Today we’d like to introduce you to Lee Angerstein.
Lee, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Ever since I was a little kid I wanted to be an artist. It probably all started when my mom gave me a Spider-Man comic and I immediately wanted to draw what I saw. I started drawing all the time, cartoons, comics, anime. Everything I liked I drew.
As a kid, I ended up in the hospital a lot due to medical issues and there wasn’t much else I could do but read comics, play video games, and be inspired by those things to then use my imagination and draw. Art always gave me hope and control in the face of chaos.
As time went on I went to college for art and after a ridiculous amount of working, multiple jobs, and many many failures I was able to open up my own art studio. It’s a place where everything I make can fall under. Rad Robot Studio!
Since starting my studio I have worked for multiple clients, made many personal projects, held immersive fun events, and even created an independent animated series called Chup and Lyle that you can watch on YouTube!
But one of the most important things I do at my studio is teaching art classes to kids ages 6-18. I teach cartooning classes, comic making, character design, animation and more. Teaching is the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done and it’s so cool to help these kids grow and fuel their imagination and creative abilities. Making a community through art where everyone is welcome is so important and necessary and I hope I get to continue to do it for a very long time.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Being an artist is already a difficult venture but having and running your own studio is like 100 times harder. It’s definitely not easy and not for everyone but the trade off is so great! Teaching, running events, marketing, business back end work, creating projects, and making an animated series means wearing many many hats and I don’t have that many hats.
Sometimes I want to do everything but I’m only one person, so unless I could clone myself I have to come to the realization that some things have to wait or be put on the back burner so that I can put my full effort into what’s happening at that moment in time.
It can be daunting and tiring at times, especially seeing how the world is which directly affects art and my students. Generative AI alone is such a big blow to the art world, creativity, and critical thinking and I believe it’s so so bad for kids. But that’s why I encourage my students to be themselves, be unique, and make your own art! Even if you don’t think it’s great, it is. Because it’s human. It’s you. And AI will never have that.
But art is so inherently human that I believe having the creativity and willpower to continue will help make the world a better place. I always tell my students, keep your whimsy! Too many people grow up and become jaded. That’s why we gotta keep our whimsy!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m an artist: Illustrator/animator. I’m also an art teacher. I run a studio I created called Rad Robot Art in Collingswood, New Jersey where I work on multiple projects, create things, and teach classes out of for kids ages 6-18! If you’re interested in classes check out my website!
I strive to be genuine in my art and hope that will inspire others like my students to do the same. I love drawing goofy cartoon characters as well as whimsical fantasy characters like Salamander Knights! I just like making things I like!
One of the things I’ve been working on for years is my animated series I created and make called Chup and Lyle. It’s a comedy series about two completely opposite best friends (Chup- an emotional bean boi whos trying to do the right thing, and Lyle- A chill Lizard with zero responsibilities or cares) Together these two share a love of all things videogames and are just trying to get by in their city called DudeTown, a place full of monsters, a living train, bean juice, skeletons, and an egomaniaacal mayor. It’s like an ode to oldschool 90s/2000s cartoons. I write, animate, and even voice act for it. I’ve been able to work with some amazing people that have helped with the series like writers, musicians, editors, and artists and it’s been so so so much work but so so so cool and fun! I’m planning more episodes now and hope to have a season 2 in the near future. Feel free to check it out at youtube.com/chupandlyle
I’m also currently working on a fantasy lore art book about frog wizards, knights, daemons, salamander warriors, giants and more all told by an adventurer through chronolized notes and journal entries. It’s called Vetnor’s Blade and I’m so excited for it! It’s very different from anything I’ve done and I’m really excited for it. It will have an early winter release and I’ll be doing a big live immersive event for it as well! I’m planning to build a walkable dungeon!
I love making things but I also love teaching students how to do the same. Every class I have is another chance to get inspired from these kids. They have such great ideas and aren’t afraid to create! We can learn alot from them. I think as an art teacher, it’s my responsibility to not only teach them technical art skills, but also encourage them to use those skills to be themselves and make what they want to make. I want to help provide them with a place where they can feel safe to be themselves. That’s what art is.
I’m proud of the community I’ve been able to build with my students, followers, and fans. It’s really awesome to see such a great, kind, creative community where people can truly just be themselves and make what speaks to them!
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Being genuine and being kind. I learned that from my mom. If you’re genuine, especially in art, you’ll make better art because it’ll be real. It’ll be you. If you’re not afraid to be you, you won’t be afraid to stand up for what you believe. And if you’re kind, what you believe in will be good. You’ll help people. So it’s all linked.
I want to share those beliefs through my art and I want to show that to my students so that they can do the same. I also just want to make people laugh. Lifes too crazy to not laugh at it sometimes.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://radrobotart.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/radrobotart
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/chupandlyle
