Featured Artist: Nick Cowling

Melbourne-based artist Nick Cowling fuses Australiana with cyberpunk and dystopian aesthetics, creating a hyper-detailed world that reimagines familiar, everyday Australian imagery as part of a ‘used future' - gritty, complex, and on the edge of collapse.

Drawing influence from Star Wars and comic-book artist Geoff Darrow, Nick has steadily built his signature Aussie sci-fi style from years of dedicated solo practise, but his involvement with art collective Artdecypher has considerably supercharged his output, providing a collaborative, community-driven environment that fuels his practice.

Read on as we chat to Nick about the concepts, challenges and controlled chaos that shape his creative vision, how community has influenced his practise, and what's to come in the strange, sprawling futures unfolding within his cyberpunk universe.

Let’s start with your artist origin story.  When you reflect on your early artistic development, what influences and key experiences had the biggest impact on you creatively?
I remember I’ve always been into drawing, even when I was a little kid. Back then it felt like something more than just creative expression, it was something I wanted to do…as a grown up! 

It started to really grow in my late teens. I would completely destroy exercise and textbooks with my doodles. I found creative ways to do my drawings in margins and around my schoolwork. There were a couple of other classmates who were also into drawing and we’d be in the back of the room sharing our drawings as class was going on. 

My biggest ‘oh wow, I want to be that’ moment came when I watched a behind the scenes doco for The Matrix and they were interviewing the concept artist for the film, a comic artist named Geof Darrow. From the moment I saw his extremely detailed drawings I knew that’s what I wanted my art to emulate. So I kept at it, figuring out how best to translate what I was seeing onto the page. It would be another 10+ years after that before I’d pursue art seriously.

Your work feels like a collision of sci-fi and pop culture influences, but you’ve carved out a really unique niche by fusing Australiana with cyberpunk and dystopian aesthetics.  What draws you to these themes, and what inspired you to start reimagining Australian culture in this way?
It’s a huge cliché but Star Wars is probably my biggest influence. The aesthetics of the universe created resonate with me, that dirty ‘used future’ vibe along with all the little details and bumps. That is also true for cyberpunk too, ever since I saw Akira and realised you could use minimal lines to create the appearance of maximum detail.

Besides Mad Max and maybe Tank Girl there’s no real mainstream ‘Australian sci-fi’. I remember waiting and waiting for it to come but when it did, it wouldn’t be what I wanted to see. I got sick of waiting and started creating. The first piece I created was pretty simple: a sci-fi themed Vegemite vending machine with a cyberpunk dressing. It really resonated with people and when I make prints of it, it ALWAYS sells out. 

I’m drawn to these themes because I’m fascinated by systems that are either out of control or have collapsed. Seeing how society can rebuild after calamity or how it operates on the cusp of disaster is enthralling. 

Beyond your individual practise, you’re also part of a wider creative network through artist collective, ArtDecypher.  Can you tell us more about ArtDecypher, and its vision in terms of supporting and connecting artists?
When I first started on my art journey I was going solo. I had no idea what I was doing, how to promote myself or apply for shows. There was a lot of self-doubt. One of my schoolmates, Paul never stopped drawing and creating after finishing school. He had a lot of experience with these things and once I started drawing he was right there to share his knowledge and connect me with other artists. He was on the board of an artist’s collective at the time and brought me in as a board member too. I learned a lot about organising shows, building a community, and promotion in a short period of time. 

Unfortunately that collective folded, however Paul was able to create a more grassroots collective: ArtDecypher. It’s grown heaps since it started in 2020, with the website now serving as a portfolio and online store for members. The collective works hard to provide opportunities, such as having art on beer cans, or running fortnightly art ‘jam’ sessions. We’re a highly supportive and engaged group and we regularly see new members attending Art Jam. 

How does engaging with creative communities shape your process, and what do you think it adds to your work that might not be there otherwise?
The community is part of what keeps me going. Just being around such talented people creating a diverse range of pieces helps motivate me. Hearing about their own creative processes does a lot to inspire me as well. I remember when I first started out with digital art I was so anxious to put my stuff out there. Having Paul and his established community was fundamental to helping me find my feet and confidence.

You can also share resources and knowledge in a community. So many creatives are working in isolation on their own practice, bringing everyone together helps us all grow. 

Your commitment to improvement really comes through in the evolution of your work online. What have been your biggest creative lessons these past few years, and what areas of your style are you most interested in exploring or challenging yourself with next?
The biggest lesson I’ve learned is not to compare myself or my style to anyone else. We’re all on our own journeys and have our own experiences that have shaped our style. I remember getting down on myself when I first started with digital art because all I’d see is people actually painting with it to create these beautiful and almost photorealistic pieces. I hate painting, and I don’t have the patience to learn that digital painting technique. I tried for a year or two but it didn’t feel authentic. So I embraced my line art style and worked on perfecting it.  

The next challenge artistically for me is including people in my pieces. A lot of my work is landscapes, buildings, machines, or creatures. While sparseness may help add vibes to some of my pieces, I want them to feel full of personality. So I’m learning how to do this, one terrible elbow and janky-looking hand at a time. 

What kinds of media – films, books, games or visual art - are you currently engaging with that are influencing your thinking or creative direction at the moment? 
Given my style and medium I try to be influenced by comic books as much as possible. And not just the Marvel or DC stuff (although David Aja’s art on the Hawkeye series is outstanding), I try to focus on the independent artists: Jacob Kuddes, Jared Muralt, Simon Roy, Ugly Ink, Chris Gooch are all phenomenal and deserve a lot of love. 

The heaviest hitter when it comes to influences is Geof Darrow. I’ve already talked about him, but I can’t understate his impact on my artistic growth. Without him my art wouldn’t be where it is today. 

I’ve just finished reading Lucas Wars which is a French graphic novel about the making of Star Wars from a production perspective. The Franco-Belgium ligne claire art style in the novel is a style I want to emulate, especially when it comes to how people are designed.   

Your work is incredibly detailed, with a strong sense of world-building in each piece.  Can you walk us through your creative process from initial idea to finished artwork, and how a typical piece comes together? 
To be honest, there’s no set process. It usually boils down to “is it cool?” I start off with a general concept, do several rounds of rough sketching, then work on the linework. It can get exhausting because I’m very impatient and can get distracted easily, but I try to get the piece completed in batches. I do a lot of research on Pinterest and Instagram, not to steal concepts or ideas (I’m not AI after all) moreso to see how other artists approached an angle or composition I had ideated. 

Once I’ve completed the linework, added all the nitty gritty details, I add colours. Again, I go by what looks cool. Sometimes I’ll develop palettes to use, but most of the time I get my colours down on the screen and show it to my wife. She has an excellent eye for colour and will give me unfiltered advice. 

With your artwork evolving significantly in recent years, alongside a growing audience and a strong, recognisable visual identity, what has been a personal high point during this time? 
As much as I would like to say my first solo show (which was an overwhelming success), I have to say it was when I completed the piece Full Bars. This was the first piece where I just went “screw it: add ALL the details!”. All the cabling, satellite dishes, windows, discolouration, electrical infrastructure was so much fun to draw. I got lost in the piece. I checked the stats on the piece (a benefit of Procreate) and it tracked that I had spent 24 hours on it! This was my ‘level up’ piece, the one where I knew I could go full detail. I haven’t gone backwards since. 

What is a dream project you'd love to create in the future?
My white whale would be to make a graphic novel. I have several ideas kicking around but it’s always down to time and money. I’ve come close a couple of times but the vibe wasn’t correct, or the timelines weren’t in alignment. I’m sure if I put my energies into it, it could happen, but at the moment I’m happy where I am. I’m content to create for me, and if people connect with it, then that’s the reward. Although I really want to make a graphic novel!

As you turn towards the future, what does the next chapter look like for your creative practice? Are there any upcoming projects or exhibitions we should keep an eye out for?
I always have a collaboration or two on the go. I recently provided a couple of pieces for an independent Star Wars zine from the USA. I’m also involved in a large international project that I can’t speak too much about right now. Best way to know more about it is to follow me on Instagram and stay tuned for updates. I promise, it’s really cool!