Q: Originally from the South, what are some of your favorite things about living and working in Wisconsin?

A: I’m originally from Kingsport, Tennessee, but I have lived in Savannah, Georgia and New York City. I’m living in Milwaukee now. I love New York, and I miss it, but it was harder to live there once I had a family.  Milwaukee is a great town for creative people. The work-ethic among creatives here always impresses me.

Q: Do you keep a sketchbook? What is the balance between the art you create on paper versus in the computer?

A: I keep a sketchbook, but I’m often working on loose paper for ease of scanning. Very little of my work is done entirely in the computer, except for the iotacons, which are extremely low-resolution portraits. Most of the time, I’m painting with gouache.

 Archie the Daredevil Penguin (Viking Penguin)

Q: What is the most important item in your studio?

A: My computer is most vital for getting work done, but I’m worried that if I choose a most important item, all of the other items will feel bad. I love them all equally, from the small lightbox to the unopened package of red Sculpey, to the post-it note third down from the top.

Q: What do you like best about your workspace? Do you think it needs improvement, if so, what would you change?

A: The commute. The only way it could be faster is if I installed a fire pole. It could stand to be tidied up a bit! Also, I would lower the windows about six inches down the wall.

Q: How do you know when the art is finished?

A: When I launch into a big new project, I tend to devise a unique method of image-making to match the project. I usually have a few false starts. But I know when I’ve hit the method I like, and then I’m rolling. My question usually isn’t, “Is this art finished?” but rather, “Is this art started?”

President iotacons

Q: What was your favorite book as a child?

A: Drummer Hoff by Barbara and Ed Emberley. It is beautiful and funny and it is as deep as you want it to be.

Q: What is the best book you’ve recently read?

A: The Stench of Honolulu by Jack Handey. 

Q: If you had to choose one medium to work in for an entire year, eliminating all others, what medium would you choose?

A: Gouache. I love the way the colors mix. I love the surface. I love the way it pulls. I even like the smell! 

Are you a horse? (Scholastic)

Q: If you could time travel to any era, any place, where would you go?

A: I would seek myself out twenty years in the future to see if I had any advice for me.

Q: What is preoccupying you at the moment?

A: I’m trying to figure out if I have anything useful to impart to a twenty-years-younger version of myself.

Q: What are some of your favorite places/books/blogs/websites for inspiration?

A: I love old movies, especially old horror movies. I look at Cartoon Modern, which is a book of 1950’s animation designs collected by Amid Amidi. I like the concept art books Pixar puts out. I recently saw a documentary about Tomi Ungerer called Far Out Isn’t Far Enough that I found very inspiring. I return to the poetry of Shel Silverstein and Edward Gorey again and again. I’m also constantly inspired by the work I see on Facebook and Twitter from my illustrator friends. 

Ten Little Zombies: A Love Story (Chronicle)

Q: What was the [Thunderbolt] painting or drawing or film or otherwise that most affected your approach to art?

A: Maybe the animation at the beginning of Mystery! on PBS, or maybe The Stinky Cheese Man illustrations by Lane Smith.

Q: What would be your last supper?

A: I suppose a sufficient amount of any poison would probably do it.

The Robots Are Coming (Scholastic)

Andy Rash is an Author/Illustrator/Animator with clients including The New York Times, Wired, The New Yorker, Time, and Nickelodeon. His books include Are You a Horse, Ten Little Zombies: A Love Story, and Archie the Daredevil Penguin. His low-res “iotacons” portraits are featured in books and magazines, television, and mosaic installations.  Blog: http://iotacons.blogspot.com  Twitter: @iotacons