Behind the scenes with @lobster_robin

We asked @lobster_robin some questions...

Get a peek behind the scenes of our friend and super talented artist @lobster_robin 

• How would you define your style?

I don't really have a term for it. I would say I go for psychedelic, dynamic, colorful and figurative. Lobsterism?

• What’s your favorite technique?

A used brush, black paint and making heavy outlines on walls. I love so many aspects of making art, but that has to be the most satisfying one to me. It pushes me to feel the surface and go with the flow, only thinking about the drawing.

• Who or what is your biggest inspiration/s?

Watching older cartoons and reading comic books gives me an enormous sense of nostalgia and really gives me a huge boost of creativity.

• How did it all start?

Generally speaking, I'm inspired by life and the lessons it gives you. I like to understand life and myself through painting. Other than that, my peers who are passionate and want to keep pushing the boundaries of art even after so much has already been done. Every time I see an artist making something in this age that surprises me, I am inspired because I know we can keep pushing limits. In an age where pretty much everything has been done, that's a big deal to me. Some of my bigger inspirations are Aryz, Sainer, Arsek & Erase, Alphonse Mucha, James Harren, Ashely wood and Mike Mignola to name a few.

• Do you have a tip for those who are starting out?

Whatever you do, listen to your heart. It doesn't matter how skilled you are, listen to what you really want to do with the passion you have. I always desperately wanted to be a character designer in an animation studio. Chased that for years to discover that even when I got to do stuff like that, I wasn't happy and never really wanted to work for a boss or a corporation. I discovered I wanted to make art for the sake of making art. For no other purpose than to create something. I was 6 years into a freelance career when I completely stopped that, took a day job and only created what I felt like creating. That changed everything for me and now 4 years later I can call myself a full time artist, doing almost exclusively what I want to do. That would have never happened if I didn't listen to myself and kept chasing studio work.

• Favorite app/program?

Although I work mostly manually, I learned everything about colors and looking for compositions on Photoshop and later Procreate. Most of what I do on walls or on canvas now, is a direct translation of messing around with color corrections in photoshop. Basically being able to endlessly adjust images when I was younger, I made a database of how stuff can look good that I can rely on now.

• Why do you use StickerApp?

You guys just have the coolest extra effects like see through, or hologram stuff that a lot of normal print companies don't have!

• What’s your favorite material? And why?

Always paint. More specifically, latex paint for walls. Even on canvases, I love the fluidity, how much it covers and the flow with which I can paint. My whole current style kind of emerged from using wall paint regularly!

• How do you monetize your art?

I do this full time! So I get asked to do commissions like painting walls and canvasses. When I have extra time I like to make stuff that adds to that, like I recently made my own art book. I also make some merch from time to time.

• How do you use stickers for your own business/personal brand?

Unless they're handmade or really fancy, I give them away! They're like a business card for artists. Everyone wants stickers, they paste them on places other people see, and that's how your name gets around. So if you ever run into me you can always ask for some, haha. Apart from that I just stick them everywhere I go. Leaving little marks behind in the places you've visited. I've had people find my work and follow me through stickers I've left behind everywhere. Any way to widen your audience, I guess.

We thank Lobster_Robin for today and we will surely have more interesting conversations with him in the future. Be sure to be on the lookout for more behind the scenes in the blog