Biography
Born in Moscow on April 25, 1987.
Graduated from the International Slavic Institute of Derzhavin, specialised in environmental design.
Working for Bubble since January of 2012.
Began his creative career with the BUBBLE magazine and continued it as the artist on "Major Grom", "Red Fury", "Meteora" and "Exlibrium".

How long have you been drawing?

My whole life. My love for drawing began when I was little and continues on to this day. But to make this answer more interesting, let me tell you a little story: probably the event which can be considered as the beginning of my passion for drawing was when I, at around three or four years old, took a pen and drew a portrait of my uncle. I remember my mom passing by while I was drawing uncle Yura, she saw the portrait, called uncle Yura over, he took a look, everyone praised and marvelled over it And it's one thing when you simply draw and enjoy the process, drawing by its nature is a very pleasant activity, but when you see some kind of response to it in those around you, it feels nice and it encourages you to continue participating in this hobby. I found that response in my relatives that surrounded me, that's how it all started. My mother especially valued my drawings, I'm grateful to her for that.

Was it that good for your age, that portrait?

Honestly, I really can't tell, unfortunately, because I, understandably, don't remember. Well, given that my mom, in general, liked everything I drew, I can't say she didn't have some sort of bias towards my hobby. So it's difficult for me to judge. But last summer, when I was on vacation, I was in the middle of a Big Cleanout of my apartment and I unearthed some really old pictures I drew around age 5–10. Found my pictures, comics, tabletop games, everything I came up with in that five-year interval. There was a drawing I was really proud of, which is a rare thing, by the way. They're so rare it's easy to remember them all. And among those few crown jewels, there was a drawing of Eva, our Chow-Chow, that I made when I was 7. I painted her on glazed paper with a brush and black gouache. It was a whole challenge, to draw her with these particular instruments, simply because, well, normal paper absorbs the paint, but glazed paper pushes it out, so it was kind of a spite drawing. I did purely on principle, it was interesting to draw. Anyway, I really liked that portrait back then and now, when I found it in my archives... You know, it's not too bad, actually. That is, even with my current aesthetic taste it still seems fairly decent and looks quite nice. I mean, if you keep in mind it was made by a 7-year-old. And so, I think, that first portrait was just as good. At least I hope so.

Why did you decide to draw comics?

It just happened. After I graduated there was a period in which I was actively looking for a job. With varying degrees of success, I tried getting into game development as the most obvious choice for where an artist or just a person who's interested in it can go. We don't have a comics industry, so game development. So it came as a complete surprise when all of a sudden Artem found me and asked me to draw comics. It was so incredibly unexpected because I had no idea someone here was even trying to make comics. I remember all the attempts at popularising comics within our vast land: there was "Blaster" from "Egmont" that really inspired me when it came out, there was "Andrei Bruce. Agent of the space fleet" from the same authors, there were "fan-ficy" Batman and ninja turtles adapted by Russian artists, there was "Serezhka" that later mutated into "Watermelon", a few other comics, and that's about it. Those were the 90–98's and when after all this time, in 2011, Artyom comes to me saying some people are making comics and asking to join them, I was interested because it's what I've always strived for. I expressed my interest and asked to show me what they've got, I mean, they might have been amateurs. Don't get me wrong, fresh out of institute I didn't care: be it amateur, professional, semi-professional, so long as I got paid. I didn't want to die of hunger, after all. But I was curious about what I'll have to work with.

And when I opened the first issue of BUBBLE (humorous magazine published prior to the launch of the first comic series in 2012 – editor's not), which I was given to familiarise myself with, and saw a drawing by Andrey Leonidovich Vasin, I got so emotional because Andrey Leonidovich is a monumental figure in our non-existent comics industry, an oldie, he was one of the artists that worked on the "Serezhka" that I mentioned above. So when I saw that I'm being invited to work in a magazine where someone who inspired me as a kid works, I thought: "I have to try, I have to use the opportunity, draw comics and see what happens". Something like that.

Tell us, what was the very beginning of your work in Bubble like?

When Artem came to me and I found out about this cool magazine I said: 'yes, let's try it', and Artem sent me a test task. They were, at the time, looking for an artist for "Gastarbanime" and I made, I think, one page showed it to the guys and they liked it and said: 'yeah, you're on, you'll be working with us'. After that they asked me to come to the office to talk, get to know each other, to understand what wave we're all on, and, in general, it's a good experience, going to the office to take a look at comics artists. Bubble's office was on Prospekt Mira, it was a very small room, where Andrey Leonidovich, Artyom Gabrelyanov, Slava Doronin, Zhenya Fedotov and our writer Michail Rolnik were sitting. So, here I enter this small room, with the few employees that they had, and Andrey Leonidovich starts talking to me. He took the responsibility to talk to me since he was the one who found me, recommended me, he evaluated the test task and gave the go, so he's the one who would be talking to me as the one responsible. And the room was such that the first thing you see when you enter the room is Andrey Leonidovich's table in the corner near the window. He called me over, I'm talking to him and thinking: "Oh, man, so cool, the artist from "Seryozhka" is the one in charge here, so cool". And then Andrey Leonidovich says: "go to our boss," and motions at Artyom who was sitting quietly in the other corner, diligently writing a script. So, that was our first meeting.

After that, we agreed that I'll start working in January. In January I came there and began the "herculean" task of doing 8 pages of comics (lineart and colour) a month. Laugh it up but at the time we didn't have our amazing Denis, or Slava, or Ira, that is to say, our template designers and designers in general, so aside from making these 8 pages we had to perform their duties. Cover artist duty was distributed among us more or less equally. Each artist worked on the layout and not only of their own comics but of those made by freelance-artists plus doing the designer's work.

What inspires you?

Lots of things. We live in an amazing time when information is available at the tap of a finger and you can just go and find archives of any artist from any country and get inspired at any time. So, I can't really say what inspires me. But, in general, aside from what I said about the Internet and the archives, I get inspired by everything that surrounds me. Despite that fact that it could have some negativity in it or be plain boring, I always try to find a glimmer of inspiration in everything. A simple walk to the metro or the supermarket always gives me some moment, some situation that can inspire me or it can stay in my head until it forms into a specific idea that I can use somewhere. I always try to look out for such things. To answer briefly, I'd say that the main thing that inspires me is life. My life, life as in the surroundings. Everything that lives, breathes, that doesn't breathe and doesn't live. All that is and all that is not.

What about music?

Certainly. That's a separate topic altogether. I can talk for hours about it but in short, yes, absolutely, music inspires me. For me, music is one of the most precious activities a human can participate in. The fact that humanity has realised its need to create compositions with specific bars, rhythms, using different instruments: with bows, string, wind, percussion instruments, it delights me. Music is one of the major inspiring things in my life in general. Thank you, humanity and higher powers, that it exists.

Who are your favourite artists?

Well, first of all, the artists here at Bubble and at FSD. Aside from my colleagues, I'll name only a few I remember because an insane amount of artists pass through my head each day, most of them are incredibly cool, a lot of them I don't know the names of, and simply might not remember some icons right off the top of my head. First, I'll probably name the artists to whom a made tributes in the comics I make for Bubble. I use many techniques and draw inspiration from these masters. First of all, it's Sergio Toppi, of course (a tribute to him was in Red Fury). Second, Evgeniy Tikhonovich Migunov, a Russian author, a great artist who illustrated Soviet fairy tales and books about young adventurers (a tribute to him was in one of "Exlibrium's" arcs). Sachin Teng. I have mad respect for his sense of colour and ideas, his head works in amazing ways. I love Greg Capullo for his graphics, an amazing man. Bachalo for his courage. This I most of all envy in other artists, the courage, the ability to achieve more with less, it's a very valuable quality, in my opinion. I try to aspire to it. With varying degrees of success.

Tell us about your favourite games. What do you remember best from the latest ones?

Games are simultaneously my hobby and my vice. Because despite everything great about them, they take up a lot of time that could have been... not to say more useful, but more effective, that's for sure. Still, I love playing computer games, I follow the novelties and all the stories, I'm a little versed in the industry, the trends etc. etc. And all the new titles that are more or less popular I've played to a certain extent. Just recently an absolutely gorgeous game came out, "Kingdom Come: Deliverance". A very untraditional RGP that proves both to the players and the people within the industry that an RPG set in the Middle ages doesn't have to be fantasy to be interesting. That it can pay off and bring money to the people that make such things. It's a wonderful phenomenon. Right now, in a time when microtransactions exist, when big-name publishers try to milk as much money as possible out of their players while spending as little as possible into any sort of innovation or into the game itself, Kingdom Come is a breath of fresh air. And this is a game from a no-name studio, although, to be fair, the game designer for it was the writer and director of "Mafia", and "Mafia" is milestone among the games of the beginning of the '00s. And now, a nameless studio publishes such a peculiar game in a peculiar genre with, to put it lightly, peculiar mechanics, the game is pretty hardcore and often surprises you. And despite all that, they sold millions of copies in a week. Which is to say that the developers have covered the expenses and began to make a profit. In a week! A no-name studio! An RPG without fantasy elements!

While on the topic, I would like to point out Nier: Automata From last year that left a lasting impression on me. It excited me and gave me hope that the Japanese game industry is not in as sorry shape as I thought it was in the last few years. Used to be, the Japanese industry surprised the West with its brave and unconventional decisions, a very peculiar aesthetic, which is why Japanese games became so popular. It was all very cool and wonderful. But ultimately marketing engulfed it all, and the Japanese industry started merging with the Western in terms of ideas, there was a lot of mixing to appeal to a wider audience so that not only the massive Japanese audience and American otakus played the games but also the general western consumer for whom the word "anime" means nothing. Nier: Automata brought back that unexpected and wonderous thing that was characteristic of Japanese games. It's an amazing game from an amazing game designer/writer/author Yoko Taro, God bless him. It is very well done. In terms of how it's presented to the audience and how multilayered it is to attract the attention of the audience, to retain it, and to maintain interest. But that's a whole separate story. I'm pretty sure that everyone who's reading this has played Nier: Automata and know what I'm speaking of. Both Kingdom Come and Nier: Automata are examples of how games with a narrow focus, published without the goal of making big money, end up selling millions. It shows how starved the audience is for such peculiar, unconventional projects. These are what I'd like to note out of the latest releases.

And I'd also like to mention two games that I return to every year. I found out that there are two games that I have loved for my entire life. Well, not exactly entire, one since 2007, because it came out that year, the other from the beginning of the 2000s because that's when I got my first PC. The one I love from the 2000s, that I play with mods and then play again, is DOOM. The first and the second. It's a legendary, stunningly crafted thing. It gives a lot with little. That is, it's very simple technically, but so masterfully crafted in terms of gameplay mechanics and balance that there's nothing superfluous there. Every monster, every weapon, every level, every secret, every item was done wisely and has its place. Now, of course, things have changed somewhat, but for the longest time, decades, really, when you said the word "game" or "videogame", it was associated either with DOOM or Mario. And with good reason. The second game that I love so much is from 2007, it's my "guilty pleasure", because, really, the game is bad. It's bad in terms of mechanics that, unlike in DOOM, have a lot of stuff that works not how it could have, lots of things that could have been but didn't work. But it got me hooked with its atmosphere and uniqueness. Such projects are rare and don't get published anymore save for, maybe, the "Metro" series to which our neighbours from 4A games are making a sequel right now. Not some niche games, but large, open-world, first-person and all that. That game is, of course, "Stalker". All games. When I mentioned the uncouthness, the unrealised ideas, I meant the first game, "Shadow of Chernobyl", 2007. "Clear Sky" became playable for me only after the release of a ton of patches and up until last year, I couldn't finish it without erupting with a string of curses. I overcame all of my unpleasant memories of all the previous attempts, installed a handful of patches, and finally beat the game. And generally liked it. "Call of Pripyat" stands separate from the rest, for me. By that time the authors have found their footing and managed to calibrate the mechanics, all technical and gameplay moments. And if the first two "Stalkers" I only consume with the help of mods, "Call of Pripyat" is a marvel, a "Stalker" game that is good in its vanilla state, as it is. And it gets only more beautiful and better with mods. That is, if the first two games need the mods, for the "Call" they are optional.

What traditional materials do you use for drawing?

I've always been drawn more to graphics, and I mostly consider myself one. And hence, my most favourite materials are liners, pencils, rapidographs. There was a harsh period when I drew with rapidographs, those were my student years, I didn't know about liners, they only just entered the available market, and when I found out about them it was a shock: "How so? Is that a pen that I just take and draw with right away? You don't have to fill it, you don't need anything... That is so cool!!" A variety of thickness, the ink doesn't clog, after all, it can come in different consistencies too, it can be watered down and it won't clog the instrument but it will paler in tone, but here you look... and everything is vibrant, so cool, so clear. Liners became one of the most important discoveries added to my assortment of tools in my student years. I still actively use them, mainly for my personal creative pieces.

Also to practice working with traditional materials I attend classes where I draw from life. Trying to maintain my traditional drawing skills as well as my skills in digital. I think it's a very important thing because when you draw with traditional materials it disciplines you. When you try to overcome certain things that prevent you from enjoying drawing in traditional, you discipline yourself, the materials discipline you, and it comes to a point where you start making fewer mistakes. And all that, in the end, impacts your digital art too. Basically, for a lesser amount of lines you'll be able to say more (the leitmotif of the whole interview it seems, but oh well) after you've practiced with traditional art for some time.

Name your top coolest comics you've read. First ones that come to mind.

First, that comes to mind is Scott McCloud's "Understanding Comics", even though it's not exactly a comics itself but more of a collection of tips. I wouldn't call it a textbook or some kind of manual but it's a very good book that expands your understanding of the genre of comics in general. Second would be... Probably all the comics that were touched by the hands of James Williams the Third. "Batwoman", for example, was his and now he's doing "Sandman" if I'm not mistaken. Now, his presentation is a huge source of inspiration and courage for me. Roughly speaking, I'm trying to do something similar with "Exlibrium". Next would be all the comics by Sergio Toppi, I don't even need to read the text, I can get the whole story from the pictures alone. A completely free, magical execution of these illustrations, it's something else. Also, one of my main sources of inspiration, what I aspire to be able to do.

Also, probably, "Berserk". That is if I were to choose out of all the manga I've read the one that influenced me the most. The main goal of an art piece is to influence the person on an inner level. And "Berserk" managed to get to the very bottom of my soul. Miura is a slow-paced man, to be sure, but insanely talented. He's crafting a very cool story. Although, he did go a bit too far with the ship. Those who have read "Berserk" will get me.

Let me mention someone Russian, too. "Products 24" by Bizyaev and Terletskiy are amazing, I love them. I like Artyom very much for his vision of everything he does. He has a great visual wittiness and that's very cool. Another Russiam comic book that influenced me, which I was very pleased with and that told me, an eight-year-old, that we can have not just comics but well-drawn comics that, not you wouldn't be ashamed of. It was probably one of the earliest distinct manifestations of my pride for Russian "comics industry". It was "Blaster", year '94 or '95. It was a loose retelling of Kir Bulychev's "The Pass".

Was it a series or a one-shot?

The latter, unfortunately, as far as I'm aware. "Egmont Russia" held the leading positions in comic book sales in our country and it held the right to the distribution of "Mickey Mouse" and other big-name children's magazines, they held more than half of all children's literature published in Russia. And they had the money and opportunity that allowed them to hire a team of artists and conduct an experiment: try and launch a domestic comics series. Alas, something went wrong. From what I know, at least, I don't have any official info. So everything ended with that pilot issue, unfortunately. But it was a gorgeous thing, absolutely gorgeous drawing, very cool.

And there was another Russian comic that was drawn by the same artist as in "Blaster", Petr Severtsov. And that is "Andrey Bruce. Agent of the Cosmic Fleet". It was published in '92–'93 in hardcover, a huge album-book. It was divinely drawn, I didn't understand even a bit of the plot because I was 6–7 years old and all the political and quasi-political stuff went over my head. It was a complex story that operated with complex (for me then) concepts and character relationships. Then I didn't understand these types of relationships and so the story went right through me. But I was madly, madly in love with its technical execution, respect to the artist who did it.

Are there any Bubble series that you haven't yet had a hand in but would like to?

Actually, I feel very comfortable in "Exlibrium" right now, to be perfectly honest. I feel comfortable here for many reasons. Firstly, I love the writing done by Natasha. I love working with the characters she creates, they are so alive, so cool. No offence to all the other writers I've had a chance to work with, everyone has their strong sides and everyone has their own cool features. With Natasha, it so happened that her cool features, in the way she sees good and evil, the great and the not so great, they coincide with my own. When she considers something awesome, there's a 99% chance that I'll think the same, that's a very lucky match. Secondly, it's the theme and the horizons of possibilities with "Exlibrium" itself as a series, in the delivery of the plot. For example, I did "Major Grom" when I was just starting out, I couldn't experiment with the style, the delivery, the direction of the material and some details I couldn't do because of my lack of experience. I think I started to get the hang of it on "Red Fury". I had time to ramp up my knowledge and skill through many hours of practice and something began showing. "Meteora" is very different from all the rest of the comics in our publishing house in terms of approach. Among all the projects I've worked on including "Exlibrium", "Meteora" is probably the hardest, most difficult to work on series that we have. Because science fiction is a very popular genre, very diverse in itself, and if we look at through the prism of pop-culture in general, it has been interpreted an innumerable amount of way, so not repeating, saying something new in this genre... It's a tall order.

For one. For another, it is that, let's say, "Grom", "Red Fury", "Exlibrium" and to a lesser extent "Friar", for the most part base on what we can see around us, on something real: people, countries, cities, streets, weapons, machinery, things that any human understands and you can find them by going out on the street or googling the necessary references you can start with. "Meteora" doesn't have that. Science fiction doesn't have it. The only thing we can use as a stepping-stone in "Meteora" is that our heroine is from Earth and all the rest is just empty space you need to fill with something interesting. And you had jump through hoops not so much to surprise someone else but to surprise yourself, first of all. This, I think, is what lies behind the difficulty of "Meteora". I can't say I accomplished the task. Flipping through it I can see that some moments came out too heavy, some were successes, some weren't.

So, coming back to "Exlibrium", to the freedom of delivery that I mentioned and from which all this tangent started. Since I've already had a chance to work on many series, accumulated a certain amount of knowledge and experience, I can realise the delivery of material, particularly one so juicy, cool and of such good quality, in exactly the way I imagine it in terms direction and techniques. As such, I feel there's some space for me in "Exlibrium". And so I try to have a blast in as much as my experience and the plot of the story allows me to. Obviously, I can't create experience for experience's sake only, it has to be in harmony with everything that's happening in the story. I try to add something fresh when I can, something that would be interesting for me and, I hope, something for the readers. A small digression concerning the reaction of the audience: last year on the Comic-Con people would come up to me and say: "You know, Konstantin, maybe I haven't accepted your style in "Exlibrium" right away, but all the experiments you're doing with it are something else!" And when I hear that, I know I chose the right path.