Illustrator Andy admitted that he is a fan of Bored Panda and reads our online magazine ‘all the time.’ According to the artist, it takes him 2 to 3 hours, on average, to draw a single comic. However, the process can take far longer: “Sometimes, way longer because I'll edit and re-draw the same idea several times.”
The creator of these funny comics has a very interesting point of view towards art that stresses the importance of discipline in reminding the artist why he loves drawing in the first place. “It's a bit like showering. Sometimes, you really don't want to, but as soon as you get in you don't want to leave. I have a similar relationship with drawing. I can go long periods of time without it, but as soon as I return to it, I remember everything I love about it and don't want to stop.”
Bored Panda was interested to hear whether Andy always wanted to be an artist. Here’s what he had to say: “I think so. When I was really young, I loved doodling and playing with clay. When I started school, drawing became an escape from seemingly endless boredom.”
“When I was in college, I dabbled with the idea of becoming an Artist (with a capital ‘A’) but decided that it didn't feel like a genuine way to express myself. A few years ago I stumbled on accident onto the idea of drawing comics, and something just kind of clicked.”
Despite the large following of fans who eagerly await his every new creative idea, Andy says that he doesn’t yet consider himself to be a professional artist. However, he has learned a lot of valuable lessons on his way up.
“The biggest challenge I've faced is learning to not pay too much attention to what people say. If 99% of the feedback is positive, my natural tendency is to look at the 1% that isn't.”
“When I was starting out, I'd be very bothered by negative comments, and it would affect my desire to draw and cause me to second guess myself. Nowadays I'm much less affected by such things. I try to keep a healthy distance between what I do and what people say about it,” he said.
He also shared some honest advice with those artists who might be too scared or too shy to share their art with the world: “You're not going to get better by hiding. Your fear is absolutely holding you back. Share your work now, if only to prove to yourself that you are no coward. Afterwards, you'll find that what felt like jumping off a cliff was in reality no scarier than stepping off the curb.”
When asked if there was anything else that he would like to share with Bored Panda’s readers and his own fans, Andy of Skeleton Claw quipped: “Try to use less plastic if you can.” But as they say, each joke has a kernel of truth hidden somewhere inside it.
