Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Andy Gordon. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Andy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
I drew a 34 page comic all by myself, then crowdfunded on Kickstarter to raise interest and money for printing. My writer and I were confident enough in the story he had written and art I was producing that we knew we wanted to make the project regardless of the outcome of the Kickstarter. We have a passion for comic making, and my time at SCAD’s Sequential Art program taught me the skills to tell better stories, as well as introduce me to the world of self publishing.
However the reception to the Kickstarter was really surprising, and we nearly doubled our goal. We spent the extra money to print more copies of the comic, and take it to comic conventions and I’m in the works of getting it in some of my local comic shops here in Knoxville TN.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
My name is Andy Gordon, I’m a comic book artist and Illustrator living in Knoxville Tennessee. In 2023 I self-published my first comic, a 34 page sci-fi horror named “Benny and the Lich”. I graduated from SCAD with an MFA in Sequential art, and since then I have been working full time as a freelance artist.
Including my experience self publishing , I also have worked as a colorist on a series of published graphic novels, (Art Club, by Rashad Doucet) as well as a storyboard artist for video game commercials through MediaJuice Studios LLC.
If you would like to see my work, buy my comic ,or follow my process check out my website or my Instagram
www.andygordonart.com
www.instagram.com/andygordonart
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson that I had to unlearn, and something that I think a lot of artists suffer from, is feeling the need to wait until they are “good enough” to start working on that big project they have in their mind. It’s a system of thought that still continues to plague me today! And something I need to talk my self out of all the time.
My comic making career started when I stopped waiting for DC to notice me, and started making my own comics and selling them. In order to run a successful Kickstarter and make a comic from scratch, I had to stop telling myself I wasn’t quite good enough to start yet, and just sit down and see what I can make in a couple months of work.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
I find it very rewarding when my art is bought as a gift. It just makes me happy when someone sees my work and it makes them think of someone enough that they feel they just need to give it to them. I’ve had people buy my comic, and after reading it, come back to buy more copies to give their friends. Its quite gratifying to have repeat customers and fans of your work in that way.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.andygordonart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/andygordonart
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-gordon-a69b831a7/
- Other: SHOP: https://andygordonart.bigcartel.com/