Anders Nilsen - Cartoonist Survey #266

Award-winning artist and graphic novelist Anders Brekhus Nilsen was born in New Hampshire in 1973. He studied painting and instillation art at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. In 1999 he put together some comic strips from his sketchbooks and self-published them as Big Questions #1 and #2. That same year he moved to Chicago to do graduate work at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

In 2000 Anders received a grant from the Xeric Foundation which allowed him to publish his first book, “The Ballad of the Two Headed Boy”. He soon dropped out of graduate school to work on his comics full time.

He received another grant, this time from Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs, and was able to publish three more issues of his Big Questions comics. He continued to work on Big Questions, which was eventually picked up by Drawn and Quarterly, until the end of 2010 when the final issue (#15) was released. Last August Drawn and Quarterly published a collection of his Big Questions comics. Weighing in at almost 5 pounds, this 658 page graphic novel just won the 2012 Lynd Ward Graphic Novel Prize.

Two more of Anders graphic novels have won awards. In 2005 his “Dogs and Water” won an Ignatz Award for Outstanding Story, and his graphic memoir “Don’t Go Where I Can’t Follow” won an Ignatz for Outstanding Graphic Novel in 2007.

Other works by him include “Monologues of the Coming Plague”, “The End” and "Monologues for Calculating the Destiny of Black Holes”. His work has been translated into several languages and has been shown internationally. Numerous anthologies have also showcased his work such as, “Mome”, “Best American Comics”, “Kramer’s Ergot”, “The Yale Anthology of Graphic Fiction”, “Best American Non-Required Reading” and others.

Anders currently lives and works in Chicago. Visit his website and his The Monologuist blog to see much more of his work. You can also purchase trading cards, prints and posters at his Picture Store.

What is your favorite pen to use?
Staedtler pigment liner.

Do you draw in pencil first and if so do you use a standard pencil or a mechanical one?
Sometimes I do. Standard. 7H usually.

Do you do your coloring by hand or on the computer?
Preferably by hand. Occasionally for illustrations I color in Photoshop.

If you do your coloring by hand, what do you use?
Gouache.

What type of paper do you use?
Depends. For actual comics 2 ply bristol, smooth. Otherwise whatever's around.

What thing(s) do you hate to draw?
I'm really bad a caricature. Portraits: great. Cartoon versions of an actual face? Nightmare.

Do you buy your supplies from big chain art store catalogues/websites or a local one that you physically go to?
Physical.

Are there any rituals that you do before starting to draw?
Burn a goat.

Do you listen to music while you draw and if so what genre?
All kinds.

Did you read comics as a kid and if so what was your favorite?
Tintin and X-Men.

What is or was your favorite comic strip?
Newspaper? As a kid Farside probably. Or Bloom County.

What was your favorite book as a child and do you still own a copy of it?
That's tough. Maybe The Magician's Nephew, C.S. Lewis...probably have one around here somewhere...

Did you have any formal art training and if so where did you receive it?
Yes. MCAD here in Minneapolis when I was a kid, The University of New Mexico for Undergrad.

Do you feel that the Internet is a blessing or a curse?
Yes.

Did either of your parents draw?
My Dad and stepmother were/are both artists.

Who in your life is/was the most supportive of your art?
Parents. All four.

Do you keep a sketchbook?
Yes.

Have you ever taught cartooning/drawing and if so did you enjoy the experience?
Doing it for the first time, now. Yeah, I like it.

Do you feel that talent or passion is more important in drawing?
There's no such thing as talent. If 'passion' makes you work at it hours a day, year after year, after a while you'll have talent. Being an interesting person with something to say is helpful.

Do you collect anything and if so what?
Found playing cards, found toys, spheres.

If you were an animated cartoon character who do you think you would be?
Mr. Magoo.

Are you a righty or lefty?
Hand: Right, Politics: Left.

If you weren't an artist what would you want to do for work?
Skateboard.

In one or two sentences describe your drawing area.
Windows on two sides. Plants. Ostrich egg. Slightly cluttered, but spacious.

Do you play any musical instruments?
I clack my teeth rhythmically.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to pursue drawing as a career what would it be?
Work hard, do what you love.

Who is your favorite artist?
Split: Daniel Higgs and Herge.

Thanks again Anders!

Marc Bell - Cartoonist/Artist Survey #204

Marc Bell is a Canadian artist and cartoonist who was born in London, Ontario in 1971. He studied at Bealart in London, Ontario and Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick. His comics are reminiscent of the 60’s underground comix with wild drawings of strange people, talking plants and bizarre backgrounds. Marc self-published his comics for over a decade, producing dozens of titles including Knoze Clippah!, The Stacks, Gooma and Mojo Action Companion Unit. His comics have also appeared in numerous anthologies and were serialized in The Halifax Coast, The Montreal Mirror and Vice Magazine. In 2003 Highwater Books released a collection of his 'Shrimpy and Paul’ strips and since then his work has also been published by both Drawn and Quarterly and Fantagraphics.

Marc also creates Fine Art, combining drawings, mixed media cardboard constructions, altered found text and watercolors. The most recent release of his work was the book “Hot Potatoe” which came out in 2009. “Hot Potatoe” showcases his comic work as well as his Fine Art from 2001 through 2008. Marc now focuses mostly on his Fine Art and is represented by the Adam Baumgold Gallery in Manhattan, NY. He lives with his partner Amy Lockhart who is an artist and animator. By the way, Amy is raising funds through the Kickstarter website to fund her new animated film, "Dizzler in MASKHERAID". Go here to make a donation. You can follow Marc on his blog and visit his page at Drawn and Quarterly.

What is your favorite pen to use?
I guess, for cartooning, it would be a hunt 107.

Do you draw in pencil first and if so do you use a standard pencil or a mechanical one?
When I draw comics I use pencil first: Standard, Staedtler, made in Germany. When I create standalone drawings, it varies, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't.

Do you do your coloring by hand or on the computer?
I colour comics on the computer. Other work I colour by hand usually.

If you do your coloring by hand, what do you use?
Watercolours and/or acrylic inks (similar to gouache).

What type of paper do you use?
Strathmore bristol for comics. For watercoloured drawings I use Arches or Fabriano Hotpress. For mixed media work I use all manner of papers, some probably are not that "stable".

What thing(s) do you hate to draw?
Hmm. I don't know.

Do you buy your supplies from big chain art store catalogues/websites or a local one that you physically go to?
Local stores.

Are there any rituals that you do before starting to draw?
Procrastination.

Do you listen to music while you draw and if so what genre?
Yes. Anything I find interesting.

Did you read comics as a kid and if so what was your favorite?
Yes. Mad Magazine.

What is or was your favorite comic strip?
Amy and Jordan.

What was your favorite book as a child and do you still own a copy of it?
I don't think I really had an all time favourite.

Did you have any formal art training and if so where did you receive it?
Yes. Bealart. And Mount Allison University.

Do you feel that the Internet is a blessing or a curse?
Both.

Did either of your parents draw?
They doodled.

Who in your life is/was the most supportive of your art?
Me.

Do you keep a sketchbook?
No.

Have you ever taught cartooning/drawing and if so did you enjoy the experience?
Yes. It was OK.

Do you feel that talent or passion is more important in drawing?
A bit of both.

Do you collect anything and if so what?
Small press.

If you were an animated cartoon character who do you think you would be?
Heathcliff.

Are you a righty or lefty?
Lefty.

If you weren't an artist what would you want to do for work?
Dishwasher.

In one or two sentences describe your drawing area.
Not very big.

Do you play any musical instruments?
I like to play the drums Moe Tucker style.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to pursue drawing as a career what would it be?
Don't use liquid paper. Use FW Acrylic ink white (or something similar). It works better.

Who is your favorite artist?
Jim Nutt or Ray Johnson (couldn't decide).

Thanks again for your time Marc.

Up next is illustrator, cartoonist and animator, Ian David Marsden.

John Porcellino - Cartoonist Survey #154

John Porcellino was born in Chicago, in September of 1968, and has been writing and drawing comics, minicomics and graphic novels for close to 30 years. He began self-publishing comic books when he was only 14. In 1989 he started his mostly autobiographical King-Cat Comics, which is one of the longest-running minicomics. John draws his comics with simple black lines and no shading. Many of his comics have been collected in anthologies including, ‘King-Cat Collection’, ‘Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man’, ‘Perfect Example’, ‘King-Cat Classix’ and ‘Map of My Heart’. They have been reprinted in French, Spanish, German, Italian, Swedish and Korean. ‘Diary of a Mosquito Abatement Man’ collected King-Cat stories about his experiences while in his 20’s as a pest control worker. It went on to win an Ignatz Award in 2005. Henry David Thoreau is one of John’s biggest inspirations so it is not a surprise that he created ‘Thoreau at Walden’, a 110 page graphic novel about his impression of Thoreau's time at the pond. Besides creating comics, he has played in indie rock bands and had his own music and comics distribution company, Spit and a Half, which he has started up again. John recently moved from Denver to Florida and will be touring the West Coast from mid-August to mid-September with King-Cat #71, his latest comic. Visit his King-Cat website and follow him on his blog. John also has a page at Drawn and Quarterly.

What is your favorite pen to use?
I use either Microns or Rapidographs merely out of the fact that I'm lazy and don't spend time experimenting with different pens. I also sometimes "ink" with black colored pencils or soft graphite pencils.

Do you draw in pencil first and if so do you use a standard pencil or a mechanical one?
I use a standard non-repro blue pencil to draw with.

Do you do your coloring by hand or on the computer?
By hand mainly as I don't know really know how to color on the computer, but occasionally I have friends digitally color stuff for me.

If you do your coloring by hand, what do you use?
Colored pencils, watercolor, colored inks.

What type of paper do you use?
For years I used plain office-supply laser paper. I just started using the Strathmore Manga 11 x 17 sheets, cuz I can cut them down to four King-Cat sized pages each!

What thing(s) do you hate to draw?
N/A

Do you buy your supplies from big chain art store catalogues/websites or a local one that you physically go to?
Local art supply shops mostly, occasionally a chain craft-type store.

Are there any rituals that you do before starting to draw?
Before starting to ink I write out the alphabet.

Do you listen to music while you draw and if so what genre?
No. At first I always listened to music when I drew. Then I found it too distracting so I switched to instrumental-only music. Then I switched to instrumental-only music only when inking, and now I don't listen to music at all when making comics.

Did you read comics as a kid and if so what was your favorite?
I read mostly newspaper funnies along with the occasional comic book off the newsstand. Of those, I read mainly monster/supernatural thriller types. In newspaper comics Ziggy was my favorite.

What is or was your favorite comic strip?
Gasoline Alley can't be beat. Runner up: Krazy Kat. I also love Alley Oop, and wish someone would start reprinting those!

What was your favorite book as a child and do you still own a copy of it?
The Hodgepodge Book by Duncan Emrich, with pictures by Ib Ohlsson. I finally found a used copy of it back in the 90's. When I was a kid I had this book perpetually checked out of the Chicago Public Library.

Did you have any formal art training and if so where did you receive it?
I studied art throughout my teen years and have a BFA in painting from Northern Illinois University.

Do you feel that the Internet is a blessing or a curse?
It's often a blessing and I don't know if it's ever bad enough to be a curse, but it sure can be a time waster if you're so inclined!

Did either of your parents draw?
Beyond doodles, no.

Who in your life is/was the most supportive of your art?
My friends.

Do you keep a sketchbook?
I keep one but that doesn't mean I use it!

Have you ever taught cartooning/drawing and if so did you enjoy the experience?
Yes/Yes.

Do you feel that talent or passion is more important in drawing?
I think passion IS a talent.

Do you collect anything and if so what?
Jack Kirby monster comics.

If you were an animated cartoon character who do you think you would be?
Woody Woodpecker (?!).

Are you a righty or lefty?
Righty.

If you weren't an artist what would you want to do for work?
Naturalist.

In one or two sentences describe your drawing area.
Usually: A mess. With a little spot cleared out in the middle for drawing. Lately: Nice and simple (I'm on the road so I just have a little drawing area with a lamp, a globe, a notebook, a stack of blank pages, and a stack of drawn pages. And two pens, a pencil, and an eraser!)

Do you play any musical instruments?
I play guitar.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to pursue drawing as a career what would it be?
Find what's inside you and bring that out.

Who is your favorite artist?
Picking one is excruciatingly hard: Henri Matisse.


Thank you very much for your time John.

Up next is cartoonist Frank Roberson.

Don't forget the Rhodia Webnotebook Giveaway ends this Sunday night at 9:00.

R. Sikoryak - Cartoonist Survey #150

If anyone had told me back when I created the Cartoonist Survey in November 2009 that this project would take on a life of its own and I would eventually be posting the 150th survey, I never would have believed them. As a white collar worker by day and a leisure cartoonist wanna-be by night, my reason for creating the survey was totally self-indulgent. I was curious to learn how others had crossed that threshold into the world of professional cartooning. Creating and maintaining the blog has become a fun hobby for me. I personally have learned so much from the survey responses, but I never imagined that professional cartoonists themselves would find the sharing of information among their peers to be so entertaining and useful. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. I would like to thank everyone who has participated thus far; and I look forward to bringing you many more sets of answers throughout the coming months. Please enjoy the 150th Cartoonist Survey with answers provided by R. Sikoryak.

Comic book artist Robert Sikoryak, a.k.a. R. Sikoryak was born in New Jersey in 1964. He earned his BFA from the Parsons School of Design, where he currently teaches. After graduating from Parsons, he worked as an assistant at Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly’s RAW magazine. He sat in on Art Spiegelman’s comics classes at the School of Visual Arts, and also took a class taught by Paul Karasik and Mark Newgarden. It was for this class that Robert produced his first pastiche strip. In 1991 he was invited to contribute a page to the first issue of RAW’s second volume. He married the look of Bazooka Joe bubble gum comics to the nine circles of Dante’s Inferno. For the next issue of RAW he drew “Good Ol’ Gregor Brown,” an adaptation of Kafka’s "Metamorphosis" in the form of a series of Peanuts strips. For the last 13 years he has been presenting his "Carousel" series of multimedia comics slideshows in various venues in the United States and Canada.

Last September, Robert’s book, “Masterpiece Comics” hit the stores. Published by Drawn & Quarterly, “Masterpiece Comics” is a collection of his mash-ups of classic comics with classic literary works. Some of the stories include Dagwood and Blondie as Adam and Eve from the book of Genesis, “Crime and Punishment” featuring Gil Kane's Batman as Raskol and characters from Little Lulu in his version of the “Scarlet Letter.” His cartoons and illustrations have appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as well as in The New Yorker, GQ, Fortune, Esquire, The Onion, MAD, and Nickelodeon Magazine. Both The New York Foundation for the Arts and The American Antiquarian Society have awarded him artists fellowships. Robert lives in Manhattan with his wife Kriota Willberg who is a very successful choreographer. You should stop by both his official website and his Drawn & Quarterly page.

What is your favorite pen to use?
It really varies -- for sketching, I like the archival pens that Pigma and Faber Castell make. For inking, I use Speedball pen nibs, generally. And I've recently gotten a Cintiq (an interactive pen display), which has taken over my life! My two latest commercial comics jobs were created entirely digitally, in Photoshop. But, since almost all of my work is parody, I have to be pretty flexible about the techniques I use.

Do you draw in pencil first and if so do you use a standard pencil or a mechanical one?
I draw with whatever I have handy. When I'm inking on paper, I'll trace my final, tightest sketches onto the board with a mechanical pencil.

Do you do your coloring by hand or on the computer?
On the computer, in Photoshop, almost exclusively.

If you do your coloring by hand, what do you use?
Depends on the look I'm parodying. Most likely, though, I'd use colored pencils or watercolor.

What type of paper do you use?
For inking, I prefer Strathmore bristol board, 3 ply, smooth.

What thing(s) do you hate to draw?
Hmmm.... I'd hate to draw the same style over and over again, but I can't think of a specific "thing."

Do you buy your supplies from big chain art store catalogues/websites or a local one that you physically go to?
Luckily, downtown Manhattan has plenty of actual stores, and I prefer to leave the house whenever possible!

Are there any rituals that you do before starting to draw?
No, not really. When I'm about to ink, I do like to warm up a little bit, which generally means scribbling with my pens on tracing paper or vellum, placed on top of my pencil art.

Do you listen to music while you draw and if so what genre?
iTunes tells me I like "alternative," electronic, hip hop, rock... When I'm inking, and if I can concentrate, I like to listen to audio books. Classics, mainly. Lots of podcasts, too. NPR and WFMU are favorites.

Did you read comics as a kid and if so what was your favorite?
I read lots of the daily newspaper comics. Peanuts was by far my favorite. My brothers and I also avidly read and collected Marvel comics.

What is or was your favorite comic strip?
Of all time? Peanuts was -- Krazy Kat is today. Although that's a really tough call.

What was your favorite book as a child and do you still own a copy of it?
"Where the Wild Things Are" made a very strong impression, and I've still got a copy.
I certainly have a lot of the same comics, though mostly in reprinted form.

Did you have any formal art training and if so where did you receive it?
I studied illustration at Parsons, where I now teach. At the same time, in the late 1980's, I also sat in on some amazing cartoon and animation classes at SVA.

Do you feel that the Internet is a blessing or a curse?
Absolutely!

Did either of your parents draw?
No, but my father taught English, which undoubtedly helped make me a cartoonist who writes.

Who in your life is/was the most supportive of your art?
My family was very supportive, and my brothers and I drew comics together when we were kids. My wife Kriota loves comics and is enormously encouraging.

Do you keep a sketchbook?
Not consistently, but I have notebooks that get interesting when I'm working on my own comics. Lots of scribbles and rough drafts.

Have you ever taught cartooning/drawing and if so did you enjoy the experience?
Yes, I do, and I really enjoy it. Students can be hugely inspiring.

Do you feel that talent or passion is more important in drawing?
That's a tough call. They're both pretty useful!

Do you collect anything and if so what?
Too many comics. Some music.

If you were an animated cartoon character who do you think you would be?
I have no idea. Sometimes I pace like the 1920's Felix the Cat. But all we really share is a walk cycle.

Are you a righty or lefty?
Righty.

If you weren't an artist what would you want to do for work?
Hmmm. I'd love to work in the theater, as a performer or producer. I've put together a lot of shows, such as my Carousel (cartoon slide show) series, which I still do -- but the theater has never been a viable career for me!

In one or two sentences describe your drawing area.
It needs organizing. It's very cluttered, surrounded by lots of reference and books that've overflowed my shelves.

Do you play any musical instruments?
No, unfortunately.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to pursue drawing as a career what would it be?
Draw more!

Who is your favorite artist?
Whomever I'm parodying today...


A special thank you goes out to Robert for taking time away from his very busy schedule to answer my questions.

The Cartoonist Surveys continue with cartoonist Mike Shapiro; next time at David Wasting Paper.

David Collier - Cartoonist Survey #133

Canadian alternative cartoonist David Collier was born in Ontario on January 24, 1963. When he was only 10 he saw some of R. Crumb’s artwork and knew that he wanted to make his own comics. Making mini-comics with his friends as a teen and later submitting work eventually paid off when his first comic strip was published in 1986 in the R. Crumb-edited magazine Weirdo. David joined the Canadian Army and during his serving he was able to draw comic strips for the army newspapers. While in the army he also took up long distance running which he still enjoys. In 1990 he left the army and began cartooning professionally. He created his first comic book series, “Collier’s” with Fantagraphics which was later collected along with most of his anthology submissions in ‘Just The Facts’. During this time he also began a regular illustration and cartooning job for a national newspaper, The Globe and Mail, and his local hometown paper the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix. Some of the anthologies his work has appeared in are The Comics Journal, Duplex Planet Illustrated, Zero Zero and Harvey Pekar’s American Splendor. In 1998 he married the Ontario artist Jennifer Hambleton and a year later their son James was born. In 2000 Drawn and Quarterly published David’s ‘Collier’s Surviving Saskatoon’ which documents the true story of David Milgaard, a man who spent nearly 25 years in prison after he was wrongfully accused of the brutal rape and murder of a nurse in 1969. Drawn and Quarterly began publishing volume two of Collier's solo comic book title “Collier's” in 2002 and in the same year published ‘The Hamilton Sketchbook’, in which he drew about moving with his family from Saskatchewan to Hamilton, Ontario. His ‘The Frank Ritza Papers’ was nominated for a Doug Wright Award for Best Book in 2005. See more of David's work here at his Drawn & Quarterly page.

What is your favorite pen to use?
Hunt #102.

Do you draw in pencil first and if so do you use a standard pencil or a mechanical one?
Wood.

Do you do your coloring by hand or on the computer?
Computer.

If you do your coloring by hand, what do you use?
Pencil.
What type of paper do you use?
Vellum.

What thing(s) do you hate to draw?
Crowds.

Do you buy your supplies from big chain art store catalogues/websites or a local one that you physically go to?Mixed Media
Hamilton's independent art shop
NEW ADDRESS - 154 James St. N.
Hamilton L8R 2K7
905.529.2323

Are there any rituals that you do before starting to draw?
Cold bath.

Do you listen to music while you draw and if so what genre?
Luke Doucet and Melissa McClelland.

This is artwork David created for Luke Doucet's forthcoming album, "Steel City Trawler" which comes out on August 24th.

Did you read comics as a kid and if so what was your favorite?
Donald Duck.

What is or was your favorite comic strip?
Comic Strip: Toonerville Folks - Single Panel: Out Our Way
I also looked at the Canadian Strip Birdseye Centre a lot when I was a kid (in reprints).

What was your favorite book as a child and do you still own a copy of it?
Tripod books by John Carpenter- yes.

Did you have any formal art training and if so where did you receive it?
Sheridan College.

Do you feel that the Internet is a blessing or a curse?
Curse- the computer I use for work deliberately has no access.

Did either of your parents draw?
Yes.

Who in your life is/was the most supportive of your art?
My wife.

Do you keep a sketchbook?
Yes.

Have you ever taught cartooning/drawing and if so did you enjoy the experience?
Made a comic with a lunch-time club at my son's school. It was fun, but a lot of work!

Do you feel that talent or passion is more important in drawing?
Passion.

Do you collect anything and if so what?
My house approaches the Collyer Bros., New York, 1944.

If you were an animated cartoon character who do you think you would be?
The horny fox in Tex Avery's famous one.

Are you a righty or lefty?
Left.

If you weren't an artist what would you want to do for work?
Underwater welder.

In one or two sentences describe your drawing area.
Everywhere.

Do you play any musical instruments?
Guitar.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone who wants to pursue drawing as a career what would it be?
Keep on struggling.

Who is your favorite artist?
Jennifer Hambleton.

Thanks very much David!

Up next is comic book artist Colleen Coover.