Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Howell.
Hi Robert, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Central Texas is probably one of the last places you would look to find an ice hockey goalie mask painter, but for the last nine years that is where me and my company Sungod Kustom Graphics has been located.
I have been a lifelong artist, working in all the traditional mediums like Oil and Water color. In middle school, my art teacher gave me an airbrush, he knew nothing about it but told me to give it a try. Back then, we didn’t have the internet or many resources so it was a lot of trial and error, using whatever paint and equipment I could get my hands on. Over time my art got better and now I have been airbrushing for 25 plus years, everything from racing helmets and motorcycles to golf carts and car murals.
For the last 15 years, my main business has been custom-painted goalie masks. I got into mask painting because of my desire to have a custom-painted mask myself. Growing up a goalie I couldn’t afford to have my mask painted so I did it myself. After lots of trial and error, my art started to get recognized and by word of mouth, I started having more and more masks show up in my shop. Now I paint for everyone from youth hockey to beer leaguers, major colleges and pro teams. Last year I finally achieved my dream of painting a mask for an NHL team when I got to design and paint for the Washington Capitals.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I was lucky to have a family that always supported my desire to do art. But growing up in a small town in Colorado, there wasn’t a lot of resources, especially for the kind of pop culture and Kustom Culture art that I was into. I give all the credit in the world to my Mom and Dad who encouraged me to seek out opportunities and classes outside of the town we lived in no matter the cost. So much of my success has been because of the sacrifices they made to help me grow as an artist. As far as being a mask artist, it has been hard to break into the business especially trying to paint for the pro teams and large Universities. A lot of these teams work with painters up north where hockey is just a more popular sport and more kids grow up playing it. But some of that has started to change with the popularity of the game in the southern states and with social media.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I defiantly specialize in Airbrush painting but have started to go back to my roots and do more fine art working again in watercolor and acrylics. I am most known for the mask painting, but I am also known for the portraits I do with the airbrush. A portrait I did of Danny Trejo is one of my favorites, it garnered a lot of attention and has appeared in magazines and a couple of ads. I am very proud of that painting as well as the work I did for the Washington Capitals, with that being the realization of a lifelong dream. I think that being a hockey player and goalie sets me apart from a lot of other mask painters, I feel like I can really connect with the other goalie that I am painting for.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
I can be found on most social media outlets Facebook @sungodkustomgraphics or @Robert Howell, Instagram @sungod61.
I have also started attending local Comicon’s to sell prints of the pop culture art that I do selling originals and prints.
I love to work with customers on their personal projects and also collaborating with other artists.
Contact Info:
- Email: sungodgraphics@gmail.com
- Website: www.Sungodkustomgraphics.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sungod61/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sungodkustomgraphics
- Twitter: @sungodgraphics
