Flip the Record-Trailer

FLIP THE RECORD Teaser Trailer from Marie Jamora on Vimeo.
This is a dope short film. If you love hip hop, DJ culture, and/or female empowerment check this out.

Sausal Creek 9- Reading at Mills K-5

Here's a shot of me and author Melissa Reyes reading at Mills Elementary school. We were invited by a fellow teacher and had a blast talking to the kids about the book, Oakland history, and nature. The kids actually were taken on a field trip to Sausal Creek in Dimond Park so they had lots of questions and comments. Follow Mills on Instagram for more photos.

Melissa Reyes also has a website for her healing, doula, and kids books work called Remedios!

LINK

Dig this? check out this throwback to reading to a bunch of kids at Woodland Elementary in Oakland 

Cloud Country w/ Aaliyah Bilal

So, I've been working on this project for over two years now. Aaliyah Bilal is a writer from Washington DC who has lived and worked in China for over 15 years. She is a creative writer working in fiction and non fiction. The story we've been working on is loosely based on her experiences there. Y'all, graphic novels are hard af. I started this project making so many rookie mistakes even though I've read and studied many graphic novels for years. And I've been drawing forever. Still, the language of comics and graphic novels is much more challenging than I could ever imagine and I have so much more respect for folks who make them.

That said, this project is a labor of love. Me and Aaliyah have been corresponding, meeting, and sharing artwork and writing back and forth for awhile. If you'd like to read an excerpt from the book please go to the website LINK and check it out. Browse the work and check out Aaliyah and my websites. Stay tuned for more.

Check out Aaliyah:

Aaliyah Bilal in China from Aaliyah Bilal on Vimeo.

Inspiration board 32

Here's my latest inspiration board. I keep various places of inspiration so that when I'm stuck or unsure I can find something that makes me want to keep going. I invite you to investigate any of these that look interesting to you and "remain creative" as painter Malik Seneferu always says.

From top to bottom, left to right they are: 1. R+R=Now (Robert Glasper's new group), 2. BOSS-Firelight media film about the history of Black owned business 3. The Might Grand Piton by the Line Animation 4. Nipsey Hussle- This was a great interview he did before he was killed on Hot 97 5. Alberto Mielgo- Painter 6. Black Girls Do Bike-A cyclist group 7. Trail of Lightning-Book by Rebecca Roanhorse 8. Gleo- Muralist 9. Jake Morrison - Illustrator 10. Anderson .Paak- Ventura 11. Coach Nym - Healthy Gangsta LP 12. Mo Amer - Netflix comedy special 13. Cleo Sol - British Singer 14. I Was There When House Took Over the World - Music Documentary 15. Dread Nation by Justina Ireland 16. DJ Chairman Mao with his son

Wanna see more inspiration? Here is the previous board 31

What's this? This inspiration board is one of the ways I stay inspired and sane through all of life's trials, and tribulations, work, etc. I've been making inspiration boards full of films, books, music, events, people, artists, movements, and more for over a decade. Do you have an inspiration board? Please share in the comments.

Who am I? My name is Rob and I'm an artist working in kid lit, public art, and other disciplines. Go to my website, or follow me on IG or YouTube.

You can purchase my book "Art of Rob" here

M is For Movement post-Back to Fun Bk Fair

Yo, I just wrote a new post for the "M is for Movement" blog and its up. I was so juiced to hear about this event happening out in the DMV (?DC, Maryland, Virginia) area because it consists of mostly independent Black book creators and it reminded me of the Social Justice Holiday Book Fair. So, whether you're in the DMV or not I think you'll enjoy this short article. 

LINK

If you follow Dana Clark Colors you'll hear more about the next one. And trust, this is a growing trend across the US where people of color are taking matters into their own hands and combating a lack of diversity by making the books and creating events where parents, teachers, librarians, and book lovers can get the stories they are not seeing. I've seen events like this popping up in Chicago, LA, ATL, and NYC. Plug innnn!

Check out this older article about an event the East Bay produced.

MERATA- Array Film Release

Hey, this month you'll be able to watch a great documentary about pioneering filmmaker Merata Mita  (New Zealand) distributed by Array films and available on Netflix this month.

Watch the trailer. Check out this drawing I did her awhile ago.

...

Grand Piton - Inspiration from "The Line"

THE MIGHTY GRAND PITON from The Line on Vimeo.

Sam! Cover reveal!

This is the cover for my new book "Sam!" written by poet/author Dani Gabriel and published by Penny Candy Books! 

So excited to share the cover with you all. You can read a little bit more about the book on Here We Read. Go check it out and stay tuned to Penny Candy Books. You can preorder the book now too.

Total Pages: 36 pages
Publisher: Penny Candy Books
Publication Date: September 10, 2019
Recommended Ages: 8-12 and up
Pre-Orders: Available for Pre-Order Now!