COLLECTION 2 - AVANT-GARDE

288 KALTBLUT
KALTBLUT: I’ve read you are a vector art illustrator. Do
you agree with this statement? How do you define your
work?
ROBERT: I guess I am a vector illustrator, but that doesn’t
really describe what I do. I have had my work described as
‘Comic Cubism’ and ‘Wonky’, both of which I’ll happily take.
KALTBLUT: How important is the use of new technologies
and graphic design in your illustrations?
ROBERT: I would love to do more painting, but the computer
just saves me so much space! I’ve been a graphic designer for a
long time, so maybe that influence is in my work. I tend to think
of my illustration as a reaction against graphic design actually.
KALTBLUT: Because of the use of those new technologies
such as internet you’ve become quite popular and
people share and admire your work through blogs or
your Flickr. How do you feel about it?
ROBERT: The internet has been vital for me. Before the
internet it was much more difficult to get your work seen.
People complain about the amount of stuff that’s online, but
I find it liberating. Suddenly I can talk to people across the
world through mutual admiration and find all kinds of inspiration
from the most obscure of sources. I’m putting on an
exhibition this week with a group of six other artists, none of
whom I know, all from different parts of the country. I find that
amazing, and almost revolutionary. I also love people sharing
my work, and I’ve had no problem with people being negative
or not attributing work. In fact, there seems to be a general
online ettiquette that generally people seem to observe.
KALTBLUT: Although you draw all kind of
images and characters, you are becoming
quite a name in comic blogs. Did you always
want to go that way. Do you consider
yourself a comic geek?
ROBERT: One of the things you discover
on the internet is that there is a whole other
level of geekiness beyond what I thought a
geek was. I grew up reading comics, and my
bedroom wall was plastered with pictures of
superheroes drawn by myself, with whatever I
could get my hands on. I love comics, because
it seems to me to be such an accessible medium
- you don’t need a massive budget to
create the story that you’ve always wanted to
direct, you just need paper and a pencil. And
with online comics, you don’t even need to
print them. There’s a market out there, and
it’s a meritocracy. If your ideas are good you’ll
get noticed.
“ I’m a fan
of comic
book art
”
KALTBLUT: What’s your favorite comic
character? Why?
ROBERT: That’s quite a tough question. When
I was a kid, I loved Thor, because I loved any kind
of mythology, and Thor was a bridge between
comics and that world. A bit later, like a lot of
people my age, I discovered 2000AD and Judge
Dredd, and really responded to that mix of satire
whilst delivering classic comic - book thrills.
I suppose I like the stories more than the characters,
especially in mainstream comic books
where all the characters are basically the same
– wish fulfillment fantasies dressed up in different
costumes, all with some personal tragedy
or sense of alienation that drives them. I
wouldn’t describe myself as a Superman fan,
for instance, but I loved All Star Superman - so
I guess I’m a fan primarily of comic book art,
and writing.