ROBOBRO
This holiday season, one of my gifts was a very personal and original [surprise] illustration.
Created within a single night from Facebook photo references, ROBOBRO lovingly pokes fun at a previously serious condition, and celebrates a struggle and triumph against dilated cardiomyopathy.
Sean is one of a few actual real-life superheroes I am fortunate to know: during the years most of us are funnelling beers or otherwise abusing ourselves, he fought through multiple invasive surgeries, endured a mechanical heart, and eventually overcame it all despite the odds, keeping his own heart and remaining a healthy, vibrant guy. Based on an anecdotal nickname given by his sister during this period, ROBOBRO is a hand-inked piece created both as a portrait and a charicature of an exceptional man.
From concept to sketch to final art, the primarily monochromatic palette of white and black was chosen to represent determination and strength, with a crimson accent to emphasize the human heart beating (infinately) inside the chest, with continuous EKG readings emanating from ear-like antennae.
