AJ STYLES: Rob Schamberger Newsletter 05JUN22

People always sayin' my style is wild.

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Hi. My name's Rob Schamberger. I'm that guy who paints rasslers. And other stuff. Like a pinch on the neck from Mr. Spock.

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WORDS  

It’s been a minute since my last AJ Styles painting! For this new one I had some fun with the composition, notably with the color palette and the use of masking fluid. First, the majority of the background is in cool colors except for a little bit of warmth near the bottom for balance. AJ’s figure is in warm tones to make him really pop from the background and make it seem even more like he’s flying out at you.

Red is the first color on the spectrum to reach the human eye, so on a subconscious level it actually seems like he’s popping right out of the painting. I also used some masking fluid for the turnbuckle, ropes and ring to create a framing element for the overall composition.

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ICYMI, here's last week's Canvas 2 Canvas episode. Tomorrow's will go up on WWE's YouTube channel at 11AM CST!

UPCOMING VIDEOS  

• Drew McIntyre

• The Bloodline

• John Cena

Card subject to change.

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Hundreds of prints and paintings at Schamberger Labs!
Rob and Jason Arnett's novella Rudow Can't Fail!
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Shirts and prints at WWE Shop.
Signed prints at WWE Auction.
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Twitter
Instagram
YouTube

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WHAT I LIKED LAST WEEK  

I watched the first three episodes of The Boys season three and yeah, they’re for sure not pulling any punches this time around. It gets uncomfortable at times, probably because I’m so tired of bad people casting themselves as victims and getting rewarded for it here in the real world. So, when a satirical show like this really leans into how people on the right side of the political spectrum especially have monetized ‘cancel culture’ it hits a little too hard. I worry that there may be people out there who don’t realize this is a satire, the same way people didn’t recognize that for Watchmen’s Rorschach or Frank Miller’s Dark Knight Returns, or even Succession nowadays.

You can lead a superpowered horse to water, but…

Katy and I finished up the episodes currently out for Stranger Things season four and liked it a lot. They’re doing an excellent job of tying things together and answering a lot of the mysteries that have driven the series from the beginning. I’ve definitely had that Kate Bush song stuck in my head ever since!

Superman: Son of Kal-El volume one by Tom Taylor and John Timms was a fantastic book to read on the first day of this month. At first I REALLY didn’t like aging Jon Kent up but we wouldn’t get this transcendental take on the character now so I guess I can stop grumbling and just enjoy it! Taylor’s quickly becoming one of my favorite writers in comics at the moment. He brings a lot of humanity to his characters and the plots are tight and logical. Timms has a wonderful stylish yet grounded approach to visual storytelling with the dynamic moments feeling huge and the quiet moments very personal.

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QUESTION OF THE WEEK

What are your top three favorite songs? Any genre, any artist, what’s your top three? I’ll randomly select one answer and send them this original 9x12 ink and watercolor painting of The Notorious B.I.G. I made in 2019! Can’t leave a comment? That’s because you’re not a paid subscriber yet, silly!

I actually have a hard time with this question myself because my opinion changes all of the time based on my mood or whatnot. So feel free to answer what you’re currently feeling, if you’re like me.

Here’s mine, in no particular order:

Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie: The whole album is a wonderful concept album, talking about Ziggy and the Spiders doing one last tour as the Earth comes to an end and this titular song, with the storytelling, Bowie’s incomparable range and the music right from that screaming riff at the top blew my mind the first time I heard it and gives me the same excitement every time I hear it now.

Luckenbach, Texas by Waylon Jennings: I’m a fan of storytelling in a song, and this story of a couple who have drifted apart due to their own success who now are working to get back to being themselves together is powerful. It’s become Katy and I’s song and we always play it before big events like Axxess, to remind us and keep us grounded.

Carmelita by Warren Zevon: Speaking of storytelling, this song is like reading a Jack Kerouac book with its powerful imagery and turns of phrase. I haven’t been in the narrator’s position fully, but at times a little too close (replace heroin with alcohol) and the song’s lack of judgment is actually refreshing, especially when paired with the band’s utterly gorgeous music. It’s for sure not glamorizing things, but it’s also not looking down. It’s strangely beautiful.

Ask me again and I could say Raspberry Beret by Prince (or Hindu Love Gods), Under the Milky Way by The Church, every version of Toots and the Maytals’ Pressure Drop or pretty much anything by the Beastie Boys. Depends on my mood!

So, what are YOUR top three favorite songs?

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SCHAMBERGER LABS: THE SERIES!

Katy and I check back in, with you and with each other. We talk a bit about Katy’s career as a writer and content marketing wunderkind with all of the success she’s now experiencing, get into gardening, and give out some relationship advice. It’s a nice one!

Paid tier members can see each episode a week early!

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YOU GOOD?  

Happy Pride Month! This is my first since coming out as bi a few months back. Every day is a great day for one to let the fear and hate fall from their hearts and to replace it with love and compassion. Every day is also a great day to walk away from the people who refuse to do so.

It’s been a wild busy WWE week for yours truly. On Monday I was at Raw in Des Moines, IA and today I’m here in Chicago for Hell in a Cell, working to get prints signed for WWE Auction and getting in some valuable face time with the people behind the scenes who make this behemoth function.

Life is change, the Earth keeps on spinning and there’s been a lot of changes at WWE with more happening all of the time. My main contact with the company, Kevin, the one who’s shepherded my career there from day one behind the scenes has moved on to a new opportunity outside of the company as of last Friday. I’m very sorry to see him go but am forever grateful to his faith in me and my work.

Let’s keep moving forward!

Love you more,
Rob

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EXCLUSIVE PAID SUBSCRIBER CONTENT

Paid subscribers this week will get an exclusive 25% off discount code for prints, a list of the coming week’s signed prints at WWE Auction, and 24 hour advance access for the original AJ Styles painting. AND the new episode of our new weekly show where you get to see the process for an exclusive major Charlotte Flair painting! WE ARE GO FOR PAYWALL.