Anders Nilsen creates sprawling worlds through his illustration, often in large format with linework that bleeds off the edges of the page, and, we can imagine, continues infinitely. His drawings carry this quality even when he confines himself (mostly) to a sketchbook. Here, he discusses the process of making his travelogue-in-comics, “Grand Canyon Sketchbook.”
—Kristen Radtke
THE BELIEVER: How did this comic start?
ANDERS NILSEN: I work in sketchbooks regularly, especially when I’m away from home. Traveling offers a lot of downtime—while sitting on or waiting for planes and trains for example. And away from your routine you’re both in a heightened state of attention and getting bombarded by new experiences. The Grand Canyon had the added benefit of being off the data and cellphone grid. So I spent a lot of time trying to capture and process the experience in my sketchbook.
BLVR: What’s your process like?
AN: For this it was very loose: just draw whatever was in front of me, describe a person or record an experience from the day, and see if it turned into anything interesting. I edited some of the pieces later for clarity and coherence. Also, for every spread that is worth showing, there’s at least one or two that are mostly garbage.
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