Pune comic con: As a fan, I’m highly critical of my own work, says Peter Nguyen

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Credited for multiple roles including that of a colorist, penciller, inker and artist, Nguyen is widely known for his work, Batman: Arkham Unhinged, a creation of DC comics. A resident of South California, Nguyen visited Pune on Sunday as a celebrity guest for the city’s inaugural Comic Con. On the occasion, he interacted with fans in an open session and gave a practical demonstration of pencilling, which is his forte, by drawing a Marvel character.

“When I was younger, I was a big fan of X Men and Batman. I was fortunate to work with the directors whom I admired as a kid. If you had asked the 5-year-old Peter what he wants to be, he would’ve probably told you the same thing that the 31-year-old Peter is doing now,” says Nguyen.

Before he shot to prominence, Nguyen often posted his content on Deviantart, an online social community for artists and art enthusiasts, that allows people to share their art. When asked if he ever felt insecure about the copyright while posting his content on public, Nguyen says, “It was a gray area. And as an artist, it is natural to worry about your work. But I believed that it was more essential for me to put it out there, rather than keeping it for myself. Art is meant to be appreciated. It’s a trade, you put art out there, and get some praise, some confidence. You can’t really grow without social connect.”

Nguyen further elaborated on how Deviantart helps him now to see his journey from an amateur artist to a professional artist. “Many of my initial works, which I think are terrible, are out there. It reminds me where I came from. It’s refreshing,” he says.

Having started working as a professional in 2009, Nguyen’s first work was a Superman short story in a Halloween special edition of 2009. He later went on to work on Catwoman Returns by Bruce Wayne which turned out to be the New York Times Best Seller, Secret Six and Gotham City sirens. In Marvel Comics, he has worked with the characters of Avengers, Black Widow and Inhumans. Though he has landed his dream job, working for such big production houses is often difficult, says Nguyen.

“I love these comics and they come with a reputation. So, whenever an edition comes out, I’m highly critical of myself. I often think of the expectations that I had as a reader of these magazines. And it stumps me when I’m in the opposite role, because a lot of pressure goes into myself.” Nguyen says, adding that the most fun part about being an artist is creating a new character or re-designing an old character, but it doesn’t happen often.

When it comes to drawing, Nguyen prefers the traditional method over the digital one. “I see the purpose of using a tab, it saves your time. But I’ll prefer using traditional methods any day. Because that’s what I was taught. Canvas art is tangible,” he says.

To refill his creative cartridges, Nguyen travels and interacts with people, hoping to capture something from the experience that he can use while drawing.

He’s modest when he says that he is yet to catch up with his peers. “I think comparison is good, when you can learn from it,” he concludes.