Can’t wait to see the interview, and thanks again for being so rad!
Talk soon! <3
Robin
PS: I’ve attached a couple photos of me at my desk, too. haha! <3
What attracted me to your work was your girl daydreamer, outer space bright badass inspired artwork , which gives such a distinctive look for your brand. How did this style begin and what things inspire you to create one of these images or gifs?
Thank you! I have always loved drawing women and the moments in their/our lives, and I also have a forever love for all things extraterrestrial and dreamy. In the past, I used much more realistic colors but I started using bolder neon colors a few years ago. The art I started creating felt much more like the world in my brain that I was trying to express and I kept building on that style from there.
Do you usually hand draw the type and designs? What is your design process? I am very new to digital illustrating but can see how rewarding it is seeing your work for companies and zines.
I hand draw everything, usually either directly into Photoshop or on paper with pen. I have never used vectors, mainly just because I’ve never learned and I feel more comfortable with more hand drawing.
How did you get in contact with Thrasher to create the amazing merchandise? They’re such a huge company! Also think your skater references in your work are so funny, as well as the pizza references, I can really relate haha.
Haha awesome! They actually reached out to me, which was amazing. I think they kept seeing my work pop up on Instagram - I have a drawing of an alien babe in a Thrasher tee looking out into space and I think Thrasher posted it on Instagram at one point. Then they ended up emailing me asking if I wanted to collab on a few tee designs. It was so much fun working with them and so rad to see the shirts everywhere!
What set up do you prefer to be in when working on your design work, and if you listen to any music what music do you like to work to? When im painting I love listening to Hendrix and Lana Del Rey usually get lost in another world!
I am obsessed with my desk and my office, it’s honestly my favoritest place to be, haha. For me, lots of light is important! I also like having music on or sometimes I’ll have old Star Trek episodes on in the background. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of Laura Marling, Erykah Badu, Lorde, and also Lana Del Rey haha! <3
I am currently doing a graphic design degree and I don't really know which direction I am going in and worry about this sometimes. Were you the same and what is the best advice you could give to getting on track?
Totally. I think for me it was just a struggle to find my own style that felt uniquely me and no one else. I think it’s really hard to want to be inspired and feel influenced by other artists but still find a style that’s your own. For me, it was also just a matter of not wanting to feel bored with my own work - I wanted to feel challenged and excited. And definitely it’s also hard to know which direction to go in - illustration, graphic design, web design, etc. For me, I was never really that great at anything but just drawing, haha, so I went with that. I sometimes wish I was a better “graphic designer” as it would make my life a lot easier! Maybe I’ll learn eventually!
What is the best advice you have ever been given career or life wise :)?
Probably just to not be afraid of weirdness or pushing your own boundaries! Keep surprising yourself!
Who or what inspires you the most? Family or any other artists? I bet living in a place like LA is wonderful for inspiration...
I get really inspired equally by both nature and city life, so LA is a really awesome place for me. I love being in the middle of such a humming, busy place but also being able to drive to oceans + deserts + mountains whenever I want (although there is a ridiculous amount of traffic, haha). I also get really inspired by futuristic books and movies. Oh and I’m obsessed with Planet Earth and always want to draw alien versions of the animals.
What do you feel your biggest accomplishment is so far? You look like you're doing brilliantly with such a unique style which so many young females can relate to.
Thank you so much! I think my biggest accomplishment overall has just been to reach a point where I am my own boss and I’m making a living every day doing something that makes me incredible happy. I’ve always dreamed of being in this situation and I’m so glad I’ve been able to make it happen. :)
Any plans for the future, like any projects or anything else you want to learn?
Definitely! I really want to become a better animator, and start making longer and more complex animations. I also want to start creating larger scale pieces, murals and maybe even sculpture or installations of some kind. I would also LOVE to complete a graphic novel in the next couple of years! Can I pause time please?! Haha.
I am doing graphic design but am evermore enjoying illustrating...I also enjoy having a feminine style with bright daring colours; when working for a client does this get compromised a lot?
Yeah, it definitely can be an issue in my experience. I’m fortunate to be at the point where I pretty much exclusively take on projects that I feel are in line with my style and that I would be proud to have in my portfolio. Sometimes, if I feel like a client wants something that doesn’t work well with my style, I’ll just let them know that it might be best for everyone if they look for a different artist who has the style they’re looking for. But, there definitely have been times in the past where I’ve ended up creating something that doesn’t really feel like my own work, which to me is really frustrating and ultimately kind of counterproductive.
What would you say is the best way to get your design work out to clients? Do you network a lot?
I’m the worst at networking, haha! I know when I was first trying to get more work, I would draw people or bands that I thought were really rad, then send them the drawing or tag them on social media. It was helpful to get more people looking at my work and also fun to draw people who had influenced me. I ended up getting a few big projects that way and it was a cool way to connect with people who I thought were awesome.
Which kinds of clients or pieces have you enjoyed working on the most and why??
I love working with bands as music is such a huge part of my life and was also my career path for a while (I used to play in a band called Crocodiles and it was so much fun!). I also love working with Giphy - I do a new GIF every week for them that’s based on recent news or happenings and it’s fun to be always working on something current and interesting.
I really love all of your images but in particular the mermaid pieces. Currently have one mermaid tattoo and literally want to be covered, I really enjoy drawing them too! What do you love about mermaids?
Aw, that’s awesome! I love mermaids tooooo! I have a fascination for the ocean that I think is similar to my love of outer space… It’s such a huge place that is still relatively uncharted and I just think so much about the ocean and the beach is so dreamy. I love being by the sea, it makes me feel incredibly calm and happy. I also love learning about creatures under the sea and love the way the plants and animals look. If I could breathe and live underwater for a year and have some kind of cool mermaid dwelling I would totally do it.
Any bizarre stories from being a creative in LA?
So many! I grew up here too, so I feel like my life is just a series of bizarre, lovely and occasionally awful or boring stories about being a creative in LA, haha. Come visit and you can have an adventure and an LA story of your own!
The fact Robin responded and was so lovely made me smile from ear to ear! It has really made me confident in taking the chances to speak to people and not being put off by doubt they'd ever reply, and I preach this to my peers! Her responses made me realise a lot about my own style and interests which is why I asked certain questions, and the fact she still has so many goals she wants to achieve and develop skills further and she has already been so successful! from all my interviews it has been stressed to do work that makes you happy, an online presence will lead to amazing industry opportunities to take your work even further.
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