An Interview With Andy Nukes
Interview: Brigitte Coovert
BC: How long have you been drawing and can you describe your art style for us?
AN: I’ve been drawing all my life. I was born on 1948 so that’s a fair
number of years. I’ve been actively publishing since the 1980s and was
doing drawings for friends in high school in the 1960s. There have
been a lot of changes in my life but drawing has been there for most
of the journey.
My style incorporates a lot of disparate influences from the old Carl
Barks Donald Duck comics to the underground comics of the 1960s to the
punk art of the 1980s. Specific artists who have directly influenced
me include Ed “Big Daddy” Roth (Rat Fink), Basil Wolverton (do a
Google search if you don’t know who he is), Cal Schenkel (who did a
lot of work for Frank Zappa), the San Francisco hippie comix artists
(such as Robert Crumb, S. Clay Wilson, Rory Hayes, Bill Griffith, and
others), various fringe comix artists (such as Mark Beyer), and the
punk comix artists (especially Gary Panter). I owe a debt to the
late-period Picasso and even old masters such as Albrecht Durer. The
great Pop artists (especially Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol) were
very influential. The philosophies and subject matter of both Dada and
Surrealism also had a big impact on me.
How would I describe my style? Hmmm. It certainly shows the influence
of comics (and comix) art but much of what I do is not comic art.
(According to some people, none of it is. Who knows? Maybe they’re
right.) Many of my drawings are surrealist (at least in a general
sense) but in a comic book sort of way. Unlike real comic artists, I
rarely do sequential things. Most of my drawings are stand-alone (more
like illustrations than comic book pages). But the style and
sensibility of comic book art is always there. Mostly, though, it’s
about fun. I have fun when I draw and I want looking at the resultant
drawing to be fun.
BC: What was the worst critique you received and how did it make you feel?
AN: The funniest critique was from a more traditional comic book
artist who slammed me for not using a ruler to do the borders around
my drawings. Straight lines have no place in my drawings. Neatness is
not a goal or a part of my aesthetic. So that critique amused me.
The toughest criticism of my work (because it is true) is that I
seldom do sequential work. I simply am not skilled enough to draw the
same face (for example) across multiple panels. I wish I could but
wishing doesn’t make it happen. On the other hand, though, when I have
done sequential things, I got bored. I don’t want to draw the same
person or persons over and over again. But, the critique does sting a
bit simply because it is true.
The biggest blow to my artistic ego, though, happened when a number of
my drawings were on display at a piercing parlor in Florida. Thieves
broke into the place one night and stole everything – I mean,
literally, everything in the shop – except my drawings. I didn’t know
whether to be relieved or insulted. I’m still not sure.
Seriously, though, I have had a few local shows and sales were very
poor. Aside from feeling unloved or whatever, this did help me to get
a clearer focus regarding what my work is about. For years, my
priority has been publication, generally in small press publications.
I have done well at this. (A few hundred of my drawings have been
published over the years.) These experiences helped me to understand
that drawing for publication is what I do best. Shows are fun (and I
still participate in them when I can) but they no longer carry the
weight they once did for me.
BC: How does working primarily in black and white differ from working in color?
AN: It is both easier and more difficult. From a practical point of
view it is much easier to work in black and white. It requires less
supplies and takes less time. Black and white also offers different
challenges and different opportunities. The biggest advantage to black
and white is the potential for a really bold image. I do work in color
occasionally (primarily pieces for art shows) and enjoy that but there
is a different feel to my color work.
BC: Can you walk us through the process of creating a drawing?
AN: Sure. I start off with a pencil underdrawing which I do with my
left hand. The reason I mention this is that I’m right-handed. The
advantage of using my left hand is that this allows for less control
over the image that is being laid down on the page. Previously, when I
worked with my right hand, my drawings were far too controlled, too
neat. Naturally, over the years, I’ve gotten more proficient at
drawing left-handed. But the resultant drawings still have a rough
look to them that I like. When the underdrawing is done, I go over it
in ink with my right hand. At this point, I want control so that my
inking is faithful to the original pencil drawing. That’s why my
drawings look all crazy sloppy yet, at the same time, look a bit
obsessively neat.
I used to use India ink exclusively for inking my drawings. But they
are logistically impossible. The pens have to be constantly cleaned
and then replaced and good India ink is hard to find and on and on. So
I switched to Sharpie pens, which work just fine. My friend Josh
Sullivan recently turned me on to brush pens, which are a great
supplement to the Sharpies. When I do color work, I use watercolors
(applied before the drawing is inked) and crayons (applied after the
drawing is inked).
BC: Why “Andy Nukes”?
AN: Good question. Basically, my birth name is pretty lame. (Sorry,
Mom.) I wanted a name that expressed what I feel when I’m drawing.
Besides, it makes for some fun word play. One of my mini-comix is
called MORE NUKES. I think that’s funny. I’ve had a number of people
write to me and tell me that “Andy Nukes” is a great name and if it’s
not my real name it should be. They’re right, of course.
BC: What advice can you give people who are just starting out?
AN: Draw (or paint or whatever) every day (or as often as possible).
In that sense, art is no different than football or guitar. Hmmm,
maybe I should do that.
It is essential to find your own style. Sure, start out imitating
other artists you admire, but allow your own style to emerge. I
believe that one’s style is something that happens, not something that
can be forced, so pay attention and be open to what happens when you
draw. I started out wanting to draw like Frank Frazetta. I even had a
Frazetta-wannabe drawing published in a Tarzan fan magazine. But I
quickly discovered that trying to be Frank Frazetta was (for me)
laborious and ultimately boring. When I found my own style drawing
became effortless and fun.
Finally, whatever kind of art you do, do it for you. Trying to please
others or meet their expectations is the kiss of death for an artist.
I have seen far too many great artists lapse into a sorry state of
unintentional self-parody by giving the public what it wants.
You can see more of Andy Nukes’ work at
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1300903960
http://www.flickr.com/photos/72918238@N00/
