Vegas Stripped: Las Vegas cartoonist creates positive art — VIDEO
On the shelf in Adam Rella’s studio, at least 10 binders, each two inches thick, hold thousands of plastic-coated drawings.
A DJ, photographer and artist, Rella has spent more than 10 years drawing simple, comical faces and characters that he says connect with people of all stripes. He works in a variety of media, using bright colors and sometimes simple phrases to pull viewers in, such as “have it your way” or “let’s bubble baby.”
Growing up, he says he loved cartoons and wacky faces, “balls of energy” that make you feel good. He’s worked to keep the upbeat vibe in his drawings. Art “should never give you a negative feeling,” he says. His goal is to expand his Pretty Done collection to include toys, clothes and furniture.
He recently finished two murals at the old Fergusons Motel site on Fremont Street, which the Downtown Project is renovating into a mixed-use campus of retail and residential. More of his work is at prettydone.com.
Vegas Stripped is an Emmy Award-winning series by visual journalist Rachel Aston. Her videos are posted weekly at reviewjournal.com. Contact her at raston@reviewjournal.com. Follow @rookie__rae on Twitter.