Rob Don

The big Sale I've been running on my website(link in bio) is wrapping up this weekend! Just added my newest piece to the lineup.(First two Images listed) If you've ever wanted to own one of my originals, you have until Sunday(2/26) evening to grab one of the remaining pieces of art! Find some other photos of them below. Super thankful to all those who have purchased a piece from me. Looking forward to this year's creative journey! The newest piece was made with Graphite, Watercolor, ink and a little bit of acrylic on watercolor paper. I cut out the shape of the paper and sealed it to a board with PVA like usual, then sealed it with a gloss finish. I used a black Urethane resin for the frame, and painted it with acrylic to match the piece. This small piece was meant to be a purple/yellow complimentary color study of another, larger piece I'm working on called "From Imagination" so it currently doesn't have a name. One day a name will occur to me, I'm sure. Probably after it's gone, but these things take time. #Art #DarkArt #Artwork #DarkArtSale #ArtSale #Color #Pencil #Graphite #Surrealism #Macabre #Baroque #ArtGallery #Frame #Goth #Gothic (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpF48wIO28b/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

"This is Maybe a Tree" + The title came out of this piece at the tail end of drawing it. Nothing specific to look into, just thought that it could be a tree, but it may just as easily not be a tree. Who knows what it is, really. Just tried to fumble around and grasp something from the ether ✨ + On that note, I've been giving a lot of thought to what my "idea" or "thesis" or "theme" is in my artwork. What is it that I'm trying to communicate? What's my message? Hard to put to words, and a lot of people have opinions on what this should be. For me, I enjoy when the purpose or meaning of the piece shows through during the process. Like it's presenting itself to me as a reward for committing to the work. For that reason, it can be hard to start sometimes, and I'm thinking I should try to balance the "finding meaning in the process" with "allowing an idea to initiate the process" because I believe if I employ both paradigms, I'd have less doubts and therefore, higher output of art. I'd like to have a higher output of art, so I'll continue to mull this over. Thoughts? + #Artist #Ramble #ArtistRamble #Pencil #Graphite #Watercolor #Painting #Paint #Drawing #Draw #Tree #Bowtie #Red #Gold #Demon #Angel #DreamCatcher #Key #Lock #Imagery #Surrealism #Surreal #Surrealist #Gothic #Baroque #Macabre #Face #Portrait (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUxqPH9LACa/?utm_medium=tumblr

👻Tomorrow Night 👺 @eclipsec3 gallery opens their scary themed #Phantasma show in Lansdale PA! Here’s a list of the artists - swipe to see some of what I’ll be showing! Hopefully see ya there - I’ll be there from 6-8 🙀 + #Gallery #ArtGallery #ArtOpen #Exhibition #OpeningNight #Drawing #Artwork #Artist #Artists #Painting #Drawing #Sketch #Heart #Scary #Spooky #Halloween https://www.instagram.com/p/CULLjnFrgRS/?utm_medium=tumblr

This Friday! 6-9 PM I’ll be hanging out at @eclipsec3 gallery in Lansdale for their Phantasma show, where I’ll be showing a bunch of newer and older work! Come hang with us for some spooky vibes! + #Gallery #Galleryshow #ArtGallery #Artist #Artwork #Hanging #Friday #HangOut #Mingle #Lansdale #Philadelphia #Scary #Spooky #Halloween #Phantasma #goth #Macabre #Baroque #Gothic (at Lansdale, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CUFeqWdLRVd/?utm_medium=tumblr

🌳Figured I’d try out a complimentary color scheme for a surreal piece 🎈 • This one is untitled as of yet. Any recommendations on the name? I be super curious about what ya got, so leave a name in the comments if ya dig 🤙 • I casted that frame from one I found. I’ll only be doing that for original works. Hopefully I won’t have to do it at all if I can manage to sculpt frames from scratch, which would be rad. I also painted this one this funky green color. Totally fun ✨🤘🎉 • #Frame #Framing #Artwork #Surreal #Surrealism #Portrait #Profile #Clock #Flower #Paper #Board #Process #ArtProcess #Gothic #Macabre #Baroque #Outside #Watercolor #Graphite #Pencil #Painting #FineArt #FramedArtwork (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CT7Wo-RruO2/?utm_medium=tumblr

Not sure if I actually ever got around to posting this publicly… I drew “Badass Nonsense” last year and edited this video using photoshop… not the absolute best way to go about it, but hey it did the job for quite a while. • I’m currently embellishing the frame for this piece with arms or branches, more accurately, to hang small pendants from. Really pumped to actually be doing that nowadays. I also varnished this drawing with an acrylic gloss brush varnish. Of course, I fixed the graphite first and I’m glad to report that it looks “Badass” on another level 🤘 • #AutomaticDrawing #drawing #SketchPencil #Paper #Graphite #Radio #Philadelphia #PhiladelphiaArt #Illustration #Lowbrow #outsiderart #outsider (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CTH8QSNDkox/?utm_medium=tumblr

#WIP pics from last year’s mega-project, “Hiatus” which was a pencil on paper drawing. It’ll probably be my largest, most ambitious graphite drawing ever. Seems like yesterday I was wondering who the hell I thought I was for trying to finish something so ridiculously challenging, but looking back on it, I think of the struggle fondly. Funny how that works out. Hopefully that resonates; feel encouraged to leave a comment if it resonates ✌️ • #epicartwork #Art1 #Drawing #Draw #SchedulesLikeDesign #Graphite ###Paper #Photo #Philly #PhillyArt #PhillyArtist #Illustration #LowBrow #Surrealist #Symmetry #Macabre #Baroque #DarkArt #PencilDrawing #LargeDrawing #Metal #Postrock #mathrock #BeautifulBizarre #beautiful #summer #work (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CS22p_5LYF_/?utm_medium=tumblr

I sculpted another "frame" around one of my old mounted drawings from before I started to sign my name as Rob Don. I also got around to sculpting a couple of mini pendants or ornaments or whatever, and I drew a couple of very small pen drawings and cut them out and sealed them down to the ornaments with PVA archival adhesive. I've been playing around with the idea of hanging little pieces from my larger framed work, and this is the first time I actually executed on that idea. It may not be the most mind-blowing quality of work, but it's all the more special because I crafted every single physical element of these pieces from the drawings to the sculpted surfaces to the "frame" which is permanently fixed to the board. Very exciting times.. 💫 · I like the charm of the black "frame" BUT I feel like if I were to gently dry brush it with some acrylic, the details would be pronounced way more. What do you think? Purple? · #Artwork #Art #Drawing #Framed #Framing #Macabre #Baroque #Gothic #Sculpting #Drawing #Pendant #Ornament #Armature #Eyeball #eye #Tattoo #Hanging #ReadyToHang #Juxtapose #Experiment #Visionary #Lowbrow #Outside #PostRock #Metal #Frame (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSuOErqLlj4/?utm_medium=tumblr

⚗️So I experimented last night👽 I was sculpting some frame corners with Apoxie Sculpt and had some left over. This stuff cures rock hard in 24 hours so I only had an hour or two to Sculpt with it before it got too hard to move. Rather than wasting it, I decided to Sculpt a "frame" around one of the boards I had lying around with an eye study mounted to it. Luckily, I was able to turn this study that I was not excited about into a finished piece of sorts. I'll totally be diving down this little rabbit hole of sculpting "frames" around smaller pieces. · The third slide is a "before" I sculpted and the first and second are obviously after adding the #apoxiesculpt - the last slide is the back, all wired for hanging, again with Apoxie Sculpt from #Aves · #Experimentation #Artist #Artwork #Drawing #Drawing #Sketch #Design #Pencil #Paper #Eyeball #Eye #Filthy #PhillyArt #PhillyArtist #Philadelphia #Illustration #Baroque #Macabre #BeautifulBizarre #Watercolor #Graphite #Sculpture #Sculpt #Frame #Small #Mini (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSe5tVGrN9_/?utm_medium=tumblr

✏️Doodle I scribbled in a @moleskine sketchbook a little while ago☠️ I was very pleased to see that the paper didn't distort or disintegrate when I soaked the back with water after I cut it into that freaky shape. And when I adhered it down to that black board I had previously pinted, it dried flush to the surface and all those little whispy bits of paper now don't even budge. So nice when experiments work out ✨ What do you think of this flavor or art compared to my larger, more refined work? · #DarkIllustration #Artist #Artwork #Drawing #Drawing #Sketch #Design #Pencil #Paper #Moleskin #Philly #PhillyArtist #Philadelphia #Illustration #Lowbrow #Abstract #BlackAndWhite #Outside #OutsiderArt #Baroque #Macabre #Darkartist #Doodle (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSZ-wjgrVf3/?utm_medium=tumblr

I restored this frame recently with acrylic paint and metal leaf. I'm in the process of making a video for Patreon showing off the process in a step by step way, but here is some before and after footage and stills for ya. I don't have a piece of art for it yet, but ya know there'll be a lotta gold up in there when I do. What goldness should I include? A crown? Keys? Skulls? So many option · #Artist #Artwork #Frame #FrameRestoration #Restoration #Goldleaf #Gold # MetalLeaf #ArtistProcess #Presentation #Framing #Process #ArtistProcess #Acrylic #Paint #AcrylicPaint #SurfacePrep #Painting #diy (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CSIarY6LB64/?utm_medium=tumblr

Throwing it back to last year just as Covid was kicking all of our asses. These are some of the first images where I started to introduce a bit of color via soft pastel or watercolor. Which is ya fav? · #DarkIllustration #Artist #Artwork #Drawing #Sketch #Design #Pencil #Paper #Photo #Watercolor #Graphite #Philly #PhillyArt #PhillyArtist #Ornate #Baroque #Macabre #Illustration #Draw #Paint #Flower #Frame #Mandrake #Eyeball #Metal #Rock #Black #White #Purple #Pink (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CR7LceuLAS4/?utm_medium=tumblr

"Black Sheep" is full of these little pockets separated by color. Just kinda walked into that concept without actually meaning to, but it could be useful to me to use color this way with a bit more intention in the future. Here are those sections and a video tour of the piece at the end slide. · This one is Watercolor and Graphite Pencil on Hot Press watercolor paper, mounted to silver leafed Masonite panel. Still lots to do, but we're approaching the home stretch at about 75 hours in ✨ · #Blacksheep #OutsiderArt #Outside #Drawing #Painting #Symmetry #Symbolism #Surrealism #Surreal #Eyeball #Portrait #Artist #ModernArt #ContemporaryArt #NewContemporary #Visionary #Drafting #Draftsman #Victorian #Baroque #Gothic #Goth #Slideshow #Photograph #Photo #RobDon (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CRkQZjUrr9w/?utm_medium=tumblr

😐Cannot believe that it’s been two years since I started this drawing/painting! (Drainting? Prawing?.. Mixed Media Piece.) “23 Nights in a Dream” was a 3 month long project, and was named for the 23 drawing sessions it took to render. (excluding prelim sketching and drafting time) It was the first large piece that I used color in, and is a special part of my collection for that reason. Fine Art Prints are available on my website at a special sale price for a limited time; check the link in my bio 🙌 • I’m developing a list of questions for a Q&A video I want to release, and I’d love to include any questions you might have. However specific or vague, leave a comment with a question for me around my art practice. Chances are, I’ll include it. Cheers ✌️ • #RobDon #Gothic #Baroque #Horror #GothicArt #Portrait #Portrait #HorrorArt #Surrealism #PostRock #MathRock #Metal #MetalMusic #Rocknroll #Surrealist #DarkArt #DarkArtist #DarkArtistSubmissions #Gallery #ArtGallery #Philadelphia #PhillyArt https://www.instagram.com/p/CQwgjUnLbNT/?utm_medium=tumblr

Signing a lil baby with a super sharp H pencil - you may think to yourself, "why do that, ya silly goose?" Well, the pencil is hard enough that it's not very easily erasable with enough pressure, especially when the tip is so dagger sharp like that. What's your favorite method of sharpening a pencil? · Here are some angles of this lil 5x7" graphite and ink doodle. It's really tough to show off these little guys digitally. Some people hate the sheen of graphite, but I think it's really beautiful. Adds a sort of magic to an image, but hey, guess you'll have to take my word that it looks way more magical in person ✨ · #Magic #Magical #Drawing #Signature #Artwork #Art #Paper #Pencil #Majesty #Graphite #Pink #IndiaInk #InkDrawing #Doodle #Doodling #Portrait #Surrealism #VisionaryArt #Blackandwhite #Angles #Visionary #Form #Gesture #Structure (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/CPL0LMsn1ui/?utm_medium=tumblr