Vol.119_Donald Robertson
DONALD ROBERTSON
from Los Angeles, United States.
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Interviewed by Oh Jiyoung
Please introduce yourself to MAPS readers.
Hello Maps Readers. My name is Donald Robertson and I am an artist/ creative director. I live in Los Angeles with my five kids and you can follow all my exploits on my Instagram @drawbertson. I have spent years working in Korea because of my role at Estée Lauder companies. I am a roving creative director. Meaning I get to work on all the cool new fun stuff and make art out of it.
When you think of your work, you will notice a rough touch and colorful colors. What do you do for the first time before you start working? (Thinking about materials or sketching ideas?)
The style of my art is very Hand made. I’m the opposite of a computer graphics person. I love my paintings to look dashed off. I like the medium to call the shots and I love fashion and making fun of fashion. I am also addicted to color.
Looking at the pieces of your work there seems to be a lot of 'tapes' with different colors, patterns and materials among them. Is there any special reason to use 'tape' as a main material? (what makes you keep finding them)
I found this very beautiful almost linen gaffer tape and I buy truckloads of it. I use it on everything. It’s very fast to use! No drying time and photographs beautifully. I also love the look of it stacked up around my studio.
Your work usually shows a lot of 'poses of characters'. Do you usually observe people's actions and poses?
I love to paint women mostly. I love the fashion world and have many friends there. In my new Book published by Assouline you can see all the people I have met and drawn over the years.
What do you think is most important when drawing?
I think for me the most important thing when drawing is to look like you are having fun. I can tell when an artist is stressing out in his work. I prefer to be bright and happy.
What kind of messages do you usually put with in your work (or, if you have an interesting work topic these days?)
Something I am very passionate about is my #teamimmigrant art pieces. We should all appreciate each other and not build walls. America is all about the melting pot!
Your SNS has a lot of postings of your work and also your family and children. How does your family influence you in your work?
I have five children ranging in age from 21 to 4-year-old twins. It keeps me very young and I am briefed on every new trend as it happens! Kid’s have the best ideas.
What do you normally do in your spare time?
I paint and draw and create 24 hours a day. I barely sleep. There are too many fun projects to waste time sleeping.
What is the most important thing for you now?
The most important thing for me now is living an artful life. I want my children to see their dad happy at work enjoying what I do. It’s a good life lesson for them.
Now. Do you live as a happy illustrator?
Happiness is a decision you make every day. I believe you can trick yourself into smiling even if stuff is bad. I sound like a simpleton but I’m a happy simpleton.
What is your goal in 2018?
You should follow me on Instagram. I have so many exciting art projects coming up in 2018 it’s hard to list them all.