Interview with illustrator/comic artist Nick Edwards
London based comic artist and illustrator Nick Edwards has some seriously funny work!! Nick’s illustrations are very science focussed and include random scenes of solar systems, robots, (mostly cute) aliens, cats, spaceships, and sometimes burger-tanks and hotdog-robots – as seen below!Dinopopolous is Nick’s first comic being published and due to be released soon! It features the story of a boy and his dinosaur on a search for a mythical bird. See the cover of Dinopopolous at the top of the article.
His freelance projects a usually for a specific brief, but his comics allow his to challenge himself, be creative and original. And his talents far exceed his mere 20 years of age!
Nick’s process starts with a Hunt 102 nib and Indian ink, then he moves into Photoshop where he colours on his Wacom tablet.
He has a great range of comics, sketches and work in progress on his blog, you can follow Nick on twitter, and his original deviantART account, that he started as a 14 year old comic obsessed youngin, is here.
How have you got to where you are today?
I started by putting my work up online when I was 14. First I was just putting work on art forums such as Gingerbox and Penny Arcade forum. When I was 15 I finally setup a deviantart account and then later a livejournal.
Then I got my first commission when I was 16. Since then, the internet has really been all I’ve used to get exposure and work opportunities.
In a few words, describe yourself…
Tall, glasses, hair, goofy, friendly, introvert.
What are you spending your time on at the moment?
I am working on my next comic. It is about a universe mainly populated by these odd beetle/insect creatures.
Do you have a ritual for getting into the creative mindset? Or a creative process?
My ritual is just to draw every day, most of the time.
If I’m ever stuck for an idea I’ll do some more mindless work (eg colouring something) or I’ll read a book and wait for inspiration to strike. Or I’ll play with one of my cats.
What or who inspires you?
I’m inspired by nature, science, pop culture, as well as film, and other comics and illustration. I also still watch a lot of cartoons.
People that inspire me are other artists: Charles Burns, Dave Cooper, Lewis Trondheim, Hergé and Moebius to name a few. Also my contemporaries: Luke Pearson, Jack Teagle, Philippa Rice, Louis Roskosch and so many more.
What are you most proud of?
My upcoming comic Dinopopolous. My first properly published comic coming out in the near future thanks to Blank Slate Books.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Cartoonist. Although I didn’t know what that really meant when I was 8. I briefly wanted to be a fireman when I was 4, but that was just a phase.
