Wil Andruschak
When did you first start making rap-themed cross-stitch art?
I was in between my third and my fourth year at ACAD (Alberta College of Arts and Design) and I wasn’t 100 per cent excited with everything I was making so I started trying a bunch of different ideas. The one I was dying to try was combining these two separate worlds; a juxtaposition between the traditional and unapproachable granny textiles tied in with what I’m interested in which is hip-hop and rap. It worked out pretty well the first time I tried it. Then it snowballed and that’s what I’m still making to this day.
Do you ever feel like you’re stuck in this project?
Some days I feel trapped just because it’s so time intensive. But I get over that every time I finish something and feel happy with it.
How long does each piece take?
The tiny ones take a minimum of four hours and the largest one which was my Snoop Dogg “Doggfather” piece took 65 hours. They take a lot longer than people think.
What do you do while you’re making them?
Basically what I do is I watch TV. I watch so much TV. And movies. Last night I was watching Die Hard . I have seen so much TV. That’s basically it. I try and multitask and keep myself busy because it’s pretty mindless. It’s the same action over and over again.
Before you start do you have to lay out the whole pattern? How does it work?
I do. I have to plan pretty much everything. I prefer to plan everything beforehand so I don’t run into any problems. It’s not like paper with pencil or ink where you can just paint over it. You have to individually pick out the parts if you make a mistake. I try to plan it out as much as possible so that when it comes time to make it it’s easy to follow the instructions.
Are they usually your ideas or do you get requests?
I do get requests but the majority are my ideas. A lot of times when I do get commissions people tell me to do whatever I want. But I have gotten quite a few commissions where people want something specific. Typically they’ll give me a picture or an image or a saying what they want me to do. I definitely take requests.
When you’re coming up with the ideas yourself what do you like to see in a piece?
Right now I’ve typically got two kinds of pieces — ones with words and lyrics and others with photorealistic portraits. I really like the pieces that look so soft and rosey and traditional and it looks like you’d see it in grandma’s house but then you read it and you’re blown away because of what it says. It’s I don’t want to say vulgar but you’re just thrown off by it. I love it when people laugh or get excited about it.
What rappers and rap songs would you love to do in the future?
As mainstream as it is I like Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch the Throne album. It’s got so many one-liners and stories that they’ve weaved. It sucks because it’s kind of played out but it does have a lot of good lines. I’d like to do more Wu-Tang ones too. Those ones are always good.
What are your dreams with this project?
I don’t know if I’ll stay with this or if I’ll move on to something else but it would be awesome if some of the people whose lyrics and pictures that I’m portraying could see these pieces. If Ghostface could see one if KRS One could see one if Jay-Z could see one or have one or I could meet him that would be incredible to me. Skrillex’s manager has one of mine which means Skrillex has seen it which is pretty cool. It’s not unattainable but that would be incredible if I could meet one of these rappers.
What about some more immediate plans?
I’d like to have people in other cities see the project. I’d like to travel to other cities and show it. I’d also like to live off of it but I don’t know if I could. Almost everything I’ve made has sold. Not enough to pay my bills but it’s a good start.
