Hi, I'm Peter Draws, I draw pictures and make YouTube videos for a living. Ask me anything. :)

What's it like financially to have most of your income coming from YouTube and Twitch? What other places do you get income from?

It's a little weird, I'm still getting used to it. There's definitely an element of unpredictability to it that keeps me on my toes, it keeps me from getting too complacent, for better or for worse. Sometimes I'd really like to just hunker down and get lost in one boring little idea for a year or something, but YouTube comments can get testy when I even draw a few lines next to each other the same way in two different drawings.

Over time I've gotten better at balancing the desire for inspiration and entertainment from a community that supports me, and also my desires to follow my own rabbit trails.

What other places do you get income from?

I try to get a few different sources of income trailing in. I also self-publish some little books, little compilations of my art every now and then that help, and I've published a coloring book. I have some of my stuff up on websites that let people buy my art on prints and canvases and shower curtains and t shirts and mugs and stickers and duvets, etc. and even though the revenue splits on those are pretty bad (I guess since you're not really doing anything besides uploading a file) every little bit helps. And there's probably other little income sources I can't think of off the top of my head. I do sell some original art every now and then, I would probably sell more if I didn't price it so high, and I do get persuaded to do commissions for the right amount of money (not very often.)

What's the most important lesson you've learned as an artist?

I've learned that I just need to create things because I like creating things, and let the pieces fall where they will. I think there's a much larger chance that both I and the people experiencing my art will be better for it if I'm making the art because I love making it.

The path to frustration and disappointment as an artist is when you make art to please other people, to get more likes and views and compliments. Those are great things to get, and it feels good, but they're unpredictable, and people are weird. Half the time something you made that you put hardly any effort into and you barely care for will get way more of those likes than something you worked really hard on, something you're proud of and think better exemplifies you as an artist, and if you're not careful it can really get into your head.

Did you have something you liked to look at for hours, as a kid? For me it was encyclopedia diagrams and old maps

Yes! I also loved encyclopedia diagrams (I think my parents had a set of The World Book (1994)) and old maps. I remember poring over those Incredible Cross-Sections books by Stephen Biesty, too, I would get all of the ones the library had in stock whenever I went.

Do you ever get bored while drawing for extended periods of time?

No, I get bored of not drawing for extended periods of time, so I pick up the pen.

Is wood burning as easy as you make it look or did you mess up some at first?

It's definitely good to have a few scrap pieces of wood and just mess around with the wood burner first, to get a feel for how to make different lines and tones.

It's pretty easy, it's just kind of painstaking and slow, which is kind of why I haven't done it as much any more, but I have a few pieces of wood sitting around just begging to be burned. Thanks for the reminder :)

Peter, are you going to do more Peter Cooks videos? I really enjoy those.

yes

How is Greg doing?

He's lookin pretty cute

How many liters or gallons of ink have you used up in your ife?

I have no idea, it really goes by pretty slow, though. If I wanted to speed things up, I would draw on some more toilet paper, or some paper towels, since those are so absorbent.

Probably a better question for the minds at /r/estimation

What gets you fired up to draw? I know you have stated you aren't thinking about anything in particular when you are actually drawing. But what gives you that "oh man I wanna draw" mentality? Is it just a natural drive you have or does something else help?

Well it helps that I really enjoy just the simple, physical sensation of drawing lines on paper. I just like it. So the idea that I can sit there at do that to the paper for a while and have something that's interesting to look at afterwards is fun.

But also I'm not sure, I really do often get just that raw "aaah I gotta draw" feeling in my head, and just scribbling out little lines and shapes helps sooth it. I often have shapes and lines and ideas in my head that I'm excited about to get me started, but those are hardly ever the ones that actually end up being on the paper. I hope this makes some sense! :P

How many eyes are there on your pet rock now?

Also, do you know you are loved?

There is one eye left, but I'd like to think that it's less of a flounder design now, and just a partially illustrated pet rock that would have eyes on both sides, if both sides were decorated.

And yes, I do get that feeling from time to time. :)

Have you ever considered doing meet ups around the country? I loved the community draw you did for the museum. I thought it would be a great way for you to have a meet up of what I strongly suspect are a bunch of introvert fans.

Yeah! I think the key, maybe, is to have the meetups based around some sort of event or activity like that, because I dunno about you guys, but just suddenly having a bunch of people I don't know show up and give me tons of attention is one of the most stressful and draining things I can think of. I feel bad saying that about fans, but I think that's just the truth! D:

But having an activity like that big doodle banner might help... I dunno.

Are you in the market for a secretary? :)

Always :)

Is there any piece of art you've made that you're particularly impressed by, more so than any others?

No specific piece really pops into my head when you say that, so I guess not, I try to keep looking towards the future and hoping to be impressed by something I haven't made yet. Every now and then, though, I do flip through sketchbooks and portfolios and I see pieces I've made and something I've made will jump out at me and impress me and motivate me a little, even if it's just a little clump of lines or a pattern I'd grown out of using. It's ok to inspire yourself. When Edward Hopper was asked what influences were strongest in his work, he said "I've always turned to myself. I don't know if anyone has influenced me much."

Any kind of paint or medium you'd like to use but haven't?

I still gotta try gouache sometime, it seems very popular at the moment. But then again that often seems like a reason I have for not using things. Maybe I'll wait until the fad is over.

Hey Peter, watching your videos inspired me to draw! I’d always strived for realism when attempting drawings but your doodling taught me it can be whatever the heart desires. This made drawing fun and so I was wondering, how do you achieve such depth and detail in your drawings? Is it patience and practice? Do you ever have trouble coming up with a new pattern or completing a doodle that isn’t quite there yet?

I'm really glad to hear I've been some inspiration!

But yeah, I'm still not even where I want to be with depth and detail in my drawings, but all of that sort of thing just comes with time, just draw more. It might help to look very closely at drawings you like, which you're trying to emulate, try to see the actual pen strokes, but I have a hard time giving advice in areas like this because I feel like a lot of people learn and progress artistically in drastically different ways.

To make a new pattern, just draw a random shape or blob or mistake, and then repeat it.

If you could go anywhere and do anything, where would you go and what would you do?

I would keep doing what I'm doing right now, more or less, just in a little house on a few acres of woods where I could really stretch out and let loose, physically and mentally. I feel cooped up where I am now. But I moved here willingly, so... :P

What's is your thought process while creating a piece of art? Do you go with the flow or just create it exactly like you see it in your head?

I definitely just go with the flow. I see stuff in my head, but it gets consumed by what gets created on the paper.

Imagine a fuse burning, the unburnt part of the fuse is the ideas keeping it going, and as I draw, the flame, transforms all those ideas into something else (the burnt crispy bit).

So you lived in the Philippines when you were small, can you speak a bit of Tagalog or any other language from the Philippines depending on which province you lived in?

No, I lived on a "missionary center" which was mostly based around keeping some housing and a hangar and a radio tower and some little planes up and running, so I was mostly around a bunch of missionaries from all over the world who spoke English there, most of the time. I'm sure I learned a few words, and I remember learning some little kids songs in Tagalog, but nothing has really stuck with me.

Why did you leave Chicago for Wilmington?

My landlord sold my building in Chicago (my rent was $600 there, it was remodeled and now is being rented for $2500), and so I had to move. I could have moved somewhere else in Chicago I suppose, but I basically played "drop a pin on the map of places where I know people" and I ended up here.

So far I've never moved somewhere I didn't know anyone at all. I should do that one day, maybe.

You seem nice and I remember you saying your parents were missionaries so I was wondering if you were/ are religious...?

Yeah I definitely grew up very religious, my current state is more difficult to pin down.

Did you go to any art schools/took any courses? I wanted to draw for a long time, and recently I started going to an art school.

I haven't taken any art classes. I went to college for a couple years, on track for an engineering degree of some sort, but I stopped going in the spring semester of my Sophomore year.

If I were to name any sort of art instruction I had that really might have had a lasting impression on me, it was when (I was homeschooled for grades 1 and 2) my mom had me go through some of the exercises in a little paper booklet which I still have, called "Drawing Textbook" by Bruce McIntyre (https://i.imgur.com/4olWcGC.jpg)

It just laid down a foundation of drawing 3d shapes and doing very basic shadows, stuff like that, things that have stuck with me to this day.

Am I allowed to get one of your drawings as a tattoo one day? I am being serious.

Only if you send me a pic of it when it's done

Peter! Thanks for doing this AMA :)

My question is about your opinion re: sharing life on YouTube. A lot of the content creators I watch do eventually switch into vlogging or will answer more personal questions in Q&A videos, but I feel like you tend to shy away from that and focus on art or YouTube-specific content (like the cooking vids/apartment tours). Is sharing more of your life something you think you'd ever do, or is it too weird to let strangers follow you around?

It's an interesting question. I don't mind having a camera with me while I do stuff by myself, most of which besides the drawing is pretty boring. But it's just very weird to me to be recording stuff all the time while hanging out with friends or something. "Ignore the camera, guys. By the way, can you try to be a little funnier, you know, ham it up a little bit, I'm trying to make a video here.."

Hi Peter. Hope you're well.

You seem like a really positive guy. Lately, I've been really struggling with depression, and I was wondering if you have any tips for remainng positive?

Hi regretfulnightowl. I am doing alright, it's nice to see you here. I'm sorry you've been struggling with depression lately, it makes me really hurt to hear that, but thank you for telling me. I used to be really sad almost all the time, and I didn't know why, and I don't know if a lot of people noticed. I wish I could give you some magical words of advice that would make everything better immediately, but if it were that easy, I guess depression wouldn't be such an ominous burden to bear.
I hope that even in the midst of it all you can keep moving forward; there's a better, brighter life out there in the future for you. A place and time growing closer where it will be so much easier for you to be happier, and I hope you can keep working towards that.

I hope these dumb little words helped at all, and I don't know you, but I love you somehow, and I hope you feel better soon.

If you could draw on anything in the world (building/place/etc), what would it be?

The moon

What's the most important lesson you've learned as a full time artist/content creator?

Aaaah, I'm still trying to learn whatever that lesson is. Sometimes I feel like I learn a lesson and then the next week I'm second-guessing it. But I'm still moving forward, still making things, still enjoying it. so that's good

Do you have a Girlfriend, Boyfriend, Unicorn or Alien in your life? :)

None of those things

How did your family react when you decided not to pursue a "real" career and try to live off of your art?

I just said something like "no I didn't get another job, I'm just doing the art thing right now" and since I guess I wasn't mooching off them or threatening to move back in, they were just as supportive as I liked.

You experiment with a lot of different techniques, I find it surprising that you stick with a very particular style (that I love btw). Why is that ?

I guess because I'm just one guy, with one head, and that's the type of stuff I like doing, or at least that's what's happening when I'm trying to do the drawings I wish I was. Nothing ever turns out the way I wish it did, as far as art goes.

You know everything don't you?

I'm good at pretending

Hey Peter, what kind of things do you like to do besides making art? Also, are you always as chill as you come across in your videos or are you just especially chill when making art, making you look this way?

I like eating regretful food while I watch Netflix. Yeah, I'm almost always pretty chill. If I feel less chill, there's a chance I might even look more chill since I think I recede inside my shell a bit, in stressful situations.

Is your shell more of a turtle sort of type or more of a snail type, do you think?

I was imagining a hermit crab

What type of degree do you have, and how was it finding work relating to it? I'm a freshman at RISD right now and I'm trying to consider my options.

I don't have a degree, the last place I got a job at which I submitted a resume to was Michaels, the arts and crafts store. I wish I could help you more but I'm not really familiar with how finding a job works after art school.

I have heard really good things about RISD, though, I wish you all the best!

Hey Peter! Do you still live near the ocean? If so, how often do you visit it in the morning around sunrise? I imagine it's really therapeutic

Yeah, it's about a 10 minute drive to the beach, I do still drive over there every now and then to catch the sunrise if I've been up all night, depending on the season and my habits. It really is a nice way to end the day, with the beginning of a new one.

What's the weirdest request you've gotten?

The marriage requests seem weird, I wish they would send a more thorough resume, and I wish there was a better way to tell how serious they were.

Is there any work you're most proud of? Anything you wanna try in the future? Do you think you'll ever branch out of doing just art on twitch? (will you ever stream good 'ol vidja games?)

edit: oh yeah, i just wanted to say thanks for everything. you taught me that art's more than just a specific idea or thing. i felt like i couldn't be an artist because i couldn't draw stuff like people or flowers, but i realized that more abstract stuff is definitely still art, and all it takes is making a bunch of lines. also your streams help a lot when i'm feelin depressed so thanks for that too. love u

Thanks Zoey, glad to hear I could be a little helpful in a few ways :)

But no, I would be afraid to point out a specific work I'm most proud of, as soon as I do that I would start seeing all thing things I don't like about it too. Maybe "Boy with a Balloon" I think that one entertains me the most.

In the future I want to try painting a whole building.

And no, I don't really like streaming video games that much, everyone just asks when I'm going to start drawing the whole time, and I can't relax because people give advice and backseat, and even if they don't, I feel like everyone's second guessing everything I'm doing. But then again, I used to feel almost the exact same way about streaming art, so. shrug

Hello Peter, what is your favorite coffee, and what is your favourite way to make a good cup of it?

My favorite coffee is.... whatever's hot and in front of me. Lately I've been buying the Peet's French Roast, though. I don't like Colombian as much.

I use my coffee maker. I put the grounds in the filter, and I fill up the carafe halfway with water. Then I put the filter with the grounds into the top of the coffee maker, and pour the water into the reservoir in the back. Then I put the carafe in it's spot underneath and flip a switch on the front of the machine which turns on a small red LED, and momentarily a comforting hissy gurgling starts, and coffee starts dribbling into the coffee pot.

Hey Peter,

What is your favorite song? And do you prefer to draw with or without music?

Edit: Peter doesn't have favorite

I like drawing with music! I rarely draw in silence.

Here's a playlist I made that I listen to a lot when I can't think of anything else to listen to: https://open.spotify.com/user/1243566274/playlist/096GiEjQpx8ZvLVtYOPLbT

What is your favorite color?

Green

When did you realize that your current style of drawing is your style of drawing ? Was it from day to day, while trying something new ? Or did it take longer time to completely realize that this is the kind of art you enjoy ?

Sometimes you only realize you have a style when other people tell you you do, or when you look back over the stuff you've been drawing for a long time. I don't draw things with the intention of being a certain style, I guess it's just how things keep working out.

Would you ever consider growing a beard as long as your lines?

I am 1 month into that attempt now, we'll see how far I get before I get fed up with it.

What are your top 5 favourite subreddits?

/r/FifthWorldPics

/r/VXJunkies

/r/THE_PACK

/r/Simulated

/r/trippinthroughtime

Hi Peter! Big fan of your videos! Serious question over here: Pineapple on pizza: what's your take?

I don't mind some hawaiian pizza from time to time, or supreme pizza with pineapple added. I don't add pineapple to every slice of pizza I eat, but I'm not against it.

Hey Peter! I've been watching you videos for a couple months now.

My question is, how do you make your doodles and pictures have this feeling of depth, when you are just going line by line without a sketch?

I've been trying to incorporate depth into my works but it always feels forced and out of place.

How long did it take you to learn that aspect of drawing?

Hi Huntererererererererererer I hope you're doing well.

It did take me some time to figure out how to start to incorporate some depth into my drawings, and I still don't have it down to where I want it. A lot of my older drawings used to be much flatter, though, so I know I'm making progress. I just want my drawings to be interesting or interesting to look at, in one way or another, and making some parts of the drawing darker is often one way you can give the illusion of depth, which the eye likes to get caught on. Or drawn away from. mmm I dunno what eyes do on paper.

You said that you liked how Moebius drew clouds, have you seen Bernie Wrightson's work? Particularly the Chapter art for April in Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King.

I didn't recognize the name, but when I looked him up, I definitely recognized him, there's a few of his pieces in a book or two I have. Very amazing!

PETER!!!!! Would you ever design temporary tattoos that people could purchase? Would you try wood filament in your 3D pen? (Also thank you so much for your videos they're calming and enjoyable)

maybe, that sounds pretty cool. do you know of a good website for designing temporary tattoos?

And yeah, the manual for the Mynt3d pen I have says you can put wood filament in there, but i don't really know what that is. Is it wood mixed in plastic or what?

What would you do without Youtube and Twitch? It's not an ironic question. I'm just a starving artist who seeks alternative ways to promote my art.

I don't know if I would even be here answering these questions today without YouTube. I would have to go way back and fork off onto some other hypothetical path... who knows how my life would have panned out if I had never started making videos. Everything could be a lot different.

Simple question: Do you like scary movies, and if so any preferences?

No, I could never really get into horror movies. Maybe I can't surrender mentally and emotionally enough to them to enjoy them. In the back of my head I'm always thinking it's just a movie.... this doesn't seem to ruin other movies nearly as much. If I like any kind of scary movies, I think they have to be more of they "thriller" type. Like... Shutter Island, I like that movie. Does that count as scary?

Hey again Peter, I got another question. I really admire your carefree-ness and ability to just go with the flow. I wish I could live with less worries and stop comparing myself to others. I'm constantly bogged down by the thought that I'm not doing something right and my life needs to be more like some well-off-looking stranger on the street's or whatnot. Do you have any tips for freeing your head of these sorts of thoughts? Or have you always been comfortable with yourself that these sorts of thoughts were never an issue?

It's tough sometimes! Sometimes it looks like i'm comfortable with myself because I'm either

a) feeling apathetic

b) filling my head with other sorts of thoughts, about drawing maybe, and too preoccupied to consider what other people think

c) maybe I'm legitimately feeling good and confident and comfortable (it does happen sometimes)

d) telling myself over and over in my head I'm the king of the world so that I look a little bit less scared and wibbly wobbly.

Hey Peter! Several years ago I made you the best grilled cheese sandwich you had ever eaten. Is that still the case, or has it been topped?

Hey Kevin.

No! It has not been topped! I've tried to tell people about that sandwich on a couple occasions, but I honestly have no idea what you did to make it so good, and in general it just seems to elude my attempts at description.

Favorite music album?

I just can't do that, choose one. What about all the others that I like?

Can you do a top 10 then?

ok ok, to humor you, I'll name 10 albums I enjoy listening through all the way without skipping any songs. Does that work? :)

In no particular order

• Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Wilco
• Pablo Honey - Radiohead
• Alive 2007 - Daft Punk
• 1 - The Beatles
• For Emma, Forever Ago - Bon Iver
• My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West
• Armchair Apocrypha - Andrew Bird
• Audio, Video, Disco - Justice
• That Sea, The Gambler - Gregory Alan Isakov
• Something Else - Tech N9ne

There's more, but I'll leave it there

That's really sweet of you, thanks :)

Here's 10 more, because I don't want them to feel left out :)

• An Awesome Wave - alt-J
• What A Terrible World, What A Beautiful World - The Decemberists
• Three Flights from Alto Nido - Greg Laswell
• Ghost Notes - Hiatus
• Go - Jonsi
• Heligoland - Massive Attack
• Miike Snow - Miike Snow
• Play & Play: B Sides - Moby
• Spilling Over Every Side - Pretty Lights
• No Blue Thing - Ray Lynch

<3

To this day it still bothers me that Pluto got down graded from planet-status to dwarf planet-status. And what’s the deal with green olives?

Yeah I understand that there are other celestial bodies in our solar system Pluto's size, but I think it should have been grandfathered in.

What are those red bits they stick in green olives? The retina?

Is your last name really draws?

no

Do you smoke all the weed ?

Almost none of it

oh, another question: how do you feel about people bothering/trying to mother you? your fridge, peter. and diet. agh. it pains us.

Just another thing I'm getting used to, and becoming more amused by than annoyed.

I remember watching your mandala vids when you had ~20k subs :) awesome to see how much you've grown, you've always deserved it.

My questions: do you ever watch your own videos? which video(s) are you the most proud of regardless of how much work was put into them?

hey, we got a old-school viewer here B-) Thank you very much

I rarely watch my own videos after they're uploaded, but if I do they're probably the ones where I'm not drawing, like a couple of the ones about finding inspiration, or some of those old vlogs.

Did you know that you inspired me to do a single piece of art one day? It was pretty fun. The art wasn't very appealing, however.

haha, I'm glad you arted, friend :)

"Draws" is really your name? Or is it just your "stage name"?

It is only my... nom de plume

Hi Peter!

Tired of answering yet?

What would be the first (big-ish) thing you'd buy if you sold Boy with Balloon tomorrow?

I would buy a lil house out in the woods somewhere, with an art barn (detached garage, hopefully) and some sort of reliable car. I don't think that would burn through more than $200,000.

In a lot, if not all of your videos, you occasionally let your mind randomly wander, thinking the strangest things out loud, ( and I mean that in a good way, it's extremely entertaining! ) I'm curious how this came about. Were you originally just saying things to fill time in your videos? Is there any meaning or continuity to your ramblings that we should be paying attention to? Or is it just saying what comes to mind?

I got tired of putting awful royalty-free music over my videos, so I started doing the commentaries, but after like 100 videos, I ran out of things to say without feeling like I was repeating myself over and over again. So I just started talking about whatever and quickly realized that a lot of people didn't seem to mind too much what I talked about.

Peter, you have been my biggest inspiration as an artist. My question for you, and I don't mean this ironically, but are you colorblind at all? I am color deficient, so I feel like because of that I am more drawn to black and white drawings, as you seem to be.

I don't think I am colorblind, only a little bit if at all. I've taken some online tests, and sometimes they say I am, and sometimes they say I'm fine. But I only ever took the online tests because I saw a livestream of someone else taking one, where you look at colored numbers in those circles made of smaller circles, and that person saw a number where I saw nothing at all and I was shaken to my core. But no, I think I see most colors ok.

Also, do you ever just not feel like shading a drawing and say to yourself, "Ok, this is going to go towards an adult coloring book", or do you set out to make a page for your adult coloring books?

No, not recently, I've really been enjoying shading these days, but who knows if it's just a phase. I do go through some phases. I used to make a lot more mandala-type things before, for example, and I hardly do anymore.

Dear Peter, I love your channel and check everyday to see if there is a new video up. As a child my earliest memory is of sitting at the dinning room table and drawing my whole family riding the waves inside a boat. It was on a giant piece of paper and I must have been around three years old. Memories of drawing are filled with happiness and contentment for me. What is your first memory of drawing? Where were you? How old were you? How did you feel?

I remember drawing my family standing outside a pentagon-shaped house, stick figures in a line between the house and a puffy tree, squashed m birds fluttering in the sky under the generous warmth of a bright spiky sun. I was in kindergarten I think.

I also remember "setting up shop" when I first learned to write my name. I positioned myself in the corner of our living room by backing myself into a corner and pulling an end table up in front of me, and with a pencil and paper I offered to write my name for passersby.

Would you use a glass pen I would make (I AMA glass artist and love to make utilitarian things)?

sure

What do you believe is most important for a young artist? A) Finding an art style so that you will be recognizable and feel more comfortable or stable... or B) Having fun and experimenting, not worrying about it and just drawing what you feel like drawing day by day.

Definitely option B.

Option A just sounds way too stressful and backwards.

what do you do for a living?

I draw pictures, sell the pictures, sell pictures of the pictures, sell ad space on videos of the pictures.

How do you manage self doubt or the need to compare your art work with others, especially as a self taught artist?

Mostly by avoiding looking at other artist's work, at least living ones. I just avert my eyes!

There's plenty of other, better inspiration out there in the world, that most people wouldn't consider "artwork" but if they looked at it right, they might think, "wow, that is art."

Have you thought of doing any art films? I used to do little film projects in high school as well as some attempts at stop motion and some of your videos have been reminding me of my love of film. I particularly like when you film the glow ink in the water. If you're ever around central Indiana we should hang out.

yes, I have thought of that. What is an art film, exactly?

Do you ever pencil sketch first or is it all pen and ink freehand?

maybe 99 out of 100 drawings are just ink freehand, or as I consider it in my head, "doodling" :)

What happened to the fluffy black and white kitten you had in some of your earlier videos?

I moved and she ran away at the new neighborhood :(

Maybe someone else was feeding her tastier cat food....

what do you listen to while drawing? i’ve noticed you sometimes have earphones in while you draw

Here's a little playlist I've made. I don't listen to this all the time, but it's kind of my fall-back if I can't/don't feel like finding something else to listen to: https://open.spotify.com/user/1243566274/playlist/096GiEjQpx8ZvLVtYOPLbT

What is your favorite art medium?

pen and paper baby

Do you have any artwork of yours you sold, destroyed, or gave away that you now regret missing? Any artwork you wish you could get back?

Someone did commission me to do a large 18"x24" drawing back when I first started doing art full time, and they offered me $300 for it, which was more than anyone had every paid me for anything at the time. (Still a lot!) The problem is, I spent like 30+ hours on it, so after I finished and sent it off to the guy, I was stuck with this bitter taste in my mouth for doing that for less than $10/hour. (Even though I like drawing, commissions eventually start feeling a little more like homework) And I couldn't figure out whether I should have worked faster, making lower-quality work, so that I would feel better paid, or refund the guy and keep the art, hoping to sell it to someone else for more later....

But the main result is that I felt even worse about commissions and I'd prefer to make things and let people buy them after I'm done, if they want them.

Hi Peter, am fan, have question - do you think this outfit I picked out is good for my interview later this morning?

Thanks in advance . xox

Ooph, you look great. Maybe do up that button until afterwards, but then maybe you can get me a coffee after you land that new job.

Hi! The doodle above is my absolute favourite! Is it available in your shop? Like on a throw, pillow or messenger bag?

I think you're talking about this one? Here it is on society6, if you scroll down it's available on a few different products <3

Hi Peter! I have two questions c: First one: how did You start Your artistic career? Second one: what are Your favourite Radiohead albums? Love ya <3

1: I don't know when my "career" officially started, it seems like a blurry line, but I still remember when I first started uploading YouTube videos, years ago. Back then I was using copyrighted music on all my videos, so none of it could be monetized, and then at one point, and had a period of reevaluation where I deleted all my videos, my channel was completely empty for 6 months, and then I started re-uploading things with royalty-free music. I must have started making my first commentaries soon after that because royalty-free music is often so unbearable, even though at that point I hadn't had people telling me my voice was soothing for years, so I was very self-conscious about it.

2: Last week I had Pablo Honey on repeat nonstop for a few days, but I also enjoy OK Computer and The Bends. In Rainbows is good too, it has "House of Cards" on it, which is maybe my favorite song by them.

Hey Peter, you're a great source of inspiration to me. I just wanted to thank you for all the things you put out there to the world that just make me want to pick up the pen and keep drawing!

Also... I've noticed in your dot drawings you use a little arrow shaped tool that I have no idea what it is, does it help when drawing dots?

Thanks for the kind words. :)

And yeah, that's a bone folder, I think it's intended to be used for papercrafts, like origami and scrapbooking and stuff. You could use almost anything... another pen, a AA battery, a ruler, nailclippers, the edge of your phone, a long, clean pebble, or a crab claw. I just use it to hold the paper down flush against the desk so that it doesn't wiggle any, as even the slightest up/down movement is annoying when making all those little dots. I don't use my finger so that I don't get all the finger sweat/oils on there, my fingertips seem to be especially soaked with the stuff.

What is your outlook on life?

It seems ok, I hope it's not over before I figure it out.

What is the single tip you have gotten from a fellow artist that you think anyone who makes any sort of art should be using?

This wasn't given to me directly, but it's a quote from a book I have written at the bottom of my website:

"For you, the seed for your next art work lies embedded in the imperfections of your current piece." - Art & Fear

I like that a lot for some reason. Some days it means more to me than others.

Hey peter!! I really like all of your work and your videos but I was wondering if you take any interest in any other youtubers or artists. Also, are there any moments you get really unsatisfied about your art? Because I go through that and can't seem to identify the issue in my work

Haha, usually the only painful feelings of unsatisfaction I get are when I look at other YouTubers and artists. I find it's less painful to try to get inspiration from things less closely related to me.

How many hours a day are you drawing and how do you avoid getting burnt out?

I don't even draw every day! Some days, 1 hour, some days 2. Some days 8 hours, or 12. There's not really a regular amount I do. The time flies by, regardless.

Pancakes or waffles, Peter Draws?

waffles are the superior breakfast dough dish

What is the drawing you are most proud of?

Do paintings count? Maybe the ceiling of The Sistine Chapel.

What is your highest level of education?

"Some college"

How do you feel about tarantulas?

not a big fan of anything with more than 4 legs

What will you do once you hit 1,000,000 YouTube subscribers?

By that time I will surely have some unstoppable momentum so after 1,000,000 YouTube subscribers I will go on to get 1,000,001 YouTube subscribers, and then if we're really on a roll, maybe I will attain a 1,000,002nd YouTube subscriber.

Have you ever thought about drawing with nail polish?

Yes

As the recognised artist and hot dog chef extraodinaire you are, do you have any recomendations to give to an art/hot dog novice in regards of art food -and the best food for art? I've tried using chocolate once, but the results didn't really convince me... Maybe I should try something more consistent?

You have to get the semi-sweet stuff for cooking, so that you can add your own sugar as you let it simmer. Otherwise it wouldn't be cooking it would just be melting something.

h?

h.

Hello Peter! What advice would you give to someone learning to do art? Or starting to do art as a hobby.

Draw as much as you like to, and if you like to a lot, you'll make a lot of art, which is a real nice thing.

What do you think is the meaning of life?

Do you sometimes feal lonely and empty?

aah you gotta stop thinking about stuff, you'll start feeling overwhelmed. just draw. put it all on the paper, baby.

What's your take on psychedelics? 👀

Sober life is already staggeringly weird to me, I'm honestly a little terrified of taking something like that. I would want to be put in a padded cell first.

How often do you restock your fridge with Cheerwine and Fanta?

never

at what point in your life do you think you improved the most as an artist?

Probably around the point I learned to hold crayons and other objects in my hand and apply them to the paper, even haphazardly. At that point there was a sharp increase in the amount of work I was putting out, and I improved rapidly over the next few years, before more or less tapering off for the rest of my life.

What is your favorite pen?

Really into the rotring isograph .35 at the moment.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

Everything around me! It's really exciting. The internet makes it really easy to get inspired, but real life is even better. I believe the inspirational effects of going for a walk down the street should last for years if you had your eyes open. There's not a spot where there's nothing! And even the spots that seem a little more like nothing, make the other spots more interesting. I love cracks, for example, and cracks are everywhere, in nature and man-made things. Ugh, it would sound really fartsy trying to describe how I think it's good to get inspired by the little, everyday things, the shapes and tones and (im)balances, the textures and feelings of the world around you.

Otters or geckos?

Otters!

Their tails don't come off as easily.

If you could live anywhere, where would you live?

I ask this because I've seen many videos where you get inspired just by being outside. And maybe, if you had another outside, you would be inspired in other ways.

I would like to live in a rural wooded area, where it is constantly light jacket/hoodie weather. I really love wearing hoodies and light jackets, and I really don't enjoy going outside and feeling sticky immediately.

What temperature do you think I should look for? Anywhere in the 60's? Anyways, where should I go? Oregon?

Hi 🅱️eter, love your drawings and also the cooking videos you make.

In one of your videos you wore a t-shirt with the Slovak coat of arms. Do you have some connection to Slovakia or did you get it randomly?

It was a gift from a friend who was more into soccer than I, but it does have some level of sentiment to me because he was wearing it when he first met his wife, as weird as that sounds. Ok it sounds kinda weird... I'm not sure how I ended up with it.

What's the most substantial thing you learned or gained from another person?

Does it make me seem ungrateful that nothing is really popping into my head? I'm sure I learned and gained all sorts of important, substantial, and valuable things from my parents. A lot of it blends together.

Top three favorite Daft Punk songs?

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm that's really tough. I'm bad with favorites. Can I just name 3 that I really like? I'll say "Superheroes" "Giogio by Moroder" "Within" "Crescendolls" and uhhhh "Instant Crush" and some others.... and Alive 2007

whats your favorite ice cream flavor?

There are a few varieties, and I'm not suuuuuper into ice cream, but I like the vanilla ones with chocolate a caramel swirls, and maybe some other chunks and bits of stuff. Also cookie dough based ice cream is real good. And those pecan ice creams. Just keep mint out of my ice cream.

can ya make a vid on how to make ur own artbook using indesign?

I dunno, you just open indesign, and drag the image files in, and mind the margins.

More or less.

Peter, have you ever thought about making art with food? Not with ink and ramen, per day, but rather use the food to create the art?

I have thought about it.

Hi Peter, Your channel is great and you are incredibly talented! I'm just starting off doing a Youtube Channel to promote Mental Health Awareness as I'm a Doctor in the UK (under Dr Varun) - I was wondering if you had any tips about how you built your fan base as you seem to have done this pretty quickly? Many thanks!

I haven't done it very quickly at all, at least compared to a lot of channels that probably follow a lot more of the recommended things for growing quickly.
YouTube and the internet is one of the weirdest, most unpredictable things to me, I don't have it figured out.

If I were to give one piece of advice, maybe to try to have some consistency to your uploads. Every week or every month or something, depending on what you're doing.

Artists usually settle on an artstyle at some point in their career. Do you think you have settled, or will you continue to evolve as an artist?

I'm settling in sinking sand

I’ve watched a lot of your videos and I know you talk about what you do when you draw but, I was wondering if you had any advice for wanting to draw large scale or super intricate drawings? Like where to start how to go about it? Keep up the great work!

Well I don't do a lot of really large drawings, and when I do, they aren't that intricate. Maybe I'm not that patient, or maybe I'm a it's because I feel like I gotta keep pumping out content, so I don't feel like I can spend too long on one thing. That's definitely an annoying thing that messes with my head and my art sometimes.

That's not really what you asked, though. I'm not sure how to start except to just start.

Have you ever considered doing a meet and greet, or something of the sort?

I have considered it, I've tried them once or twice, with varying degrees of success. It just seems like a logistical and social nightmare to my lil brain