photo: Alan Mercer Lighting: Eric Venturo
Robert A. Delgadillo, better known as RAD, is an artist who specializes in celebrity and fashion illustration. Since an early age, RAD was intrigued by the entertainment industry, and strived to capture the essence of each of the celebrities he drew. He was fascinated by the way the actors moved and gestured on the big screen, and studied them intensely.In 2005, the artist had his first debut in Beverly Hills, and his exhibit consisted of Hollywood icons of the past and present. Since then, RAD’s work has appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers, online publications, and billboards on an international level. His work has also been seen on television and on the exterior of buildings in Los Angeles .
RAD has illustrated fashion ads for Kitson L.A., which they used in their major advertising campaigns around the globe. His designs for the hip boutique celebrate the lifestyle of the young and beautiful people of Los Angeles .
I met RAD when he was putting together a show called 'The Pussy Collection' featuring his illustrations of Julie Newmar as the Cat Woman. Besides being talented, RAD is an outstanding human being. I am proud to call him my friend. Eric Venturo and I spent a recent afternoon with RAD and got these great shots. Check out how great his illustrations are. Yes he did one of me shooting my darling Mamie Van Doren. I love it!
AM: Why don't you tell me what it is you do and how you got started?
RAD: I specialize in Celebrity and Fashion illustration. Those are my two loves. I started as a kid obsessed with Hollywood, especially old classic Hollywood. I was the bizarre kid in a primarily Spanish speaking neighborhood where you either join a gang or watch the husbands beating up the wives.
AM: That just wasn't you was it?
RAD: I was the odd kid watching a Hitchcock classic or a Marilyn Monroe movie. Nobody understood this weird kid. Why wasn't I climbing around fences or spray painting something like other children?
AM: And why weren't you?
RAD: I have always been fixated on my art. It comes from within and it always has. I've always loved the energy of the actors and actresses of Hollywood. I dedicate my art to celebrating this energy. I want to express this energy through my art.
AM: Who were some of the first celebrities you were inspired to illustrate?
RAD: As far back as I can remember I was drawing everybody . Predominantly women. It was always women. As a kid it was Marilyn Monroe and the Hitchcock leading ladies. As I grew into a teenager it was Pop stars like Cyndi Lauper and Madonna. As an adult it has changed and it is constantly changing. I look to the past a lot. I'm no longer just interested in celebrities. I am just intrigued by people. I can be anywhere, like a supermarket, and see someone with a crooked smile or something about their eyes gives me the need to express it. It's kind of obsessive.
AM: If you are not obsessive you are not an artist.
RAD: Right. I will be somewhere having dinner with someone and again my eye catches someone and then it becomes hard for me to continue the conversation because I am so caught up in this moment I want to capture. This is what draws me to my art. It's the same thing with celebrities.
AM: I know you have a Latin background so you have been drawn to Latin celebrities.
RAD: Yes there is something about the Latin entertainers that is so different. I think that's what I respond to as well. They are nice to look at.
AM: They are more sexy! How did you get involved with Kitson?
RAD: I actually got approached by an editor from US Weekly magazine, who was the editor for the fashion section. She commissioned me to do a portrait of the owner, Frasier Ross.
AM: Had you been to Kitson?
RAD: I had never heard of Kitson and had no idea what it was. She wanted me to do this portrait because she said lots of celebrities go in there. People like Jessica Simpson, Paris Hilton, and Gwen Stefani. So I went down to the store to check it out and do a little research. The minute I walked in the store I thought WOW I was made for this place because it's all about Pop culture and what's hot at the moment. That is originally what the store was all about.
AM: Your art and the store seems to be a perfect fit!
RAD: To make a long story short I did the portrait and he really liked it so he ended up commissioning me to do some art for the dressing rooms. Paris Hilton had a dressing room she always used and Lindsay Lohan had one that she liked. I ended up doing Paris, Lindsay and Gwen Stefani art that ended up hanging in the dressing rooms for a long time. Eventually they decided to do their own line of shoes and they asked if I would be interested in illustrating them so I got a contract with them doing the shoes. Eventually it was jeans and everything else that they have done. It went on for years and years.
AM: I remember seeing your ads everywhere.
RAD: The ads became part of the branding for them for a long time.
AM: They were the only fashion illustrations anywhere at the time.
RAD: Fashion illustration was dead for the longest time. People were not doing it. I was even told when I went to school that it was done and dead. It will never happen again. This was my opportunity to do something I had always dreamed of. Now it's back in a huge way. Now there's people mimicking my style. I'll get phone calls asking if I did some illustration for Macy's and I have to say, no. It just looks like my work.
EV: Just the other day I saw some illustrations on the side of a bus and said to myself, 'That looks like Rad's work.'
RAD: It's flattering so I like it. I'm glad people are more open to it now.
AM: You must enjoy being a leader in this way.
RAD: I love it! I've never been good at following. Even with my artwork now I have made a niche for myself by what I like to do and how I like to do it. I'm trying to make my own style evolve so I don't stay stagnant all the time.
AM: How do you enjoy teaching?
RAD: Teaching is great! It has been a really great outlet for me as far as taking my art to another level. It's great to do work for celebrities and get paid, but there is a human connection that is so short lived and not frequent. When I am teaching there is a constant exchange of energy. I always remember, even art school, being this boring and monotonous experience. I remember having one professor who was so horrid and un-motivating that when I took his class I had this one epiphany where I thought I am going to teach one day and do the complete opposite. I am going to motivate and encourage people to follow their dreams. I want to be a coach in a way because my parents never understood the art thing so they weren't able to support me. It's so cool to be able to be a coach for somebody. That for me is what it's all about. That is the best part.
AM: You are putting together a book now right?
RAD: Yes it's going to be called 'RAD Illustrated.' It will be a coffee table style book that will be a collection of the celebrity pieces I have done over the years, along with other pieces. I am also working on some new pieces of people who inspire me. It's also going to be inspirational and motivational so anybody that is interested in learning something will be able to.
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