If you enjoy intricate illustrations of animals and people with a morbid storybook feel, then Robin Richardson's artwork would be right up your alley. Not only does she sell original pen and ink drawings in her Etsy shop, but she also sells prints and incorporates her work into jewelry pieces. I recently had the privilege to interview Robin and learn more about herself and her work. Enjoy!
Where are you from?
I'm from Toronto.
Do you live with family (significant other, kids, pets, houseplants, etc)?
I live with my boyfriend in a charming little attic apartment.
What made you want to be an artist?
I love to make things and I really like the idea of having a career that allows me to move around and make my own hours. That’s one of the biggest perks of any art in my opinion.
Where do you get ideas for an artwork?
I get ideas from everything: film, books, and other artists…. Usually when I start a new project I surround myself with reference photos and nature books that I’ve collected over the years. I also tend to start a drawing without any specific idea in mind just to see where it takes me.
Walk us through a typical day for you.
The first thing I do in a day is head out to a café and do about two to three hours of work on various projects. The rest of the day goes to whatever part time job I have at the time.
What do you like to do when you're not making art?
When I’m not making art I’m writing. I just graduate from OCAD with my BA in illustration only to decide to go ahead and get my MFA in poetry of al things. I’ll be leaving Toronto this Fall to attend Sarah Lawrence College, where I will hopefully be able to get a lot of writing and art done. I’m really hoping that my Etsy sales might help subsidize the whole thing. My hope is to one day combine my art and writing somehow, maybe an illustrated book…
Name two of your favorite artists (living or dead).
- Aubrey Beardsely
- Arthur Rackham
What advice do you have for new artists?
My only real piece of advice to young artists would be to work hard. Never settle for something when you know you can do better. Almost everyone I know who has any real success got it through sheer determination and had relentlessly high expectations of themselves.
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