Between the Lines with Michael Byers
- cgoucher
- Aug 13, 2025
- 5 min read
Updated: Aug 31, 2025
Michael Byers’ illustrations grab you before you even realize it’s happening, bold, funny, and completely his own. You’ve probably spotted them in The New York Times, The Atlantic, or in sketchbooks bursting with Pentel pen lines. I’ve had the privilege of working with Michael on a couple of projects in my role as Creative Director at the University of Waterloo, and seeing his process up close only confirmed what his portfolio makes clear: he’s as inventive in the moment as he is on the page. In this 6Qs with Christine, Michael talks about the grade two dinosaur that started it all, why physical tools matter, and how saying yes, even when scared, keeps him growing.
Let’s start with your origin story.
What first drew you into illustration, and when did you realize it could become your career? I’m sure I could go back to when Corey my grade 2 peer showed me how to draw a dinosaur and I was hooked on drawing ever since but really what first drew me to illustration was seeing schoolwork my friend had done at Sheridan College in their illustration program. I was working a construction job at the time and felt like I wanted to pursue some sort of an artistic career. I had remembered how much I loved drawing and that I always felt like I was fairly good at it. I didn’t really realize it could become a career until maybe the first year of illustration at Sheridan. I had finally gotten into their program and seeing how some of the teachers were still working professionally, it made me excited and lit a fire in my belly that grew ever since.
You’ve illustrated for heavy-hitters like The New York Times and The Atlantic, each with their own tone. How do you keep your style present while adapting to different editorial voices?
Thankfully I’ve always had a way of either making my images dynamic in composition and/or humorous in some way. I think that’s usually why I get hired. I find it’s pretty easy because I think my style is just that. It’s a style. At least that’s what I think. haha. I feel like I can just draw the way I draw and no matter the subject, it’ll come out looking like me. I think in the beginning you can clearly see my influences. I was trying to hard to adapt each piece to look like whomever I was super into at the time. Then I finally let go of that and embraced what I do and trusted that people like my work. It’s taken a long time and I still have my moments of doubt.
Your Pentel sketches feel especially alive and immediate. What role does working with physical tools play in your creative process?
I always start of any job with a piece of paper and pencil or pen and just literally scribble. I jot down thumbnails that are roughly the size of a large stamp. I just want to try to work out ideas but mostly composition. It feels more tactile to have pen to paper. When it comes to the drawings I do with pen in my sketchbook, I find that it forces me to make decisions and live with those decisions. I learn to embrace my mistakes or just move on. It’s an exercise in letting go of control of the outcome and letting ‘happy accidents’ occur. I think it’s easy when using a pencil and eraser or an undo button on the computer, to just overwork something and never be satisfied with it. I don’t always like how things turn out but from time to time I get a good one. I remember what a professor told me in art school. You’re going to make 100 bad drawings before you make a good one. You have to get through the bad ones so keep going. It gave me the permission I needed to give myself that making ‘bad’ art is okay. It leads to the good stuff so get on with it.
What’s one piece you’ve worked on recently that made you step back and say, yeah, that one feels right?
There was a series of illustrations I did for a memoir I think I am pretty happy with. The memoir is called “Theater Kid” by Jeffrey Sellers. He’s the producer of the Broadway hits RENT and Hamilton. I got to chat with him a bit and basically did illustrations that accompany his book. They’re peppered throughout like those vintage black and white illustrations you’d see in a charles dickens book or something. Random illustrations related to the story. I get to do so many great illustrations.
What do you reach for, literally or mentally, when you're feeling “meh” about making things? How do you reset your creative energy?
Sometimes I need to just not do anything creative. I need to just let go AND most importantly, give myself permission to do so. Sometimes I’ll listen to a podcast related to creativity or I’ll read Rick Rubin’s books “The Creative Act A Way Of Being.” That has lots of inspiring moments in it. Other times I just need to force myself to open my sketchbook and just draw. I journal everyday. That can also help from time to time. I try to remind myself when feeling bogged down, that I get paid to draw pictures. I am pretty lucky.
You’ve balanced editorial work, gallery pieces, and brand collaborations. How do you decide what to say yes to, and what fuels you across such different creative contexts?
I think for the most part I need to make sure that it’s worth my time. That’s the crucial part. That doesn’t always mean money. Although I will heavily consider the job if the budget is high enough. But mostly am I going to have fun and make art I’m proud of is usually what I ask myself before saying yes to anything. But sometimes I got to pay the bills like everyone else so there are the odd time where I say yes with a tinge of regret after the fact. Or I just don’t show that piece online. haha.
Bonus Q: What’s one thing your younger self would absolutely lose their mind knowing you get to do now?
My younger self would lose their mind knowing that I am known by some and that people actually pay me to make art. I was always full of self doubt and had low self worth growing up. Even with family that pressured me in a good way to continue to pursue my art instead of wasting my time with silly jobs, I still had low self esteem with regards to my skill level as a creative. I would often self sabotage and say no to opportunities because of the fear I’d have of failure. I still catch myself from time to time almost saying no out of fear. I got to speak at an illustration conference for the first time last year with a brief 6 minute talk about sketchbook usage and it felt exhilarating. I am afraid of speaking in front of a lot of people. I wanted to face those fears. I still am afraid but I now want to do it again and again if possible. One day.
Know someone creative or curious, or doing something cool in their own way? That’s exactly who I love talking to. I’d love to hear about them or from them.
Did a line or moment from this interview stick with you? Leave a comment, send a message, or tag someone who might want to be part of this series. You never know whose story will show up next. I read every one.
