is an illustrator and fine artist living and working in New York City. His primary medium is scratchboard, or clayboard as it is sometimes called. "I've been drawing ever since I can remember, and have always been attracted to black and white line art. Pen & ink was my medium of choice up until my senior year in college. Once I discovered the richness scratchboard offered, I found it hard to go back to anything else." Some of the artists who have made an impression on Robert include Bernard Albinus, Andreas Vasalius, Albrect Durer, Gustav Dore, Zdzislaw Beksinski, Tim Bradstreet, and Daniel Ouellette. This is a sample of the time-lapse movies Robert features on his website. His webcam records months of drawing time and plays it back in a matter of seconds. [Movie requires Flash 5.0 plugin.] "I tend to find inspiration in the oddest of places. Cold, dark places underground usually set my mind in motion. I also enjoy hospitals and anything dealing with reconstruction of the human body." Robert graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia with a BFA in Illustration. Today, he pursues more of a fine art direction with his pieces. "The business of illustration is about drawing other people's ideas. I just have a lot of my own ideas I need to get out. I can only hope that someone else out there will see them and connect as well." Though much of the work people do these days is digital, Robert still believes in creating his artwork by hand. "I'm certainly no stranger to the computer. From sketching on my Palm Pilot, to MP3 musical initiative, to digital photography references, to Photoshop compositions, the computer is a wonderful tool in aiding the initial creative development." But then the final drawings are hand rendered, sometimes over a period of months. More of Robert's work can be found at www.mechanicalwhispers.com.