Robert Escalera on Illustration and Design
This week I had a chance to catch up with Robert Escalera, Parsons alum, illustrator and professor at Parsons Paris who teaches Drawing, Fashion and Form to freshman Fashion Design students.
From looking at your sketches on your website and being in your class last year, I noticed that your sketches have an effortless originality about them. As an artist, is that something you think about before starting on your illustrations?
Itâs completely organic. Well itâs easy to say that it’s organic but itâs years of cultivating. Last year I brought in my sketches to show to my students of when I was a student myself. Later I had a couple of my students say how they preferred my older sketches better. When I step back and compare my work from then to now my sketches always seem so overworked, whereas now itâs completely effortless and natural. When I moved from NYC to Paris my drawings also drastically changed. I spend about three hours a day just drawing whereas back in New York I didnât have that much opportunity for it. Because of this I came to a place where I had a set design âvocabularyâ where my drawings could be readable yet something I could look at and say âI think that looks coolâ. Itâs not something I really thought about or a conscious decision, but it was something that came about with time, experience and a lot of practice.
For designers and illustrators thereâs usually something that identifies them as a signature. As an aspiring designer myself Iâm curious to know at what time does this come about?
I donât know when exactly it came into play but it was when I started feeling comfortable with what I was doing and that took a really long time. It comes with experience as well as confidence in what youâre doing. Some of it is external when you hear someone say that your work is good, but for the most part for me, it was internal where I could allow myself to show my work to others because I felt comfortable with it.
Apart from illustration what do you do?
Most of my work is designing. In New York, I started off in fashion design for brands. Then I specialized as a creative director in menswear brands. I moved to a branding agency where I was responsible for their accounts in the fashion industry. After this I opened my own store where I housed other young designers in New York.
Something that I did which was a bit unexpected was evolving from fashion to home furnishing accounts. From there I worked with the Food Network as an artistic director. I saw the similarities between both industries and I think it was a combination of all of these experiences that made me a better designer. I now have a better understanding of the business aspects of design and it was drawing that started it all.
With your experiences as both a professor and a designer, how do you merge the two to give a well rounded semester to your students?
At Parsons Paris I teach Drawing, Fashion and Form. One of the core pillars of my job is to teach students the importance of drawing and how to use it as a tool in all different aspects of fashion.
When I show students artistic references or current exhibitions that Iâm interested in, this is a point where my experience as a designer leads into my teaching. I do this so that they can see the influences that may inform my drawing aesthetic and hope that they use that as a tool for themselves. For me, it was always clear that drawing was the key factor that got me into designing, so it is natural for me to encourage my students to try that approach and to see if it may work for them.
Itâs a give and take situation. I try to pass on everything I know but being in a classroom as a teacher this time, all the new ideas and thoughts I hear may also influence me and the way I work.
Lastly, what advice would you give to aspiring designers?
– Get out of school as much as you can! Studies and classes are important but being able to go to exhibitions, galleries, fashion shows and libraries is whatâs going to be key in making you a well-rounded designer. Prioritize things that make sense to you, but find the balance between school and the fashion world in Paris outside of school.
– Go to libraries. Paris has a great selection and the more you look and read, the more creative doors you will be opening for yourself.
– Choose your friends wisely because most of the âlifeâ education you get during college will be coming from them.
– Be self-motivated! Itâs the one thing that gets you far not only in this industry but in all aspects of life. Find something sustainable thatâs going to push you to pursue your dreams.
– Donât put yourself in a box. Life has a lot to offer and if you only see yourself as, or allow yourself to be seen as, one thing: only a designer or only an illustrator, youâre automatically closing a door to a world full of new opportunities. Anything is possible!
To see more of Roberts Escaleraâs work: www.robertescalera.com