Q&A with Nate Powell

Scholastic Art: Were you a creative kid?

Nate Powell: I was a creative child. I’m still kind of a creative child. I started drawing when I was about 3 years old. I also started getting into comics around the same time, mostly because Wonder Woman, the Hulk, and Spider-Man were all on TV then. I made art all the time, but I didn’t realize that I would enjoy making comics until the end of sixth grade. I was reading comics with my friend Mike. All of a sudden, he said, “Hey, we should make comics together.” And it was like a lightning bolt. I was like, “Of course we should make comics. Let’s go!” And here I am, 35 years later.

SA: How did you get started professionally?

NP: I self-published my books for 10 years, from age 14 to 24. I photocopied my comics and sold them at school and the local comic book store. Eventually, I started keeping a list of creators and editors whose work I liked. Every time I put out a book, I sent a copy to everyone on my list. Only a few people would write back. But from those first mail-outs, I started to develop longstanding relationships with people who later published my books.

SA: What’s your working process?

NP: I quickly scribble down little moments, imagined or from my real life, in my sketchbook, and I just let them sit for a while. Then I look at all those little moments and figure out if any of them have any relationship to one another. I put each little scene on an index card. I sit on the floor, lay out all the cards, and arrange them to see if each moment could possibly work with the others. I do that five or six times, and eventually a story comes together. Then I’ll do a quick, scribbly layout of the entire book, every page in thumbnail sketches to work out the basic stuff. Then I do pencil drawings for the final pages, based on the thumbnail sketches. I’ll finish by lettering, inking, and doing color washes.

SA: What challenges have you faced in your career?

NP: It’s hard to make a living making comics. For many years, it seemed like it just wasn’t in the cards that I could be a full-time cartoonist. I had an entirely separate career for 10 years, but I realized I had to make comics even if I couldn’t make a living doing it. So I drew comics in my spare time. I got a chance to try quitting my job and to see if I could be a full-time cartoonist for a few months. I kind of winged it for the next five or six years and eventually realized I was doing it for real.

SA: What skills do you need to develop a graphic novel?

NP: You have to be willing to try, fail, and try again. I make mistakes and have to throw away drawings every day. Then I try again. That really is a part of the process. You have to figure out a way to make that as painless as possible because it’s unavoidable. 

SA: Do you have any advice for aspiring cartoonists or artists?

NP: I’ve been made fun of and pushed around for being a comic book nerd. But the people who make fun of me for daring to express myself and be vulnerable are the ones who feel insecure. Let that set you free. When you’re daring to express yourself, remember that you’re on the right track.