Art In Orbit: Robin (@mycorob)
Hello, everybody, and welcome to our very first Art In Orbit post!
“Art in Orbit? What’s that?” I hear you ask - and what a good question! We here at Out Of Orbit love our community; and by that, we don’t just mean our (very dear to us) listeners, but also the LGBT Star Trek and Science Fiction fanspace in general. We don’t want to simply be a gaggle of gays harping on about our own interests, but rather, we want to connect with this amazingly diverse and talented collective (no assimilation required, promise!).
Whilst we really do love the Star Trek fan community, we’re also aware that often, certain groups of people get overlooked, turned away or abused in fan spaces, especially those that operate online. And so, we want to use this little platform of ours to promote and celebrate science fiction artists from typically under-represented groups. By artists, we mean ANYONE creating content - be that traditional arts media, fanart, fanfiction, music….you name it! If it’s creative, science fiction related, and not created by a middle class, able bodied, cishet white man, then we want to celebrate it!
And so, with all that out the way, I am super pleased to introduce our very first Art In Orbit artist, Robin! I’ll shut up now and let him talk!
Eli: Hi Robin - and thank you so much for joining us for Art In Orbit. A lot of people have found your artwork due to your (amazing) pieces of fanart; what intrigues you about creating fanart, and what are some of your favourite pieces of media to create works for?
Robin: I love making fanart because I can get very invested in characters. I like coming up with headcanons, especially lgbtq+ ones, and that's what a lot of my fanart is based on. I make a lot of ship art, mostly mlm, because I just like seeing my favorite characters in these specific scenarios. When it comes to favourite media I don't have one because my interests constantly change.
Eli: It's not just fanart of characters we already know and love that you create, but you've also produced some incredible original character works, too. What makes OCs so interesting for you?
Robin: I never had OCs until I was maybe around 15 and at first it was just about making cool designs but it has turned into me developing complete backstories and relationships between these characters. My OCs feel real to me because of all this development and that's what really intrigues me the most. You have this blank slate and before you know it it's suddenly this fully fleshed out character with motivations, relationships and dreams.
Eli: That sounds so exciting! Do you think Star Trek lends itself to enabling fans to create original characters? And is this an important part of fandom culture?
Robin: Oh absolutely. With a franchise that's been going on since the 60s it's almost inevitable that fans look at it at some point and go 'You know what, I want to be part of this world'. Especially with all the different species, planets, organisation's and all these cool canon characters. You can't help but want to be part of that and OCs are a great way to fulfill this desire.
Eli: On that note, a lot of us have no idea where to start when it comes to creating an OC. Could you maybe walk us through the process? How do you go about deciding on names, traits, and how they fit into the media canon?
Robin: I try to let my OCs develop all on their own. All my OCs started out as a "cool design" and then I would start connecting them with other OCs, or I would base their traits on people I know in real life. One of my OCs is named after a friend's dog, so there really is no shame in taking inspiration from real life. Unless you need an OC as a specific plot device, it's better not to force the process. Also: If you have friends who like making OCs too then you should talk with them about your process. Talking about your OCs with other people helps a lot!
Eli: That’s really great advice, thank you! Have you created any OCs that you're particularly fond of? If so, would you mind telling us about them?
Alma is one of my original characters who I've had for over 3 years now. She is half human and half alien, which is why she has a third eye. Her childhood was very rough but she's still confident and wants to try and find her parents. She works as a medium and still has to learn that it's okay to show weakness and ask others for help.
Alma, Robin's human/alien OC. This image is the work and property of Robin/@mycorob, and is not permitted for redistribution.
Ariadne, or Ari, is one of my Star Trek characters. They are an xB and work as a counsellor aboard the Pharagodia (A ship that I came up with). I love xBs a lot and fleshing Ari out was so much fun. Ari used to be part of the Borg hivemind until they were severed from the collective and then had to completely reinvent themselves. Now they try to use their knowledge from their own personal recovery to try and help people as a counsellor.
Ari, Robin's xB OC. This image is the work and property of Robin/@mycorob, and is not permitted for redistribution.
Eli: Well, we all know how much I love xBs, so I have to say, thank you for all the glorious xB content!
Now, diving into your art process a bit more, what kind of mediums do you typically enjoy using when creating your work? And does this change depending on what kind of content you're creating?
Robin: I mostly draw on my ipad with the program Procreate. I like digital art because I like making art quickly. I'm not someone who can spend days on the same piece. I have phases where I sketch a lot with my mechanical pencil and am currently trying to use my colored pencils more but I think I will always remain a digital artist.
Eli: Awesome! So, a large part of the popularity of fanart is that it provides a space for creators to explore themes of LGBTQ identity. Would you mind telling us about how art helps you to reflect your identity?
Robin: Especially as a trans person I do deal with my fair share of internalized transphobia. For a really long time I thought: 'There is no space for me in media' but that is ridiculous. Coming up with LGBTQ+ headcanons and drawing characters as trans has helped me immensely and I hope other LGBTQ+ people feel seen in my art.
Eli: Thank you for sharing that; it’s brilliant that fanart has provided an outlet for so many people to explore and portray their own identities, and it can be a really helpful tool for processing emotions. On that note, do you have any words of wisdom for people wanting to get involved with creating OCs, or fan art in general?
Robin: Don't be afraid to show someone or talk about your OCs. People can't get invested in your OCs if you don't talk about them, so don't be shy. This advice goes for me as well. My best advice for fanart is that you should not look at trends or what's popular at the moment. I did that for a long time but it's not fun. Draw whatever you wanna and that will make you happy and also keep you motivated! I've been much more self indulgent with my art now and rarely have art blocks anymore.
Eli: Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me, and discuss your art! It’s been a real pleasure, and I’m sure all of our listeners (or...uh...readers?) will want to see more of your work! Where can people find you, and your art?
Robin: On Twitter you can find me under the username @Mycorob. I'm always happy to interact with people and I try to post as frequently as possible. On Instagram you can find me under the username @Mycorob_ , but I'm not very talkative or active on there.
So, that concludes our first instalment of Art In Orbit! Thanks once again to Robin for collaborating with us on this - and if all of you at home have time, please check out his incredible artwork (you won’t regret it, I promise)! We’ll be featuring his work on our social media pages, too, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
And if you - yes, you! - think you fit in with Art In Orbit, and would like to showcase you and your work, then check out our #ArtInOrbit poster for more details on how to participate.
