Illustration of excellence

Don Robinson's art makes characters in Island Heritage books jump off the page, and "Plumeria Princess" follows suit

Don Robinson has become the Hawaii's go-to book illustrator. A quiet man who looks younger than his 53 years, the local-born Moiliili resident has made a name for himself for his fine draftsmanship on three children's books published by Island Heritage, the most recent being "Plumeria Princess and Tutu's Magic 'Ukulele," authored by North Carolinian Cathy East Dubowski, released last month.

His two previous books, "Kamehameha: The Boy Who Became a Warrior King" (written by Ellie Crowe) and "Mr. Miyataki's Marvelous Machine" (with Tandy Newsome), won the 2004 Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau Kahili Award for Literary Arts and the 2005 Ka Palapala Po'okela Award for Excellence in Children's Illustrative or Photographic Books, respectively.

His publisher is hoping for a trifecta with "Plumeria Princess" when awards are handed out later this year.

A mostly self-taught artist/illustrator, Robinson credits Pablo Picasso and Norman Rockwell as early influences. "I remember borrowing books of theirs from the library when I was younger," he said. "What I liked about Picasso was the energy in his art, and with Rockwell, his storytelling ability, the composition and body language of his people."

Theresia Howe, vice president of sales and marketing for Island Heritage, compliments Robinson for his ability to capture the spirit of the characters and bring them to life.

Through the strength of his inspirations and dramatic use of shadow and light, his work on the "Kamehameha" book offers a strong depiction of the Hawaiian king's growth to manhood, particularly in portraiture and action scenes.

We see a more whimsical side of Robinson in the later books: an affectionate take on the short-statured Mr. Miyataki (his facial features reminiscent of the caricatures of Charles Bragg) and the more animation-driven, wide-eyed child characters of "Plumeria Princess."

Although he usually works with color pencils with an acrylic underbase, each book has a different style, as do the characters. "I was more stylized in my drawings with this (new) book," Robinson said. "I wanted to create my idealized version of a little local girl."

Plumeria Princess is a trademarked Island Heritage character, although Robinson adds his touches to her image for the book. The company is cross-marketing a Plumeria Princess product line that does not include Robinson's art, although his work can be found in other Island Heritage products, such as tumblers, coffee bags and cards.

Born in Nanakuli, Robinson now resides in the Moiliili family home with his mother and sister. He has made his living for more than 25 years mainly as a freelance illustrator, doing the occasional ad and illustration for local magazines.

"He's never disappointed us when he's done a piece," said Gary Ono, staff illustrator for HMSA's Island Scene quarterly. "His draftsmanship is one of the best, at least on this island. The palette that he creates for his pictures is a nice blend of colors and very sophisticated. In fact, I can't remember him ever needing to do a revision for us. Once he provides us a sketch, it's already pretty tight. And even when he gives us the final version, it's something better than what we expected."

Robinson remembers starting to draw when he was just 3 -- "horses, boats, planes." During the 1970s he considered becoming a comic book artist -- the legendary Jack Kirby being a favorite -- but realized that would mean "moving to New York for not that much pay."

For "Plumeria Princess," Robinson worked off of sketches created by company illustrator Anneth Lagamo that are reproduced on a "cast of characters" page at the front of the book. Working with book designer Mickey Fletcher, Robinson agreed to have the book's text stand in stark relief in white, apart from his illustrations. "I like it simple, with nothing extraneous."

Because of his work experience, he admits he needs deadlines to push him along. Robinson said he's at his most productive when it's quiet, late at night, drawing in his room with the radio on.

"It looks like Island Heritage is going to keep me as busy as possible for the rest of this year," he said. Two more book projects are ahead, scheduled for release in the summer and fall.

For the time being, he's satisfied with the direction his career is taking. "I remember when I took art classes at Honolulu Community College, I liked the one on commercial art. I like being an illustrator. I'm not a fine artist. Even though I do like doing gallery pieces, I give myself more over to assignments.

"I don't want to totally give up on gallery work. It does give me an opportunity to express more of my personal side. But I do like working in advertising and on these book projects. I like the challenge of adapting to whatever's given to me."