Interview With ‘Ender’s Game’ & ‘Spider-Man’ Concept Artist Robert Simons (Part 1)

Whether you’re into concept art, illustration, character design, comics or storyboards, I’m constantly pushing you to create personal projects and pursue amazing collaborations.

Why?

The success of concept artist Robert Simons is why.

Previously, on the ArtCast, I interviewed the director and composer of Project Arbiter – an indie sci-fi short film with a big-budget look.

Robert Simons’ concept work on Project Arbiter demonstrated a surprising level of maturity (He was only 19 years old at the time). Unsuprisingly, his career now includes concept work on huge films like Ender’s Game and The Amazing Spider-man 2.

In this interview, we hear how Robert’s career evolved, his attitude toward criticism, obsession and creating art with meaning.

…and in the Q&A segment, my good friend Matt Kohr joins me to respond to a listener question about whether you need to move to the west coast of the United States in order to become a concept artist…

Listen To The Interview With Concept Artist Robert Simons:

[ download the mp3 ]

Read the transcript for this episode here.

Episode Highlights:

How to find the value in a harsh critique.
Are artists inherently obsessive?
The advantages of dyslexia.
Robert’s relationship with mentor Scott Robertson.
How Robert and his team turned an unrealized personal project into a fully-funded Kickstarter campaign.

“I want to leave messages behind… I feel like with filming and directing, and even with comic books, you can leave so much for people to take in.”

– Robert Simons