Robby Singh’s kid-friendly style of kooky faces never fails to bring a smile to one’s face. No surprise that his artwork has wound up  in book illustrations, product designs and murals for restaurants, churches, bedrooms and playrooms.

Taking up his father’s invitation to Dalat, Vietnam, he painted murals for a butterfly museum and coffee shop his Dad was putting up. He loved the creative outlet and continued to paint murals while teaching in Creative Kids Studio, an art school run by his cousin Bambi Manosa.

“Dealing with children  taught me that every person is creative. This made such a big impact with my style now in my art.”

We recently sat down with him to talk about his favorite mediums, funky hair styles and artsy grooming preferences.

Master of freehand

I gravitate to using… different kinds of materials that give out a variety of textures, such as felt, glue gun, wire, oil pastel, colored pencils and pens, but my favorite is acrylic paint since it’s the most versatile.

The last project I enjoyed doing was…  painting a mural for Shu Uemura’s event  where I had to paint on-the-spot, in front of the press. More than being nervous, it excited me more!

I’m obsessed with… the colors chartreuse and turquoise!

Chartreuse is a kind of green, the kind you see in rice fields. Turquoise is a kind of blue mixed with a little green like the ocean.

I want my artwork to… bring joy, the same feeling I have while I’m working on it. I want it to be very approachable, friendly, something people can appreciate in one glance without trying to decode what “deeper meaning” it has.

Hair identity

I’m experimental with my… hair. I’ve tried styles like mohawks, fauxhawks, skinhead, semi-kalbo or permed (like a soccer player’s hair).

Since I’ve got such a retro soul, an afro is my dream hairdo. I haven’t done it yet, but close enough to doing it.

Since I experiment with my hair a lot, I use stuff like… Forest Magic Gugo Shampoo from Good Shepherd in Baguio. It smells good and light on the hair. The best thing is, it’s all natural, plus you’re helping a livelihood project that sends kids to school. Since I’m a ’90s boy, I’ve used Dep hair gel in the past. I’m so thankful Bench Fix came out with hair wax! It’s not as messy, keeps your hair up and keeps your face from being oily!

Face it

My secret to looking fresh is… concealer. It’s my best friend! Especially since I’m always out late at night and have to face children when I teach the following day. I use VOV, Shade 4. It’s the darkest shade they have for a  moreno like me.

To keep my face clean I use…  Amway’s Youth Extend line. By the name itself, it means what it means. I use their cleanser to wash my face daily. Their  toner, to close my pores after washing and their eye cream, which helps takes the dark rings around my eyes away and to lessen the eyebags.  All these I use daily.

Once a week, I use the Cleansing Mask, a sage-colored cream you leave on your face for 15 minutes. It’s the key into getting those nasty blackheads out and removing the excess dead layers of skin.

Products I can’t live without are… Among all the toothpaste variants I’ve tried, Glister is the most sulit! It cleans your teeth of the yellow stains and keeps my breath fresh even when I wake up in morning. I usually have two deodorants: Safeguard and Driclor. Driclor is magic! I absolutely love it!

I use Nivea cream right before I sleep, especially on those nights I have to stay up finishing work. This cream is fantastic! It’s like good food for your skin that keeps it clear and firm. Last would be, Fissan foot powder.

Top tip

Recently Robby Singh participated in the launch of Shu Uemura’s Holiday Collection. It was an event that celebrated “art as a way of life” and showcased the mastery of Takashi

Murakami, an internationally renowned master of contemporary art, and leading icon of the Tokyo art scene.

Throughout the afternoon, Singh created three pieces of art inspired by the Six Hearts Princesses Holiday Collection of Murakami. This holiday season, play with the possibilities of multi-faceted beauty and transform into your other self through Shu Uemera’s  Holiday Collection by Takashi Murakami.

The holiday collection features  eye and cheek parallel palettes, cleansing oils, make-up base, eyeliner, lip and cheek tints, false eyelashes and mini nail duos.  Available at Shu Uemura Boutiques nationwide.

Products are available in Watsons, supermarkets and Amway distributors.

Follow Robby Singh on Instagram  @robbysinghart; visit www.robbysinghart.facebook.com