Rob is quite kicked about his spilt coffee prank. So are his young fans who eagerly follow his instructions, deftly mix colours and then laugh and clap in delight as they successfully pull a fast one. “These are simple, harmless pranks that I play on people and can be created on your own,” laughs Harun Robert, better known as Rob. The creative artist who started off with MAD, an art show on POGO, is now starting his venture in the virtual world. MadStuffwithRob, his new channel on YouTube in association with Sony Music, goes live today, for Children’s Day.
“Kids can watch this channel at their own pace, any time of the day. Unlike on television, here they won’t have to wait for the show or worry about missing out on it,” says Rob. The show has segments such as CoolTools (art tips, tricks and techniques), RobCycling (recycling and upcycling), PrankTank (practical jokes), DrawsomeAwesome (simple methods to draw complicated things)…The duration of each is about three to four minutes.
The artist has been shooting for a month now. Is it a challenge to constantly come up with new ideas and techniques?
“Yes, sometimes we run out of ideas but my team and I brainstorm. I also travel a lot, so I meet local artists and get ideas from them and simplify it for my viewers,” he says.
The artist, who has been working with and for children for over a decade, has been interested in art ever since he was five. His kindergarten teachers often told his parents about how good a storyteller he was through the visual medium. “Art is an outlet. If I drew a war scene from history I would be able to remember it better. My biology diagrams always had an extra element…I would also end up drawing scientists next to the specimen,” he says. Art got him marks, yes, but it also did get him into trouble. His love for caricatures ensured he was sent out of class twice. “The teachers didn’t quite like the way I drew them,” he grins. Since art wasn’t a lucrative career option back then, Rob was preparing for medical college post-school. But all it took was filling up an application form to the Delhi College of Art on his friend’s behest. That was followed by a stint at National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, before he became quite a hit with kids, parents and grandparents. “I have had grandparents telling me that thanks to my show kids are spending time with them at home creating things. It’s like a family bonding activity.” And now coloured chart paper, large chunks of thermocol, cans of paint and a mind brimming with ideas are what comprise Rob’s world.
