with a razor. The designs even include colour, which he
creates with eye and lip liner. The hair designs last about
two weeks with basic haircuts starting at around R200
and more intricate styles and portraits costing between
R1 500 and R2 000.
“During the World Cup I did many soccer players
portraits but the most requested one was Lionel Messi,”
says Rob. “Tupac Shakur is my favourite portrait to do
because he is my favourite rapper artist and I am very
inspired by his poetry. The craziest design I have ever
done would be the 3D Bob Marley portrait. When I draw
hair art I love to listen to my favourite music. Before
I start cutting a portrait on my client’s head, it’s very
important to find the right placement (flattest side of the
head). I like to do hair art on 1.5 cut down level. I focus
on one section of the portrait, for example the nose, and
then start carving every shape that surrounds it. It’s like
putting together a puzzle. You can only do so much with
hair, so the eyeliner perfects the picture and makes it
look realistic.”
Rob says what he enjoys most about this business is that
he gets to use art on every client whether it is a regular
haircut or a portrait. “I see between five to 10 clients a
day so that’s about 30 clients in a week. The salon is so
busy and I’m glad that I have never had to deal with an
unhappy customer.”
When asked what the hardest thing about being in the
hair industry is, he replies, ‘keeping up with trends’.
“Style constantly changes and you have to be on top of
20
CELEB STYLES | November / December 2014 |
your game all the time or you’ll be left behind. To keep
up on new hairstyle trends I’m always on social media
and the photo sharing app, Instagram (I have more
than 70 000 followers). That’s how I stay connected with
the world and it motivates me to do my own styles. My
motto is ‘hard work and dedication’. I always set a goal
for myself and once I reach that goal I set another one.
Achieving is a never ending quest for me.”
The next thing on his bucket list? To open a Barber
And Hair Art College. We say, watch this space! To see
more of Rob’s creative hair art, follow @robtheoriginal on
Instagram.