Our last collab of the year focuses on one of the most important relationships in our lives: friendship. What does it mean and how do you visually depict its essence? This is exactly what our two artists dove into for this merch drop. Creative powerhouse Rik Lee collabed with 10-year-old Kevin from Pulau Sapi, Indonesia. Their illustration is a touching tribute to the bond between two friends.
The Rik Lee x Kevin (10) collab is out now
Creativity and skateboarding through adolescence
When you look at Rik’s art today, it’s very easy to picture his childhood filled with creativity and adventure. In fact, his father actively encouraged it early on.
“When I was 3 or 4 years old my dad used to bring these big rolls of paper home from his work. I remember spreading the paper out on the kitchen floor and drawing these epic spaceship battles with coloured crayons. I’d scrawl aliens shooting laser beam guns and exploding UFO’s, while making the sound effects.”
Of course, inspiration is all around. Growing up, his friends and 2000s skateboard culture were big influences for Rik.
“I grew up in Fitzroy, an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Australia. My friends and I were all skateboarders which had a big influence on the way we dressed, the music we listened to, and the art that interested us. We were all creative, so we motivated one another to make cool stuff.”
It wasn’t just his friends who inspired him creatively, but also the city itself: “It was full of young, creative people and renowned for its street art, independent galleries, coffee shops, bars… Everyone I knew was part of the thriving creative scene which was super inspiring. I felt constantly motivated to make art, so I did!”
Diversity in his art style
A lot of the same sources of inspiration still play an important role in Rik’s art today. “I’ve always been fascinated by certain sub cultures, like skateboarding and different genres of music which continue to inspire me to this day.”
At the same time, he lets more areas of his life influence his work. “I’m inspired by things that I like and things that are happening in my life. Whatever is on my mind tends to find a way out and into my art.”
The result is not only a wide variety of themes in his art, but also a surprising diversity in styles and techniques.
Rik’s paintings and murals are dominated by decisive strokes, bold colours, and animals. His illustrations focus on female subject matters in manga-style settings, while his mixed media works strip it back to character outlines and pastel colour palettes.
“The styles develop through the creative process and over time,” Rik explains. “I guess I’d get bored if I only worked in the same style and same materials. I enjoy experimenting with a variety of media and I find that different media suit different styles.”
The Rik Lee x Kevin (10) collab is out now
Helping out Indonesian school children
Needless to say, we were ecstatic to have Rik come on for a collab for Face This. Thankfully, the feeling was mutual: “I was excited.
Firstly, I love the idea! Secondly, I always enjoy projects that involve working with kids and celebrating the unparalleled creativity of youth.”
Besides the opportunity to tap into children’s creativity, he also personally resonates with the cause. “Face This particularly resonated with me because I’ve lived in Indonesia for 15 years, so working alongside underprivileged Indonesian youth is something close to my home and my heart.”
Making art with Kevin (10)
For this illustration, Rik was partnered with Kevin, who made a drawing based on the theme of friendship. “For me, to be a good friend you must be loyal, thoughtful, genuine, and preferably have a silly sense of humour,” Rik says.
Kevin’s take made us think about the sentimental side of friendships. He depicted two friends camping in a pine forest, under the moon and stars. It’s a simple, intimate scene that literally puts the bond shared between the two friends in the centre.
“I feel like Kevin perfectly captured a moment of simple joy shared by friends,” Rik reflects. “Personally, it’s experiences like this that form my fondest memories and I’d say Kevin is expressing a warm memory through his drawing.”
Creating the final illustration
We clearly made a fantastic creative match with Rik and Kevin. Rik explains that Kevin’s drawing personally spoke to him: “I love the simplicity of Kevin’s drawing, which I feel lends itself to the story he’s telling. It’s reflective and relatable, which makes it powerful. A simple drawing of a simple joy.”
So, when it came to making the final illustration, it was only a matter of adding his signature style to the composition.
“I felt no need to complicate things and therefore chose to work in a simple style too, adding the bold shapes and bright colours that regularly feature in my art.”
The resulting illustration is truly a merging of the two artists’ input. It combines Rik’s jump-off-the-T-shirt vibrant style with Kevin’s sweet depiction of the two friends in the forest.
We’re ending this year feeling inspired by the children’s creativity and touched by Kevin’s take on friendship. And Rik is leaving with renewed energy for his art.
“Collabs like this, which are all about the people involved and the positive message shared, are the most rewarding projects.
I hope to take this positive energy into my future works and I look forward to seeing more art from Kevin and his friends!”
The Rik Lee x Kevin (10) collab is out now