InPrint: Hello Rob tell us a little bit about yourself

INGREDIENTS

1 creative person, slightly matured
2 tablespoons aptitude
1 piece of aesthetic flavoring
6lbs hard work and sweat
4 ideas more than most
salt of the earth to taste

Take a creative person and stir in the aptitude thoroughly, from the start. In time, mix in the aesthetic flavoring with the most appropriate tool at hand, and then fold into the mix as much of the hard work and sweat that the mix can take. Sprinkle in the ideas. The more the better, and finally as all is cooking, a pinch of salt of the earth to give it the necessary character. Leave to cook over time and serve when required. Tasty treat in a tasteless world.

InPrint: When did you get started illustrating? What did you do before?

I made the decision at thirteen to be creative. My grandmother, who died recently, supported me, as the path was a little rocky to start with. But since those days I have never really thought of anything else. I kind of call it the "VanGogh syndrome". Eat, sleep, live art and willing to persist in that love of creativity to the bitter end. I have however, commercialised myself to make a living and also done many a part-time job to get by, but have never moved directly away from my love of art and creating.
What did I do before? Hum, I was floating around my father's sperm sack I guess.

InPrint: What are you working on right now? Do you have any other books or art projects you'd like to talk about?

At present, apart from my commercial work, I am working on the Animal Behaviour series as a set of art prints, and a book. I have just concluded series one, and generating ideas for series two. This will be released shortly. I am also working with a publisher to generate a series of children's books with wildlife as a theme. Other than that I am writing a book about my experiences on Mount Olympus and generally do tutorials and such for my teaching work.

InPrint: When you illustrate a picture book how do you decide what scenes and details to draw?

At present I am illustrating my own story books. I write them and then re-read. If I have something catch my imagination in reading them I mark it as a passage that can be illustrated. Luckily my creative imagination allows me to see the story being played out in my mind, so I find it easy to capture moments in this process.

InPrint: Can you explain your art process?

This will be a long interview. Mainly I do a lot of thinking. Even when I believe I have the idea, I have it roll around my head a little. See if I can find another variation that is better. Like Einstein, I do a lot of this horizontal, when napping. Once the idea is there I sketch it out. Sometimes I get it straight the way, sometimes it takes several attempts. However, it is all done on A£ photocopy paper. i use this as it's cheap and has a nice texture to work on with pencil. Once I have the first idea out, I do a clean up. That can either be direct or in stages (depending on if they need changes in the original idea) and is achieved on marker layout paper. I have found that Rowney Daler does the best. It has a good translucent quality like tracing paper, but having a good drawing texture. This work is then scanned in two parts as my scanner is only A4. These are then patched in Photoshop, where any foreign artefacts are then cleaned out. From this stage the artwork is built up in individual layers for each element of the piece. On completion a full jpg render is made at print size. Around 5,000 pixels.

InPrint: Do you have a favorite color or palette?

My favourite colour is yellow. Don't ask why. Always remember loving the vibrance and feel of this colour. I did once say to someone that asked; "Yellow is the colour of the sun, and the sun gives life, what other reason than this to love that colour."

InPrint: What is your favorite medium to work in? Have you always worked in this media? If not,
why did you switch?

One of the things I preach to my students is the need to be thrilled with the simple pencil. It is something I have used all my life, and is a great tool. it is great as it is simple, but at the same time has great ability in emoting a feeling, look and style. Even though my artwork is mainly digital these days, I do all my preparatory and clean work with pencil and scan the pencil work in. Where I then complete it in photoshop or Live trace it in Illustrator.

InPrint: Did you always want to be an artist when you grew up?

Before the age of thirteen, and magical night being taken to the opening night of Star Wars at my local cinema, I had ideas to be a National Park warden. The idea of living in nature was a great thrill for me, and something I still do these days. However, soon after the film experience the desire was to be creative. Sad to say, no desires for train drivers or fire man in my past.

InPrint: Do you use models/source pictures or do you draw from your memory/imagination?

The whole process has different forms. The idea comes from how I explain below, and maybe things that pop into my head on seeing something else creative. The next stage, as in the case of my "Animal Behaviour" series, I take photos from the internet and use as reference for the creation of the pieces. Once the sketch is finalised and the colouring takes place, I again find the necessary referencing. Especially if the work involved complex lighting. Rarely, but occasionally I use objects around me, such as the sneaker in the Animal Behaviour series.

InPrint: What gets you through an illustration when you're stuck for inspiration?

I could say a load of flippant things here; coffee, load music and drugs! However, I am one of the fortunate people who rarely get stuck for inspiration. As I teach creative thinking, I express the need to look around you and find a theme, story or even a simple spark with any given object. Fantasy is not an omni-present reality form, it is a creation of the brain. Therefore, you take something and make a story. There comes the idea.

InPrint: What book do you remember from when you were young?

I often tell people when I first started having an interest in art, was around the age of six. I was inspired by A.A.Milne's "Winnie the Pooh" and the amazing illustrations by E.H.Shephard. I would spend many hours trying to replicate the images to get an idea of how art was. It was only later in life I fully began to understand the marvel in this work.

InPrint: If you could illustrate any writer's new work, who would it be?

Unfortunately one of my favourite writers is now dead, but his eccentric way of writing has inspired me greatly. If I could spend sometime illustrating his best work I would; Richard Brautigan's "Trout Fishing in America"

InPrint:Where can we find out more about you?

http://www.robsnow.org
http://www.behance.net/RobSnow
http://www.linkedin.com/in/robsnow