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KOBOLD: Thanks
for coming, Bob. I suppose I should have mentioned that this interview
didn't require formal wear, but I admire your taste in fashionable men's
hosiery. Now that the pleasantries are over, let's get to the meat of
the chat, yah? Were you an artsy kid, or did you take up drawing later
in life?
Robert, Jr.:
I always had a love for
drawing. Early on, it was a love for cartooning, but illustrating
stories and fantasy products lead me into a
more realist style. I first
was published at age 13, after having won a few local art contests; at
that age it felt really good to have a pencil in my hand and a blank
page in front of me.
K: You've
illustrated Judge's Guild materials, such as modules, in the fantasy
vein for some time now. Are you still actively illustrating for them? Do
they pay you in copper? Pelts?
RJr:
I have been supportive of most of Judges Guild's projects, and have
worked for other companies, which tend to pay in pelts more often than
the Guild. As I haven't made it my only source of income, I have often
done things for people just to have experienced the job, or because I
had a liking for the cause.
K: Your Judges'
Guild works are fantasy images, of course. Is fantasy your favorite
genre, or is it just what paid the bills? Any sci-fi works of yours out
there?
RJr:
Fantasy Art is what I am known for, but my designs have been used in
the layouts of new homes and even plant assembly lines... those things
are way off the track from general artwork, but they started with my
pencil. I have designed some company logos, and things of that sort. At
present, little of my current art is of the fantasy flavor, but I know
some artists who are urging me back into the field.
K: Who are
your artistic heroes? Whose work do you look at and just say, "Sweeeeet!"?
RJr:
First to mind is
Frank Frazetta,
and there is no need to mention why. After him, and down the road a
piece, would be Salvadore Dali,
Mary McAndrew, and
Mary Woronov.
The artists that inspired me, who I've had the pleasure to work with are
Rick Houser and Ken Simpson.
K: Have you ever
drawn something that you thought was really cool, really original, and
then realized it was a duplicate of someone else's work that you were
subliminally influenced by?
RJr:
That recently happened with my artist son, Martin Bledsaw, but as
for me, no. I spent years working for the Guild as an in-house artist;
and in that capacity I had little say over the material or look I was
working on. It was up to the editors, who would often ask for a revision
of my initial design after having read the manuscript. But sometimes an
editor would come to me with a photo (sometimes a well-known publicity
photo) from a film or something, and say "This is exactly what I want,
just change the..." So, I would go to work that way, and what it ended
up being was "near plagiarism." But it was not to my feel or liking to
do things that way. It was how I got paid, but it made me look
uninspired, as an artist.
K: Yeah! I have
my own plagiarism issues! Sometimes I turn in a perfectly good movie
review for the masters of this website, and they come right back and
start screaming about "plagiarism" and "lazy reporting" and "stealing
others' work", blah blah blah. One day the Webmistress pointed out
Leonard
Maltin's name scratched off a review and mine written in. I don't
know how that happened, but she acted like it was a crime. Geesh.
K: What
materials do you favor for drawing? Ink? Paints? Pencil? Crayolas?
RJr:
Sometimes a burnt troll-bone works good as a charcoal stick. I love
inked line drawings, graphite for portraiture, and enjoy dabbling in
oils on canvas, because after all, it is the respected medium for
middle-aged dreamers.
K: Yeah. You
should try gnome blood. Really adds something to a palette.
K: Do have
have another profession besides artist, or does drawing stuff earn you a
good income? You'd mentioned in a previous conversation that you had a
kid going off to college… gotta sell quite a few pictures of dragons and
trolls to pay for that, eh?
RJr:
There is a lot of truth to the "starving artist" myth. Personally,
it's all a matter of what you want from life and what is important to
you. I could have made much more money, if I had moved to a big market
city, but staying close to family and home was more to my liking
(foolish, some have said). So I diversified, got jobs where I could
locally, in this Midwestern factory city, but always did artwork for
people on the side. There are many very talented people out there, who
make my art look child-like, but because of where they are, or because
they do not know how to market themselves, they struggle. I never
enjoyed "selling myself," choosing instead to make myself "available."
K: If you
were stranded on a deserted island, and could choose one companion, who
would it be? Why?
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RJr: The model Luba Shumeyko comes to mind, but for the sake
of reality, I would have to say my wife, Jenny. She has been
with me since she was a mere fourteen, and has given me five
strong sons and a lovely daughter. She has been my companion so
long, I don't think anyone else could bear burden of my abuse. |
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This is Ms.
Shumeyko, boys and girls. For the record, the Kobold could
not find a single picture of her with clothes on.
And he checked
the Internet for a long time.
Just ask Mrs.
Kobold... |
K: Right. Good
call. If we had to pick between a hot Russian babe who apparently
doesn't even understand the concept of clothing, or our spouse, we'd go
with the ol' ball and chain as well. It's the obvious choice.
|
?! |
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?!? |
K:
Do you think your companion from question #7 would be mad that you just
stranded them on a deserted island with you?
RJr:
If so, she would never admit it. We have been together so long,
because we balance each other. As with a lot of artistic ( or mentally
autistic) people, I tend to be depressed and pessimistic, where she is
always smiles and sunbeams. And so, without her, I would not last long
on the island on my own.
K: We
understand that you planned to attend the recent Gen Con ('05), in
Indianapolis. Did you enjoy yourself? What was the highlight of your
trip? Did you smell any stinky gamers who hadn't bathed properly?
RJr:
Unfortunately, I was too pressed with other things to attend. I was
looking forward to meeting everyone there. And have many old friends in
the field, but matters at home forbid it. Yet, I can remember distinctly
the smell of gamers, it is not that different from the smell of the
nerds in my high-school chess club.
K: Aside
from Judges Guild products, where might excited fans see your work? Do
you have a website?
RJr:
I am currently between websites, as I gave my domain away recently
to my eldest son. Look for me soon at
AbsoluteArts.com. That is
where I have some friends, who I plan on joining soon.
K: Are you
a gamer? We've met artists who make a good living illustrating for game
materials, who don't actually play the games. You're not a poser, are
you?
RJr:
I was never a D&D gamer, I must admit (with shame). But games
have been a part of my daily life as far as I can remember. Having a
father who owns a game company really helped. I got to play-test many
things, some from other companies, before release dates. I have played
D&D on every computer and console from TRS-80 to Intellivision to PC,
but never played a table version. I have designed the layouts of
dungeons, and hid the treasures throughout, but never stalked the
corridors.
K: Do you
have any super powers?
RJr:
To quote Groucho, "I haven't had any complaints." But I must admit
one power I have that is uncanny. In a dark room, with absolutely no
light, I can find the end table with my shin every time.
K: Are you the
type of artist who is constantly sketching on napkins, envelopes, and
magazine covers, or do you need to sit and concentrate to come up with
an idea for an illustration?
RJr:
I do not always sketch, but often have to jump from bed to jot down
a drawing quickly, lest I forget. The good ideas are fleeting things.
Many stay in the scribbled form and never see use, but that is what sons
are for perhaps.
K: No, sons are for
leading your warbands through elven villages when you're too old and
laden with ill-gotten booty to do it yourself. But I like the spin you
humans put on things.
K: Let's play
Mad Libs! I'll ask you for some sentence parts, and you give me whatever
word comes to mind. Then we'll fill in the blanks in a paragraph I have
here on this scroll. Ready?...
K: A noun
RJr:
Shambling Mound
K: A verb
RJr:
Swim
K: An adjective
RJr: Heroic
K: A noun
RJr:
Eagle
K: An adverb
RJr:
Gently
K: An adjective
RJr:
Bold
K: A verb
RJr:
Hike
K: A verb
RJr: Sail
K: An adverb
RJr: Silently
K: An adjective
RJr: Truthful
K: A plural noun
RJr:
Tiger Tanks
The Kobold
quickly scratches Robert's answers onto the scroll, which results in the
following:
The Kobold, a critic,
sat down to speak to Robert, a renowned
Shambling Mound.
The interviewee looked like he wanted to
swim
from the kobold's cave at first, but Robert turned out to be a
heroic eagle,
so the interview actually progressed
gently.
The Kobold could tell that Robert was impressed with the critic's
bold
collection of leeches, by the way Robert would
hike
periodically.
Eventually, the kobold had to
sail,
and Robert did so as well, only more
silently.
The kobold thought this was
truthful,
but didn't say anything since he'd stolen Robert's
Tiger Tanks
when the guest wasn't looking.
K: Trick or
Treat?
RJr:
Tricks I have played, but not so often that I feel I don't deserve a
treat.
K:
You got it. Here's another Luba picture...
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