic, and recreating them in a way that brings my characters into the real world.
There are times when I do picture how my characters might interact with their surroundings, almost as if they’re part of the environment. It’s fun to imagine how they’d react to everyday situations, whether it’s Birbs having a night out or getting in trouble. It all comes down to blending reality with a bit of animated mischief to make people smile."
Kenny is widely known for his cute GIFs. To create them, he primarily uses Procreate, crafting both static illustrations and animated sequences. "For animations, I compile my frames in After Effects, where I refine the motion and timing to bring my characters to life.
Sound design is also a big part of my process. I love using Foley art and my own voice recordings to add personality and charm to each animation. Whether it’s a tiny ‘plop’ sound or an exaggerated whoosh, these little details help make the characters feel more immersive and expressive."
"I hope people can use my art to express joy and share moments with one another. At its core, my work is about connection, whether it’s through a funny GIF, a relatable scenario, or a small moment of misfortune that we can all laugh at. I love seeing people send my animations to friends or use them to express feelings that words sometimes can’t.
By integrating my characters into real-life scenarios, I want to bring them even closer to people. It’s a way of making them feel like they exist in our world, reacting to the same everyday moments we do. If my art can bring a smile to someone’s face or help them connect with someone else, then I’ve done what I set out to do."
