Bill Nichols’ Prescription:
Comics 10ccs of the Process with
Bob Quinn

What inspires you to create and keeps you going?

You’ve probably heard someone say that art is a journey not a destination, and the more time goes on the more I believe that.  You’re not walking to Artville, and when you get there you go – I DID IT!  I have achieved ART.  You’re on this path with tight turns, steep elevations, pot holes, dense forests and beautiful meadows, and every time you crest a hill you don’t see your destination, just more path.  But there’s always something new ahead of you.  That’s the fun part.  This took me along time to realize.  At the moment I believe that artists start this journey to better understand themselves.  Art is a lifelong pursuit and as long as there’s a part of me that I need to explore, I’ll probably keep creating things.  But check back with me in a few years… I may change my mind again.

Do you have a set routine?

A good friend of mine who also draws comics once called me, “a f***ing banker,” and an old editor once said I approach comics like a lunchpail job.  All that is to say – Yeah.  I’m very regimented.  I wake up, I grab a cup of coffee and draw until the page I have to get done that day is done no matter what time that ends up being.

What kind of output do you try to achieve?

I do a page per day pencilled and inked.  That rate is sustainable for a career and keeps me pretty sane.  Is that the rate I want?  Not really.  If I COULD, I’d do two or three a day, but I think I’d be sacrificing a lot of quality at that point.  But the truth is that I have a lot of things I want to do and books I want to create, but there are only so many hours in the day so I have to work and my arm only moves so fast.

What inspires you WHEN you create? Music? Noise? Silence?

When I create??? Nothing really, I don’t think.  When I’m doing layouts I need silence so I can piece together the puzzle that is the script, the story, the action, and a readable layout.  After that I have music, podcasts, or whatever on in the background as white noise while I dial in the details.

Who was the first comic book creator that influenced you to pursue this?

Marc Silvestri, but you’d never know it from my work.

When did you realize you could follow this path yourself?

I don’t think I ever did  My entire career has been a series of accidents and good luck.  My first opportunity was to draw a graphic novel my friend and I wrote and I didn’t think we could get anyone I liked at the page rate we had… so I bet big on myself and drew it with no plan, no safety net, no real connections in the industry, nothing.  But, amazingly, when I finally finished the book, I had someone ask if I could draw a book for them at a publisher.  I never stopped drawing after that.

What do you find to be a challenge in creating?

This is going to sound grim, but not loving your own work / feeling the deep desire to improve.  The problem for me is – when you’re expected to hit deadlines, you have less time to noodle and perfect the thing you’re working on, as well as less time and energy to practice drawing.  I find that I just kinda get swept away in the – IT NEEDS TO BE DONE NOW of it all.  So experiments and trying to improve happen on the page I’m currently drawing… but I can’t mess around too much or my editor will start raising eyebrows going – what exactly are you doing here? This looks nothing like the rest of the issue…

What else do you have to learn?

So much, man. So much.  It’s a separate interview.

What keeps you motivated to get better?

I really do think think its that whole path and self discovery thing… when I see something that someone else drew that resonates with me, and I realize they have a skill I don’t yet, in variable I’ll say to myself – I need to learn how to do THAT thing next.

Can you turn your brain (creativity) off (and on)?

It’s basically always on.  When I’m talking to someone or if I’m doing some video gaming it turns off, but that’s usually the only time.

Booster Shots

What advice do you have for aspiring creators?

Do remember that art, and specifically comic art, is a job and that a level of professionalism will reward you in the long run.  I’m not the best artist working, but I’m easy to work with and I’m on time.  I thank over a decade of office jobs for that mentality every day.  You can churn out pretty quickly if you’re an unprofessional jerk who misses deadlines.

Do you ever worry about running out of ideas?

I have a spreadsheet of ideas I keep… Each day I worry I won’t get to all of them.. and it keeps getting longer. I’m good there.

How do you handle the slow times?

Typically I fill that time with personal projects or commissions… but usually personal projects because I hate commissions.

How do you feel about the industry?

Publishing, in general, is in a real weird spot, and periodical publishing is in an even weirder spot.  Again, I could talk at great length about this… maybe another interview in the future just on that subject.  Regardless, comics will continue in some form or another regardless of where things go in the publishing industry because they are the greatest storytelling medium.

Do you have a website or link to promote your work?

I do!  Bobqdraw.com and I’m mostly on bluesky these days if you want to chat – @RobotJQ.bsky.social

DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed by the above creator are theirs. This interview may not 

be reprinted or reposted without permission.