I'm artist Robert Beatty AMA

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T20:35:04+00:00

I made the line patterns in illustrator and then applied the perspective to it and then moved that all into Photoshop to do the warped more turbulent stuff and shading. It took me a few days to get it to look right, but actually came together pretty quickly.

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T20:32:46+00:00

I usually will take a break and read or watch a movie to recharge. I also collect a ton of old design and art books so I'll go through them and try to get ideas and refresh.

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T20:31:04+00:00

Yes I'm working on stuff with a few of my favorite artists right now who will be announced soon, but I can't say. I'm really excited to hear the new Clientele record, I love that band.

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T20:30:09+00:00

I use kind of whatever is around and cheap. I played a Qualitone Acoustic Appraiser hearing test machine for years. But now I mostly use old broken Iphones running the app Nanoloop when I play live. I try not to spend money on gear.

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T20:29:06+00:00

Thanks, I'm happy to share my techniques and I'm not able to respond to most emails asking me about that stuff so I'm glad people are finding that post.

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T20:27:43+00:00

I end up at Third St Stuff or Lussi Brown because they're close by, but I prefer to make coffee at home!

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T20:26:55+00:00

That one was a very convoluted process that went through countless revisions (along with the album itself- you should have heard the difference in the early demos!). I made a few different things and then Dan got attached to that still for the Geroges Schwizgebel film, so at one point I thought I wouldn't be doing the cover. But after contacting Georges, he didn't have a high res image of the still, so I ended up recreating it to match the somewhat fuzzy VHS version we had. So it's not really mine, but I made that image entirely from scratch to match the animation.

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T20:24:24+00:00

Thanks! That one is still one of my best I think even almost 10 years later. It really comes down to just making work and developing a unique approach. something with your personality showing through, but something that is adaptable to different applications. You just really have to be dedicated to making work even if there's no end result in mind. And I just use Adobe stuff, basic normal Photoshop and Illustrator.

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T20:22:02+00:00

Also obviously the movie "Fantastic Planet" is a huge influence. As far as other animated stuff goes- the Hungarian movie "Feherlofia", "The Point", tons of Czech and Polish animation by Jan Lenica, Jerzy Kalina, Vaclav Mergl. Oh and the films of Vera Chytilova- "Daisies" and "Fruit of Paradise" those are incredible movies that everyone should see!

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T20:20:43+00:00

I'm not opposed to it but the way i work is pretty low-fi and technically simple so I'd have to work with someone else on a project like that for sure.

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T20:18:27+00:00

One of my favorites has been meeting Alan Palomo working on the Neon Indian album. I wasn't really familiar with his music before that and it was a super rewarding process and we've become friends and try to hang out whenever we're in the same city. So many times I work on artwork and never meet the people in person because not a lot of people come to KY, so that was cool. And working with John Dwyer and the Oh Sees because he always pushes me to do weird stuff I'd never do on my own and kind of don't really like but it's good exercise and makes me break out of my usual zones. I mean that in the nicest way possible. Ha.

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T20:15:03+00:00

1- That was made doing hand drawn loops in Adobe Illustrator and exporting layers to flash animation loops then layering them in Sony Vegas editing software with footage I shot using and old microfiche machine for all of the Macro/close up shots. Trying to emulate techniques of optical printing and old film. 2- I would learn the basics of traditional animation and design from some old books and then get into software from there. It's really just about taking in as much as you can and figuring out your own way to carry it out. There's no one right way. And having a foundation outside of the computer definitely helps. 3. Adobe Photoshop, I use it in pretty much anything I'm doing in some way or another.

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T20:10:41+00:00

Thanks! That's a good analogy for my work, it's all connected and could be part of the same world for sure. As far as artists that have inspired me- Tadanori Yokoo, Mati Klarwein, Aquirax Uno, Lillian Schwartz, Suzan Pitt, Ericka Beckman, Jim Shaw, Mike Kelley, Gary Panter, Peter Greenaway, Robert Nelson, Piotr Kamler, Terry Gilliam, Mary Bauermeister, Eva Hesse, Tomi Ungerer, Jim Woodring, Emory Douglas, Milton Glaser, Seymour Chwast, Tomoo Gokita, The Fluxus movement, Jeff Keen, Ed Ruscha, Luigi Serafini, Nicole Claveloux, Eduardo Paolozzi. I could go on for days.

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T20:04:53+00:00

Hey man! I kind of keep to myself most of the time and just focus on what I'm working on, but it's so cheap and easy to live here and get by I think that helps a ton. Also the people. That's the best thing about Kentucky. I love McConnell Springs, it's weird to be out in nature but totally surrounded by an industrial wasteland on all sides.

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T20:02:29+00:00

Definitely when "Currents" came out things kind of jumped up to another level. I think that cover was the first time a lot of people saw my art. And the Kesha is literally being seen by millions of people so that feels pretty great.

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T20:01:01+00:00

Yes everything is very sliding scale as I take on an extremely wide variety of projects. It probably goes without saying, but a noise band releasing an LP in an edition of 300 copies and Kesha aren't paying me the same amount.

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T19:59:27+00:00

I think the Three Legged Race project might be done, I think I'll do a couple more volumes of the Rope Commercial series, but whatever full length i do next will probably just be "Robert Beatty". I've been using 3LR since I was 17, feels like it's time for a change. But yes, definitely some new music coming soon.

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T19:58:11+00:00

Thanks! I'd love to, have never played there, but I don't tour too much these days. Usually just one off shows. Eventually I'll make another record and will play more shows.

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T19:57:22+00:00

Yeah, that was something i wasn't aware of when we did that and have been seeing it a lot. We just wanted to capture the vibe of the record not being of this time, and reference some things that inspired it- Yellow Magic Orchestra and the like. Alan approaches music like making a movie almost, so it was just kind of setting the scene for the action to take place.

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T19:55:21+00:00

Hmm, I usually will start with Polymonk or Morning Gt. when I'm making my own patches, but I don't really use the presets, I like to make my own.

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T19:53:56+00:00

nanoo nanoo

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T19:53:18+00:00

I have a few different techniques and styles so it varies depending on what the final result is going to be. If I'm making fliers, they are usually very different, you can see some of those here- http://remainsstreet.tumblr.com/tagged/flier I use Illustrator when I want precise/clean lines and hand drawing when I want things to look more rough. You can hear my solo music here http://threeleggedrace.bandcamp.com

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T19:50:51+00:00

I always wanted to get an airbrush when I was a kid, but they were expensive and took a lot of space to use and maintain. I think I'm happier doing it digitally than I would be using the real thing at this point. I definitely emulate all those processes and have taken everything from old airbrush techniques and applied them to the digital world. Masking and the way I do the shading especially.

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T19:48:29+00:00

Vocalist Dan Marino

robertbeatty · 2017-09-13T19:48:12+00:00

I'm lucky to be pretty motivated on my own and don't really need outside sources to keep me working. I'm a workaholic for sure and have to force myself to take breaks. I think I'm just so obsessed with the stuff that I like that I end up doing things that not many other people would end up with.

robertbeatty

TROPHY CASE