Who Is the Artist Danny Rumbl?

A painter for over 20 years, Danny Rumbl is also an illustrator and mural artist. Spawned from the rebellious street art culture, Rumbl found joy in writing his name on walls around town. 

What’s he doing now that it’s his full-time job? 

We discovered what inspires this incredible artist and the intriguing twist he applies to his favorite childhood images.

Let’s Rumbl!

The Story of Danny Rumbl

Danny Rumbl’s story starts in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where he was a traditional graffiti artist. Early on, he had a fascination for the tags and street art he saw on the walls and abandoned buildings of his hometown. 

The first time he painted on a wall was when his aunt allowed Danny and his cousin to paint on a big white wall in his cousin’s bedroom. With his aunt’s permission secured, they went to the local skate shop to buy some spray paint. 

Because he had no control over the spray can, he thought it was a sloppy mess.  So he outlined the piece with a large black marker. It was a big step for Danny that sparked his imagination. 

Later he was part of a tagging crew known as the Million Dollar Boys. He adopted the last name of Rumbl from the famous boxing intro, “Let’s get ready to rumble!” And it’s been his tag ever since. 

These days, Danny is a stay-at-home dad taking care of his two kids and keeping house. He also likes to visit museums and eat good food with his family. In addition, Rumbl enjoys riding his bike to explore new spots to paint.

What Inspires Danny Rumbl’s Art?

Danny gets his inspiration from pop culture, nature, and the food industry. With this inspiration, he creates illustrations, murals, and sculptures that brim with new life.

Primarily creating animal-like characters with a human twist, he likes to focus on classic cartoon characters from the 60s and 70s and spin them in his unique style. He gains inspiration from his tendency to repeat himself, plus his desire to be original. 

He utilizes humor, clean lines, and bright contrasting colors to create a clear visual language that helps users perceive and comprehend the symbols in his art. Rumbl has even received inspiration from other artists, leading him to work in 3D art, where he blurs the lines between figurative and abstract.

Does Rumbl Do Commissioned Work?

Danny Rumbl feels commissioned painting in public space has always held him back. However, he does do them from time to time.

In 2020, Danny received a commission from the Dutch city of Eindhoven. The mural is in a tunnel underneath the tracks in the village of Acht and is full of birds, painted in the artist’s cartoon style. 

Besides large-scale murals, Rumbl has commissions to paint canvas and create three-dimensional wooden sculptures. The artist is fond of this city and often returns to Step in the Arena.

The municipality of Deventer commissioned another mural of Danny’s as part of a project at a nature reserve area known as the Ossenwaard. The piece features two particular bird species that breed in this area.

In addition to this ode to local ecology, the artist illustrates the often abrasive relationship between humans and nature. Danny Rumbl hopes the mural will prompt viewers to consider their connection and impact while exploring the nature reserve.

What is Hanna Barbarian?

Danny loves to spray-paint characters from his favorite childhood cartoons on dilapidated walls around Europe.

This love inspired the book Hanna Barbarian which features art that pays tribute and displays a true dedication to the creative spirit of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. It contains drawings of Yogi Bear and a host of other shows, including Top Cat, The Jetsons, and Tom & Jerry.

It’s filled with a black stencil and full-color digital prints and contains a set of stickers and two signed A5 prints. 

What Are Some of Danny Rumbl’s Art Pieces?

From graffiti to illustrations of murals and the challenge of 3D sculptures, Rumbl creates pieces that make people think. Whether you find them in a museum, train tunnels, bridges, or a book, Danny’s art harkens back to the comfort of childhood juxtaposed with an urban background. 

Who Shot the Mayor?

This piece titled Who Shot the Mayor is a five-color screen print. It depicts the McDonald’s Hamburglar as a child holding the severed head of Mayor McCheese on a platter. Above his head is Grimace, and standing in front of him is officer Big Mac. 

The inspiration for this work seems to be a court case brought against McDonald’s by Sid and Marty Croft, the creators of H.R. Pufnstuf. The complaint was that Mayor McCheese bore a resemblance that crossed into plagiarism. This is where we find the bullet that killed the mayor.

Ready to Rubble

The mural, Ready to Rubble, is the artist’s take on the Flintstones cartoon neighbors. It shows Barney and Betty flanking their destructive child Bam Bam. Done in a minimalist color scheme, it’s on a freeway retaining wall in the Netherlands.

Elmer Fudd

Elmer Fudd is a stylized reinterpretation of one of Danny’s favorite Looney Tunes characters. It’s a mural of a nervous Elmer Fudd with a lightning bolt with the artist’s graffiti tag on Fudd’s hands. Rumbl thinks reinterpreting pop culture characters is fun but feels the need for something authentic. 

The artist will publish a selection of Looney Tunes characters later this year, focusing mainly on his invented characters.

Where Can I See Danny Rumbl’s Art?

Instagram is a great place to see Danny Rumbl’s art from the comfort of your own home. There is also a link to his big cartel store where you can purchase Danny’s art.

Rotterdam and the town of Acht are places where you can see his early street art and his commissioned art. In addition, various websites such as Wallspot.com and the online Throwup Gallery show and sell his artwork. Danny also has a Facebook page.

You can find his murals in Barcelona, Spain, Nuart in Aberdeen, Scotland, and the towns of Skopje and Tetovo in North Macedonia. In addition, Danny’s work is regularly on display at exhibitions and street art festivals internationally. 

Additionally, he has published a book where you can find some of his work as an illustrator. The artist has also appeared on the cover of the street-art magazine SAM, edition 13.

Rumbling Toward the Future

As with many contemporary artists, Danny Rumbl’s path to life as an artist evolved from street art and graffiti tagging to working in several mediums, including books and sculptures. We look forward to seeing his work in the future. 

What are your thoughts on this talented artist? Let us know what you think in the comments.