Interview: Olga 'ASU Rocks' Andriyenko

Olga Andriyenko is a character designer, illustrator, and comic artist born in Ukraine and currently living in Hamburg, Germany. She has published numerous comic books, created characters loved by thousands of people, and art-directed award-winning games. She is currently focusing on storytelling by working for animation studios and is also creating her own comics which are published through her Patreon account. The focus on relatable humor, body-positivity, and honesty about mental health struggles has helped her create various viral hits and grow a prominent fanbase.

When you were asked to join the book, how long did it take you to make a decision about the project?

I actually did not think about it for longer than a second! I have always appreciated good artwork with sexual content and I always had some level of it in my personal art. It was never as explicit as #hardcover before, but I was always curious to make that step. I think sex is an important aspect of human life experience and I want it to be explored more deeply and diversely through art, without shame and censorship. So when I heard about the project I instantly hoped that it would inspire more artists from different backgrounds to contribute to this topic. I want more people to see that there is so much more than "just porn".

With that hope in mind, do you think that continuing on that path personally will help too? Do you intend to implement more explicit work into your personal art?

Definitely! I enjoyed participating, especially digging in my mind what exactly it is I want to see more of in sexual art. It's easy to draw something sexy and sometimes it's perfectly fine to do just that. But I want to figure out a way to get more emotion into that because to me sex is a deeply emotional topic. So I guess I have to continue exploring explicit art until I get there.

It's easy to draw something sexy and sometimes it's perfectly fine to do just that.

In that regard, how important is it you to depict women with a „healthy and realistic“ body image? From your past publications, it seems to be a topic very close to your heart.

Like many of us, I have struggled a lot trying to accept my body, it was especially bad when I was younger. How could I think my body was okay, or even "beautiful", when there were absolutely no positive depictions of anything resembling my body type? I feel like it got much better these days with the rising popularity of "plus-size" models and social media allowing more diverse people to be visible. And to me, it is important that my art is part of the positive wave. Being at peace with your body is important for enjoying your sexuality as well, so I want to create more sexy art that gives perfectly imperfect people permission to feel sexy.

Stylized characters can have more of what society calls "imperfections".

You recently made the step into becoming a freelancer. How big of a role will erotic art play in putting out content on your Patreon?

It is a significant part for sure. I am on Patreon for about 2 years already, but only since going freelance, I am investing serious time and effort into it. It is also my sexy art "safe space" now, so yes erotic art is a significant part of it. I am actually making a quarterly physical art zine that is Patreon exclusive and full of artworks from sexy to sexual. There is even a sexy comic inside. By making it an exclusive physical reward it feels a bit like a dirty little secret and I like it very much. I can't deny that #hardcover has inspired me to explore more sexual art. And my Patrons seem to enjoy it as well.

Facebook or Twitter for posting art?

I post on both for more exposure, but I definitely enjoy Twitter more. There seems to be more genuine interaction and I feel like I am seeing more of the content I want to see in my timeline. Facebook is a mess to scroll through. Also despite recent fears, Twitter still seems not to ban sexual content (yet), so for erotic artists, it is definitely better.

I can't deny that #hardcover has inspired me to explore more
sexual art.

Who are your favorite artists when it comes to erotic art?

That's a hard one! (hard, hehe) The more I dive into this topic, the more awesome artists I discover, so I will probably forget someone great. I love how @futomomomoe and @nessfwkain on Twitter paint human bodies, they are absolutely yummy! @Mirkand creates some seriously sexy and adorable female characters and draws them in situations that are both erotic and funny/relatable. @adolieday and @mrmtaccia on Instagram never fail to make me giggle and I like @loputyn's witchy erotica. On Patreon, I enjoy Winton Kidd's and Irene Koh's content, as well as Peoh Michie's cute lesbians. I could go on and on...