From an early age Nick Folz
knew where his interests lay, as he would watch his Grandfather, who drew,
painted and carved. From the age of 4 or 5, he began filling up notebooks with
doodles and emulating his Grandpa, who, when asked how he drew; said simply: “It’s
no big deal, you just put a line where you want a line to be.”
From his earliest influence, to those who would impact
him in his formative years, people like Peanuts
creator, Charles Schultz, to his friend and instructor Matt Billman, at the
University of Southern Indiana, Nick has been blessed with not only a talent
for artistic endeavors, but also with the support of his friends and family
members. His wife, for instance, who convinced him to change his major from
something he “liked,” to something he “loved,” a choice which started him down
the path of his artistic career.
Nick has been a Graphic Designer at Channel 14 for over
two years, but his passion, and the way in which he is able to deal with day to
day life and its sometimes head shaking events, has been his passion for
cartooning.
The first comic strip he drew (which ran in this Magazine
a few years ago as his first published pieces), was titled “Excuse Me.”
It came about as Nick would take note of the comic nature
of the words immediately following the exclamation by customers’ often
senseless questions. The comic strip quickly became a favorite of his coworkers
who would photo copy them and stick them up in break rooms. His workplace friends
suggested that he try to get them published, and he sent some examples to Dylan
Gibbs at News 4U, who liked them and
ran them for a couple of years He was then published in Indiana University’s
student newspaper, the Indiana Daily
Student.
His friends continue to support him
and anxiously await their periodic appearances in his comic strips.
One myth Nick would like to dispel, is the notion that creative types
live some sort of tortured lives, saying, “I think I’m pretty well adjusted.”
He and his wife, Rachael are expecting a baby, and while he says the new addition
won’t become Baby Blues, or anything
like that, it’s a sure bet he or she will become some part of Nick’s work,
which only sounds right for a guy who uses his skills to depict people and events
that influence his life.
A dream job for Nick would be either doing character
design for an animation company or drawing for a daily comic strip, but he is
quite happy working in the graphic arts field in general. As long as he can be
creative, he’s a happy guy. Nick has an outlet when he wants or needs to vent,
he can just sit and draw, and seems to be a happy and well adjusted artist! He
also draws birthday and greeting cards for family and friends under the
moniker: “Nick’s Cheap-Ass Card Co.” This sounds to me like a concept that
could catch on and make a nice little niche market for Nick. The least I can do
is to give it a plug!
One trait of Nick’s I admire is a natural instinct to be
self critical. As he says about Web comics, “On the Internet you’re always just two clicks away from somebody who’s
light years better than you.” I hear ‘ya, man! It’s always refreshing to me
when people are well grounded about their abilities. Draw on, brother!
You can find Nick’s work on online
at: www.brokecracker.wordpress.com
You may also connect with
Mark McCoy through www.markmccoyphotography.com and
myspace.com/markmccoyphotography
