Paul Robertson, Animator of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Video Game, Shows Pixel Art at GR2
Paul Robertson makes some of the coolest video game-inspired art you will ever see. In his prints -- several of which are on display right now in GR2's group show, "Diversions" -- the past clashes with the present in a brightly colored, pixelated fashion. Robertson artfully pieces together familiar characters from '80s cartoon and video games with Internet memes and anime girls as if he's reading the minds of the Internet masses. 
Liz Ohanesian Paul Robertson
"When I make a piece, my main goal is to make something I want to look at myself," Robertson says via email. "So I usually just cram it full of characters I like, or things from my childhood or just stupid things that I get a kick out of."
He adds, "Also I don't really have much confidence in myself as an artist, so I feel like I need to put hundreds of characters into each piece to compensate for my lack of skill."
Liz Ohanesian Paul Robertson
But Robertson, who is based in Melbourne, Australia, but spends a lot of time in Los Angeles, is skilled. He was the lead animator on Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game. ("Scott Pilgrim's world is pretty video game-inspired, so it's not too much of a leap to my stuff from there," he explains.) He has also recently worked on the games Wizorb and FEZ.
Robertson grew up with games, the kind people played in arcades or on Atari 2600 and NES systems. But nostalgia isn't the only reason why he leans toward the pixelated style of such classic fare. "I also like the idea of making something amazing with a lot of limitations," says Robertson. "Pixel art lends itself to this pretty well." He adds that the low resolution and color constraints offer challenges that help him create.
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Giant Robot 2
2062 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles, CA
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