Books worth supporting- NOW

Jack meets Agyu- Author Justine Villanueva & illustrator Lynnor Bontigao

Priya Dreams of Marigolds & Masala- Illustrator/author created book

Gnomes of Oakland (Book 3) - Kamaria Lofton , author created project. This is the third book in the series.

Folks, the industry is getting better w/ diverse books but not fast enough. Please support these folks!

Bishop Yvette Flunder - Holy Trouble Makers Book

Proud to share this portrait I painted for a new book about faith and some ground breaking people who work within it by Daneen Akers. Bishop Yvette Flunder is an openly queer Black woman who is also a Bishop who runs her own church in Oakland (my home town). She has been criticized and outcasted for being who she is, yet she brings people of all genders, races, beliefs, and sexual orientations into her church. She welcomes them and I am honored to have painted her and to be a part of this book. Here are some words from the book's creator:

Holy Troublemakers & Unconventional Saints is an illustrated children’s storybook featuring 50 stories and portraits of people of faith who worked for more love and justice in their corner of the world, even when that meant rocking the religious boat.

You can still PRE-ORDER this book which was just successfully funded through kickstarter.

HERE.

Children's portrait 52 - Roopa & Ravi

Here's the most recent children's portrait which really is a family portrait. It is a painting of Roopa and her son Ravi jamming out on their guitar and ukelele. In this she wanted something to remind her son to have fun. Follow this scholar, poet, & mom here @Saapya

Want to see the last one? Click here for Children's portrait 50-51

Inktober 2018 - Dancer

SF Etsy Indie Holiday Emporium- Nov 24-25th

What up? This will be my second time attending this show and my first time as a vendor. If you’re in the Bay Area come through to this event I’ll be there selling books, prints, and book accessories. 

 Facebook Invite

Bay Area Black Authors mtg

If you identify as Black and /or African come thru. Join us for a talk and sharing of resources.
LINK TO THE LOCATION.

Photos: Me & my daughter by Kristen Murakoshi

These are some of the beautiful shots taken by photographer Kristen Murakoshi of my baby girl. Kristen is a dope artist currently taking sessions for families, babies, weddings, and special occasions. Please go check out her portfolio and sign up for her newsletter.

KRISTEN MURAKOSHI

Inktober 2018 - Berta Cáceres

Berta Cáceres was an activist, mother, and daughter from Honduras. She was an activist because she looked out for the rights of indigenous people (The Lenca) in Honduras, the land that indigenous people were born to, the environment, and queer peoples. Berta was an organizer and co-founded the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organizations which protected indigenous folks and the land in Honduras against corporations who sought to dam it, mine it, and cut it down for profit. Along with many activists and regular people she fought the Honduran military, Chinese and US based corporations/govt involvement in building dams and destabilizing the Honduran government. She received many death threats, then she was assassinated in 2016 in her home even though she appealed for protection. Before she was killed she received an award called the Goldman Prize, a prestigious award for environmental justice. 

I draw her to keep her memory alive as so many other artists have. Salute to her and the activists from the Dakota Access Pipeline to Honduras fighting to protect indigenous peoples and the earth. After all the oil, water, trees, minerals, and land has been used up-will we be able to eat money?

Sources: Democracy Now, Guardian UK, Wikipedia

Inktober 2018 - Walkman & Gi

Walkman & Gi

I drew this in 2018 as part of a series of drawings for the #inktober challenge. I imagined myself or a kid like me who loved music and martial arts. If you're old enough to remember, what tapes would you bring with you in your walkman? For me, probably a custom mix of Jazz & hip hop, Souls of Mischief, Raekwon the Chef, and a soundtrack like Poetic Justice, Juice, or something like that. 

Dig this? Check out 80 Days and NO justice

Inktober 2018 - Brown Berets

Founded in the 1960s, the Brown Berets are a community founded organization from California who organized around issues such as farmer workers rights with UFW, in solidarity w/ African Americans against police brutality, for access to education, retrieving stolen land, and to gain political power . Inspired by the Black Panther Party (Oakland) they formed a unit if mostly Mexican American high school and college students. They're part in the movement for Brown people's rights was in response to decades and hundreds of years of theft, murder, exploitation, and more by police, the US government, and by their local city officials who would of loved to sweep their righteous demands under the rug. The group still exists and were extremely powerful in organizing Brown people and for calling folks trying to deny their African and Indigenous blood (in order to look and be more white) to be proud of their heritage and identity. Their work moved beyond the voting ballot and they still work for the people today.

Sources: Chicano! Documentary, Wiki, Life, 

If you dig this check out: Berta Caceres  or 

My character collage for 2018-2017

Audio - Podcast feature: Gimlet Media/ Lyft

LINK TO LISTEN

This is awesome. This brother named Marcelis is a budding children's book author and drives Lyft in addition to working at a library (means we need living wages). I get a chance to offer him some advice for publishing his own children's books and theres a surprise towards the end of the episode. If you're listening you can hear me at the 10 minute mark I believe.

Here's another time I was interviewed about Kids books at Tandem Early Learning in Oakland.

This is the illustration I created for Marcelis :)

Inktober 2018- Headphones

Drew this one using copic markers, micron pens to outline, and some colored pencils for accents. 

Dig this? Check out this drawing of the Brown Berets from the same year.

Photo: Tabling

This is a photo of me tabling and signing a book for a family at Hiero Day taken by author Kamaria Lofton.

Inktober 1 -2018 LEE Quiniones

For those who don't recognize this guy. This is the one and only "LEE" or Lee Quinoines from NYC, one of my favorite artists of all time, a pioneer in Graf styles, and the subject of the 80s film Wild Style. 
Who remembers Lee? Who has not heard of him? Comment below