Where were you born? Where did you grow up?
I was born in Araraquara, countryside of the state of São Paulo, and grew up in Araraquara as well; it’s been 20 years since I’ve been living in the same city.

Schooling? Art training?
I only finished human anatomy course, which lasted for six months with Sebastião Seabra. I’m autodidactic and always studied looking and reading materials such as books, comics and doing a lot of research about my idols in the internet. I have always been and still am a huge Tim Townsend and Mark Farmer fan, they’re the best inkers I’ve seen so far and I plan to one day achieve what they have conquered as an inker. Yes, I’m still studying and I never ever want to quit, I think I’ll die unhappy for believing I could add something new and better in each one of my previous works. Today, the internet allows me to get closer to great artists, including my idols, which is very pleasurable and a great honor to have Tim Townsend next to me, I consider him as my friend, I learned a lot with every comment about my work. I consider Tim as my best editor, he believes in me so much and especially in my work with paint. Besides the great Tim Townsend, I also have the support of fabulous inkers, such as Mark Morales, Dexter Vines, Dan Panosian and Bill Reinhold, I’ve been learning a lot with each one of them and I hope not to disappoint them.

How long have you been working professionally in comics?
I’ve never worked with comics professionally. I just finished gathering my best images so I can have a chance to show my talent and ability as an inker. Today I see myself prepared for any kind of job with inks.

What things -- both in art and otherwise -- have you worked on besides comics? Are comics a full-time gig for you or part-time?
I’ve worked helping my dad, he’s a foreman builder, or as everyone usually says here in my country, he works as a “bricklayer”, hard work and extremely heavy, I’ve already been his helper, or as people usually say, his “bricklayer’s servant”, several times, under the sun of 37 °C or 38 °C is not easy at all. I don’t regret anything I’ve done and I guess  it was a choice for me to work with my dad. I learned a lot from him, like what a professional should act like in different situations, how to treat other people and specially being responsible and humble to be open to learn different things every day from anyone, regardless his/her skin color, financial situation or professional skills. And it also is always good for me to be next to my dad, no matter what situation. And as for comic books, as I said, I still haven’t had a chance to show what I’m capable of. I’m still waiting for my turn, no hurry.

Talk about how you broke into the business --was it easy? Hard? Ups? Downs? Any interesting anecdotes? When you held your first published work in your hands, how did you feel?
I still haven’t had the opportunity to feel anything at all. I hope 2010 is a year of many different feelings and accomplishments for me, I’m anxious and very confident to go through that experience.

Did you work as an assistant to any other artists? If so, please talk a bit about those experiences.
No, I just worked side by side with friends in the same studio, but either way, it was a great experience and I learned a lot from that period. I think everyone who’s starting should go through it, working with friends is very interesting because one is pushing the other and trying to improve everyone’s work, there’s a lot of honesty in the comments of friends, and you can learn very fast, since the beginning. You have to have someone pushing you so you can evolve and break boundaries so one day you can be a great professional. It really is a great investment, well… at least it was for me.

How did your parents take to the idea of working in comics?
 “ARE YOU NUTS, HOW ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE MONEY OUT OF THAT.”
That was kinda what happened (laughs). My parents have always been very humble people and with little scholarity, they would never understand how this market or this job works. It’s been a few days since my father started to understand how this career works. When you start telling people you want to work with comic books they laugh at you and see it as just a hobby and think that you don’t really mean it. Years go by and you are no longer a kid but you still want to work with comics. That’s when they start to think you’re out of your mind or that it’s just a reason for you not to deal with hard work as an ordinary person would, like at a metallurgic industry or as at supermarket or office. Now my dad has been so supportive so that I don’t become just a number, but a respected and distinguished professional in the market, like he is. My father is my best example of a fulfilled professional and an ordinary and humble person, he’s my favorite HERO.

How would you describe your workspace? Is it part of your home,
or do you go "to the studio"?
In my workspace, differently from what most people think, usually there aren’t magazines on my desk or on the floor and in my room, I have only a computer next to the material I use to work like, for instance, pens, brushes, inks and rulers I use to ink on my desk, besides that there’s a television, a DVD and a VCR that I use when I want to listen to music, specially blues. It’s right next to me to cheer up my day. I can’t live without music. Yes, my studio is a part of my house, I work in my bedroom. I think it’s more comfortable and practical to do so.

Talk about your family: Parents, siblings, home situation. Are you married? Have kids? Names? Anecdotes about married life, how does it relate to your busy schedule, etc. If you have kids, do they understand your job? What do they say about it? Do they read comics?
My family is a terrible family example, there’s no more union anymore. I have five sisters and I am the only boy of the family. Four of my sisters are married and the youngest is still single. I have seven nephews, four boys and three girls. I’m also single and I don’t have kids. My parents are divorced and I live with my father, my youngest sister is living with my mother. Lately I have been in touch with only two of my sisters. This hasn’t been a very good year in my life, there has been a lot of tragedy and family issues. I hope God can guide me through better days. 2009 was a year I rather forget. But I’m extremely happy for being part of Glass House Graphics the most important international studio of the world, it’s a dream come true for me.

What projects do you hope to work on in the future?
As an inker I hope I’ll have the honor to share, work on a comic book with Chris Bachalo or Joe Madureira next to Tim Townsend. Wow, that would be another dream come true, maybe the biggest dream. I hope I make it.

Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?
In five years I see myself being invited to go to conventions like San Diego, New York, Canada, etc. In five years I’d love to have an exclusive agreement with some big publisher  and be among the top five inkers in the world. In ten years, I plan to have a nice home, a nice car and a nice motorcycle and who knows, maybe my own art school.

What is the interest in comics where you live? Do friends and neighbors know you draw comics for a living? How do they react?
In the city of Araraquara, not many people buy comics. All my friends and family know what I do for living, some of my neighbors also know that. Their first reaction is like everyone else’s, they’d never imagine there could be a market for this kind of job in particular, especially comics. Only after I explain them how everything works they understand it, but still, it’s complicated for people to assimilate all the information.

What's 1 thing you'll always find in your refrigerator?
Coke (laughs)… I’m addicted in caffeine, whether it’s cold or warm like a good coffee.

What's your favorite food?
Rice and beans, I can’t live without this perfect combination.

What are your favorite interests --Movies? Music? TV? Any hobbies? Sports?
Music, I can’t live without music, and especially blues, music is my inspiration to work and live. Hobby? Hmm… Besides drawing, I really like going to the gym to work out and I also like playing guitar very much. I have the illusion of maybe someday playing like Stevie Ray Vaughan (laughs).

Have you ever thought of writing your own stories?
Yes, but first I plan to be acknowledged as an inker, and then I’ll think about writing something cool. When I feel ready to write something with good quality, new and interesting for readers.

Have you ever been in a gang?
Yes, teenage stuff, going out on the streets with friends and paint graffiti on public walls. I think I discovered my talent with ink by doing that (laughs). I wouldn’t advice that to anyone, don’t take these words as an example. There should be an easier and more responsible way to find out what your talent is. Oh, and that was also a way to get girls’ attention. I don’t know why, but they used to love this stupid behavior.

What's an average day in your life like? Walk us through a typical day.
I get up at 08:00 am, have breakfast and at 08:30 am I go to my desk and start working, I work until 12:00 pm and stop to have lunch. I get back to work at 2:00 pm and go on until 5:30 pm. Again, have breakfast and then I go to the gym. I get home by 8:30 pm, take a shower and then I have dinner. I rest until 10:00 pm and then I continue to work until 2:00 am. That’s how my day ends and this is how my routine goes, from Monday to Friday. I don’t usually work on weekends, unless it’s a very important work.

Do you have any great, unsold projects in your files that nobody's got to see published?
No, but I plan to have one pretty soon. I have a project in mind to start in 2010, I just hope that it’ll be published (laughs).

What’s your complete list of published credits?
I loved that question, hopefully someday I’ll get to answer it (laughs).

If you weren't a comic-book artist today, what would you be?
I don’t see myself doing anything else that does not involve art. Luckily or not, I’ll be an artist. Probably I’d be a musician or, who knows, maybe a musician and comic book artist (laughs).

Have you ever taught comic-book art or had any assistants? If so, talk about that.
No, I plan to think about that in the future, who knows, maybe an art school, everything’s possible.

The single thing you'd most like to be remembered for in your life is...?
I’d wish that my signature “ROB!” were remembered and respected not only for the rest of my life, but for the rest of comic books’ history. I want to add something new to comics history. I’d like to become an artist with great character, hard worker, daring, humble, optimistic, a great professional and everyone’s friend.
 
Any closing words to your fans?
Well, I hope everyone had a good time reading my interview, appreciated my works and specially me. I hope everyone can see me grow in comics career, I’ll dedicate all my efforts to do a good job in every book. I wish good luck to everyone, especially all my studio co-workers. It was a great pleasure to share all my dreams with you, and I also hope to share all the victories and conquers of my career as an inker.
A big hug for you!!!

Links:

http://robinks.deviantart.com/