Born in Moscow on August 22, 1986.
No higher education.
Previously unemployed, working for Bubble since the beginning of 2013.
Worked as an artist on the "Red Fury", "Demonslayer" and "Exlibrium" series, was the lead artist behind the "Meteora" series.
Married to Margarita Kablukova.

When did you start drawing?

Way back in preschool-age I'd get "pacified" by being given art tools. So, since I was a kid, I guess :) But in all seriousness, I've drawn a bit throughout my childhood and adolescent years but without much enthusiasm, doing only slightly better than my peers. I only really got interested in it somewhere around age 22.

What happened that made you decide to start drawing comics?

Bubble happened :) I've never thought of myself as a comics artist before my employment here. I had dabbled a bit in drawing in a storyboard-comics kind of format but without any kind of script my enthusiasm would quickly run out.

And how exactly did "Bubble happen"? How did you land the job?

One day Konstantin Tarasov, who was an Internet friend of mine from long before Bubble, messaged me on Skype and asked me to draw 18, I think, pages for an issue of the Fury. Curious, I agreed. After submitting my work I got invited into the office and, after a small anxiety-inducing interview (I wasn't very social at the time), I got the job at Bubble.

Who inspires you? Who do you look up to?

Interesting ideas are what inspires me, theoretical possibilities and "What if?" scenarios. If I'm being honest, I'm not all that interested in other artists and their works (to clarify, I like many artists and their works, but to take someone and put them up on a pedestal? No).

Do you like to play games?

I do :) I like shooters, RPGs, sandbox games, non-progression based games. For me, it's a good way to relax and de-stress.

Do you have a favourite anime?

I don't seem to have what you'd call a FAVOURITE anime. But I really enjoyed:

"Mind Game" for its expressiveness;

"Vampire Hunter D" for the excellent concepts;

"Magnetic Rose" from "Memories", don't know why I just like it;

"Planetes" for the harsh realism.

What Bubble series would you like to work on? Not counting the one you're currently on.

I'd like to get my hands on the "Allies" :) It would be a great excuse to pursue a long-held wish of mine: to do an in-depth study of real-life weaponry and gear.

Is it hard, working as an artist?

Not unless you force yourself to do something you don't enjoy. Alas, even an artisan will be hard-pressed to do what seems like a simple job when their heart isn't in it. I like doing what I do right now, so I'm not suffering :)

Do you consider yourself an accomplished artist?

No, I still have a lot of growing to do :)

Do your relatives or friends often ask you to draw them?

They used to, but my desperate resistance bore fruit. :)

Previously you worked on a very fantasy-like series, but now you work with a cosmic setting. How does your work differ between the two genres? Which one is more to your liking?

I don't see much of a difference apart from the change of staff. What appeals to me is the chance to create new concepts, the more, the better :)

How do you fight laziness and art block?

By avoiding them as much as possible. Most often art blocks and laziness stem from stressful situations from workloads or something else. Gaming helps me personally, a little distraction helps stabilize my attitude towards work and from there the situation starts gradually improving. It doesn't always work because there's the ever-present risk of falling into the hole that is binging, and that's something I definitely don't need before a deadline :)

If you could meet and talk to three people, who would it be and what would you talk about?

I wouldn't want to talk to someone. I'd like to take a look at the first homo sapiens.

As a small exclusive for this interview, we asked Andrey to draw something for us and filmed the process!