Bill Nichols’ Prescription:
Comics 10ccs of the Process with
Sean Ellery

What inspires you to create and keep on going?

Seeing everyone else’s artwork online. Especially from those whom I aspire to emulate or to become as good as they are. People like Steve Firchow, Artgerm, Nei Ruffino. I look at their art colours and inevitably think; “How are they doing *that*!?

 

Do you have a set routine?

Only in that I use every spare moment I have to colour something. It’s my hobby as well as an occasional side-gig doing paid work. You’ll find me most nights in front of the computer after dinner for a few hours winding down and colouring something. It’s a way to relax after teaching at work all day.

 

What kind of output you hope to achieve?

Well, I have no set schedule when I’m just doing a picture for fun, so those can take anywhere from a few nights to a few weeks! (Working roughly 3 hours a night) It will all depend on the picture and how complex it is. I’ll work on a bit until I’m happy that it looks right before doing the next.

Overall, I average a new picture every 10 – 14 days. I have to keep reminding myself that I don’t *owe* a new picture to anybody and stop myself rushing it because I feel like I’m ‘late’ posting something new online. 

If it’s for a paid piece of course I’ll work to the deadline. Something which I’m proud to say I’ve never missed! Usually, I manage to come in early though this has meant some late nights at times.

 

What inspires you when you create?

I’ll always have the radio on next to me when I’m on the computer. Sometimes I’ll play something off YouTube, and on occasion I set my laptop up next to me and have a streamed movie or TV series playing in the background. (I really need to get myself a dual screen set up!

 

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

For lineart; David Finch, Marc Silvestri and Topcow art in general. For inks; Joe Weems, Lebeau Underwood, and Art Thibert. For colours; Steve Firchow in his Topcow art days. I’d deeply love to get paid to colour something for Topcow… 

 

When did you realise that you could follow this path yourself?

I started this as a hobby back in 2001 and coloured a little girl Elf sitting on a Christmas gift. In the process I was teaching myself how to use Photoshop which I had never used before then. It took me about 6 hours to do something that I can now do in 5 minutes.

At the end of it though I thought “That was fun!” and went looking for more lineart. It also helped that this would prove to be an essentially ‘free’ hobby. After about 2 years of just posting stuff online, David Rivera asked me to colour a picture he’d drawn and inked and he paid me for it. That motivated me further and I did various one-off pictures for people that asked. In 2010 I was asked to do some art refurbishment for Marvel for their “Official Handbook to the Marvel Universe” books, and then in 2012 I was spotted by Anthony Spay at Zenescope and that led me to colouring at least one cover a month for the next 7 years. Along the way I’ve done people’s Kickstarter projects such as Art Thibert’s “ChronoMechanics” covers and pinups, and most recently I’ve just spent the last 2 years colouring my first full book of 61 pages (plus covers and sundry items) for C/O Andrew Nowrojee’s “Exo Nautilus”. Andrew lives in Perth Australia like me so this made it an entirely local project.

All without any active promotion or formal portfolio submissions. Just posting stuff online wherever I could and keeping up a regular schedule of doing so. People have found me.

 

What do you find to be a challenge in creating?

Hair? I can never seem to colour it as well as other people can. Otherwise it’s just seeing other people’s work and thinking “How can *I* do that!?”

 

What else do you have to learn?

Everything? You never stop learning.

What motivates you to get better?

Seeing what everyone else is doing and as I’ve said before; Asking myself “How’d they do that!?” and then setting myself with a personal challenge to work out how by trying to do it as well.

 

Can you turn you brain creativity off and on?

No not really. I’m always observing things around me and mentally filing it away as ideas for the future.

 

Booster Shots:

 

What advice do you have for aspiring creators?

Practise. Practise some more, and then when you’ve thought you’ve practiced enough you can start really practicing. Every night, every spare moment.

 

Do you ever worry about running out of ideas?

Not really. There’s a world of art out there to gain inspiration from.

 

How do you handle the slow times?

It’s very frustrating. Usually this comes after something I’ve done that I personally feel was a real achievement point for me. Then I’ll start flatting one pic, not be very motivated with it. Start another, and have the same problem. This can go on for 4 or 5 pictures until finally one clicks…

I have a folder on my HDD called “Holdovers” with dozen of partially started pictures in them. Occasionally I’ll go back and pick one up and this time be able to finish it. That might be years later though.

 

How do you feel about the industry?

That’s a very loaded question! How long do you want this Q&A to be??

Having just had a our local Supanova Comic Con here in Perth, one thing I’d say to the Pros is; “Remember you were once that newbie fanboy” and to drop the arrogance that I’ve seen displayed both at Cons and also online on various forums over the years.

It’s not everyone of course. The vast majority out there are wonderful, communicative people only too happy to talk to the up-and-coming artists and offer advice or just have a chat. But I’ve also seen some very big industry names with their heads buried in their latest art piece and then acting annoyed and giving an attitude that someone else wants to show off their own artwork and have a chat to them.I guess it’s the teacher in me. I’m always open to sharing ideas and/or teaching a technique whenever someone asks. There’s no big Guild Secrets to the comic industry. We’re all in this together.

 

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

be reprinted or reposted without permission.