The art of tantalizing isn't foreign to the New York extraordinaire.
Words by Luis (@HeaviestOfArt):
Whether it be his expansive approach to music composition for a trailblazing act or his ingenious thought of welcoming audiences to horror though color, Alan Robert's ability to trigger the mind for a creative stroll is to be respected. More importantly, it comes about as a byproduct of his own artful ambitions — an element that yields organic engagement for those with likeminded interests.
Years beyond writing for Roadrunner Records legends Life of Agony, designing the band's t-shirts, and taking on comic book creation, Alan found a knack for welcoming expression through the use of legendary horror icons, such as the Universal Monsters we all know and love, Beetlejuice, and more. Though rather unconventional, his standout coloring books have been more so universal as he carved a niche space for those keen on reinterpreting the color palettes for otherwise signature figures. The success of said books is a passionate feat that reflects the free flowing nature of his continuing creativity, which as one can see, never ceases to settle. In speaking to Alan about Universal Monsters, Beetlejuice, and the Horror Holiday coloring book he has on the way, it’s strongly evident that excitement is as strong for the creator as it is for the viewer. As ideas continue to flow and he sits back to watch it unfold, there's plenty to take from the experience of becoming a consecutive New York Times and Amazon bestseller. He mentions, "It’s definitely exciting to see these books come out one after the other and to see the fans enjoying them. The real reward is seeing colorists from all over the world bringing these designs to life, and each title is very different from one another, too, which makes them each very special in their own right."
Coloring an image always provides a sense of ownership, and for Alan, said ownership is a testament to the connection being formed between him, the many around the world, and the revered properties he so confidently takes on. "It has been a huge honor to illustrate the classic monsters we all grew up on like Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolf Man, and the rest, in collaboration with the Universal Pictures team," says Alan. "It’s humbling to say the least. Universal Monsters is such a prestigious brand, especially for a horror-nut like me, so I never thought that I would be asked to be involved with a project on this level. Beetlejuice is another one of my favorites, and a cult classic, with a massive legion of fans. It was a great experience working with the Warner Bros team, and the timing couldn’t be more perfect for the book release." Coincidentally, Alan's Beetlejuice coloring book releases the same week that the highly anticipated sequel, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, hits theaters.
Horror staples aren't enough for Alan, who just recently released The Beauty of Horror: Haunted Holidays, combining the smaller holiday specials that previously allowed him to breathe horrific life into Halloween and Christmas into one larger, 128-page book in the 10x10” format. From there, his Beauty of Horror series continues into a colorable jigsaw puzzle expansion, set for release this September. In short, there's enough fuel in the tank for Alan's morbid visions.
More importantly, one should note that he's illustrating the subject matter that he himself would like to color and not forcing a project for sake of doing so. He's not pushing a book to meet the excitement film remake or sequel, or illustrating whatever receives the most likes on social media. He's instead driven by his influences, his own interests, and many have now gravitated towards it, ultimately forming a dedicated audience engaged with whatever he puts forth. Operating in such a way certainly releases the pressure that is piled upon a project with predetermined expectations. Instead, Alan is set on pleasing his own creative ambitions rather than meeting someone else’s. He comments, "I really couldn’t imagine drawing a whole book of material that I was not passionate about. I would probably lose my mind. Creating these books consumes so much of my time and energy, so it’s very important to me that I am 100% into it. I think that passion comes through in the artwork, as well."
Illustrating with little to no boundaries also allows Alan to expand upon the subject matter and inject his own flare to the many pages audiences have a chance to dive through. For a boundless artist, limits only challenge the wonder of what is possible, so it's key that IDW Publishing understands and encourages exploration, such as adding joyous elements to an otherwise twisted setting. "I have the freedom to explore and expand Ghouliana’s world in The Beauty of Horror series anyway I decide. IDW has always been a great creative partner in that way, and I’m grateful to them for that. They’ve always allowed me to run wild with my ideas, even with my past comic book series like Wire Hangers, Crawl to Me, and Killogy. Illustrating the Universal Monsters and Beetlejuice books for Insight Editions was an absolute treat. First off, I’m a giant fan of both properties, and second, I’ve been drawing these characters my entire life for fun. Now, I get a chance to do it professionally. As a fan, it’s super cool."
Alan continues, "Believe it or not, especially for The Beauty of Horror books, there is a lot of fun involved with these pages… not just horror. There’s a twisted sense of humor sprinkled in there, which makes me smile while drawing. I think it’s one of the elements that separates this coloring book series from the other horror coloring books out there."
From page to page, Alan's books are much like a shape-shifting song, riddled with elements waiting to be uncovered. The approach to layering his subjects, both in song and in books, are intersectional and involve a collaborative creative development between the parties that be. He outlines how this all comes to be with respect to licensing and respecting the likeness of the subject matter: "The first thing discussed when drawing any licensed property is who controls the likeness rights. Some publishers own the rights to certain characters or actors, but for some, they may not. It’s important to follow those rules and to dig into the style guides that they provide. After that is established, especially dealing with multiple characters in one book, like with Universal Monsters, my question was if all eight characters were to fill the book equally, or if some of the more popular characters should have more prominent placement. There were some restrictions I had to adhere to, but overall, I was able to play around with multiple types of design formats for each character. I had the best references… the old black and white movies I grew up on! Talk about a dream job."
There's compromises to made, but at the end, the freedom of creative expression remains. Influence still seeps into the conscious and subconscious of Alan's work desk as the characters and their settings come to be. As a musician taking on horror and pop culture properties with legendary film scores across time, one has to ask, "Are the scores or the films themselves playing in the background as he puts pen to paper?" The answer is quite obvious. Alan elaborates while mentioning the key role that sleep deprivation plays in it all: "I definitely create the right atmosphere to get into the right mindset for the work. For the books that are based on films, I always watch a few scenes before I even begin putting pen to paper. Outside of the film soundtracks, I listen to a lot of different podcasts or documentaries on the making of the films. I find all of that information fascinating while I draw, and hearing tidbits about the filming may even inspire me to tackle designs differently. Also, I don’t sleep much. I’ve always said that insomnia is the key to productivity. That’s usually when the best ideas come to me."
The beauty of coloring books is that much like art, it leaves a lot to the viewer’s interpretation and encourages them to complete the picture from their own perspective. One could argue that this element is elevated in a coloring book versus an album cover for example given the obvious input required of a viewer, For Alan, the intention behind each book is to immerse viewers and perhaps remove them, even for a moment, from the rush of the outside world. One of IDW's promotional banners for The Beauty of Horror encapsulated it perfectly: art therapy for the abnormal. Alan expands on his artistic purpose here, "It truly is art therapy for some colorists. I often say it’s art therapy for the abnormal (laughs), because of the twisted content. If you look up #thebeautyofhorror on Instagram, you’ll see thousands of colored pages from fans around the world. You’ll see the same pages colored in all different ways by fans using all kinds of mediums… colored pencils, markers, crayons, even nail polish!"
He continues, "It’s inspiring to see how each person puts their own style and palette to make the pages unique. It’s like a never-ending art project. I provide the line work and the colorists do the rest. But, it’s true. I do hear from fans a lot about unplugging from social media for a few hours to sit and concentrate on coloring a page helps them decompress from the everyday stresses they’re dealing with. It’s nice to know that I can help people like that, doing something I love to do."
There's power in providing a platform for creative expression, especially when it generates passionate conversation and a deeper level of engagement that serves a greater purpose. Alan has had this ability beyond his recorded material, and though there’ll always be the Life of Agony association, at least in my opinion, it's significant for him to have carved his own path as an acclaimed illustrator. After all, art provided the foundation for a life full of creative endeavors across professions. "I was drawing long before Life of Agony existed - even before I ever picked up a guitar. Art has always been a huge part of my life. At a very early age, going back to elementary school, I remember drawing monsters all over my notebook and having my classmates crowd around me watching me draw. I started getting interested in music much later, like at 16 or 17 years old. I went on to college at The School of Visual Arts in Manhattan on a scholarship and had every intention of pursuing a career in cartooning upon graduation. It just so happens that LOA’s debut album, 'River Runs Red', was released that same year on Roadrunner Records (1993), so I figured I’d put the art career on hold while I went out on tour for a few months. Well, a few months turned into thirty years (laughs)! Funny how that happens. It wasn’t until around 2009 that I planned to release my first comic series with IDW. That was Wire Hangers; a psychological horror tale which I wrote and illustrated. It was such a great learning experience and so much fun, that I decided to keep churning out more stories like Crawl to Me and Killogy, before diving into the adult coloring book world with The Beauty of Horror in 2016."
Alan's trajectory is the epitome of doing what you love and investing every bit of yourself into whatever that is to see things through all the way. He's written songs, he's written comics, and now has a series of acclaimed coloring books — all while remaining true to his integrity and artistic intentions. We're at a culminating point, or hot streak if you will, for an Alan Robert brimming with enthusiasm for the next chapter to come. Alan humbly looks back and reflects on his accomplishments until this point, while also looking towards the future: "I think that the coloring books have really connected with people because the fans become invested in them personally. My books are simply tools that allow them to unleash their own creativity. As soon as they start adding colors to these designs, the books become theirs, just as much as they are mine. It’s a very symbiotic experience. The other really rewarding thing is that immediately after the books get released, I see fans posting their color work online. It blows my mind to see these pages come to life in full color. Ironically, coloring is not really my thing, so I don’t really have any preconceived ideas on what these designs could look like finished. It’s also interesting to see which designs colorists gravitate towards the most, too. Every book is different, they have different themes, so some themes may interest fans more than others. For instance, The Beauty of Horror Volume 3 focuses on carnivals, clowns, and playgrounds, while Volume 4 is based on horror movie parodies. Each book has its own focus, which makes it a lot of fun for fans. The latest book I drew in the series comes out February 2025. It’s called The Beauty of Horror: Backwards Records, and it’ll be filled with horror parodies of famous album covers. I even snuck a Life of Agony record in there! I’m really looking forward to seeing what colorists do with that one especially!"
Universal Monsters, as well as Alan's other currently released and upcoming coloring books, can be checked out via Alan's website.
