We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Robin Schwartzman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Robin, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

When I was in 7th grade art class, we were learning the concept of perspective and were assigned to do a drawing of a house. I remember having a lot of fun with this, adding all sorts of textures and embellishments to the facade. When I turned in my drawing and looked through the stack of other students’ work, I realized for the first time that I could draw a little better than my peers. From that moment on (and honestly, even before that moment), I fell in love with drawing and never stopped. I drew caricatures at a local amusement park for my high school summer job and continued doing that for the next 13 years. I went to college for art and went on to get a Masters in Fine Art. I currently teach art. And even now, 26 years later, I make all types of art and still draw daily for both practice and fun.

Throughout all of my summers and years drawing caricatures, I estimate I’ve drawn about 30,000+ faces in total. That kind of intensity and repetition really helps you grow as an artist. However, it wasn’t until I joined the International Society of Caricature Artists and went to my first caricature conference in 2006 that I realized how skillfully other artists working in the field of caricature were approaching the art form and it pushed me to want to get better. In 2016, I participated in my first Caricature Resolution – a daily drawing challenge that takes place for the entire month of January where caricature artists from around the world all draw the same 31 subjects from a list. I’ve continued to participate in this challenge every year and have since witnessed huge growth in my drawing style, technique and confidence. It really pushed me into the idea of a daily drawing practice that I try to maintain year round.

I’ve also learned that with caricature, and really anything, the skill of drawing is just half the battle. The real key is the art of seeing – it’s training your eye and fine tuning your perception of the world. From there, it’s learning how to move your hand and make a mark that falls in tandem with what you see and feel.

I’m not sure how much I could have done to speed up my learning. I watch other artists who take to caricature so quickly and develop their craft exponentially and others who improve slowly and steadily. Everyone has their own journey. All I can say is that the more you can practice, the better you will get. But also, sometimes life gets in the way and puts practice on pause, so all we can really do is our best at any given moment. Sometimes our best yields incredible results and other days it’s maybe just finding the time to pick up a pencil for a few minutes.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Hello! I’m Robin, an artist who wears many hats. I’m a professional caricature artists of 22 years (and also the current President of the International Society of Caricature Artists). I’m a professional educator who teaches 3D modeling and digital fabrication at the University of Minnesota Department of Art. I’m a mini golf aficionado – together with my husband Tom Loftus, we’ve played over 500 courses around the world and co-own A Couple of Putts, a mini golf design and consultation company where I am the lead designer. I am also a professional studio artist, creating work and taking commissions from various museums, arts organizations and clients around the country.

My variety of skillsets allows me to move fluidly between creative projects and mediums as well as different leadership roles. I’m passionate about all of the things that I do so it’s hard for me to pick just one area to focus on. But regardless of the project or the medium, my main goal is to bring fun to everything I do. Sometimes that’s bringing joy and laughter to a room by drawing live caricatures, or by designing a colorful and nostalgic mini golf course for a client. Other times, it’s dreaming up and fabricating playful interactive art experiences for museums or festivals.

I’m always proud of my work ethic, my ambition, my curiosity, my willingness to try new things and fail and my persistence to keep trying again until I get it right.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the opportunity to bring myself to 100% of everything I do and create, putting my own little thumbprint out into the world. It’s even more rewarding when those actions and moments are received positively by others. When my work can bring audiences moments of joy, there is no better feeling.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Of course as an artist, I’m constantly working to improve my craft and get better at bringing my ideas to life in every capacity – drawing, sculpture, design, etc. And with each success, it sometimes feels like I’ve hit a plateau and am ready to ascend the next mountain. But the journey of being a creative person is in many ways out of my control. Beyond a want or desire to make art and improve, or the paycheck that might come from the professional side of it, there is a deeper need in me to create. It’s a primal feeling on par with the need to eat, drink and breathe. It’s passion, therapy and meaningful fulfillment all rolled into one.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://robinschwartzman.com
• Instagram: @robinschwartzman
• Other: A Couple of Putts: acoupleofputts.com
  International Society of Caricature Artists: caricature.org

Image Credits

Shane Hudak, Sean Deckert, Valerie Wei Haas, Jayme Halbritter