Oct 30, 2019

Radix Media (publisher) - Interview

Go check out the interview I did with Radix Media HERE.

Who is Radix? They are a worked owned printer and literary publisher that is unionized and eco conscious. Read more about them on their website and check out some of the zines, books, cards, posters, invitations, and pamphlets they print. Offset, letterpress, and digital!
This photo by my friend Tiffany Eng has been in rotation since 2013.




Oct 29, 2019

Ayentee - A year of songs


What up hip hop fans. My homie Ayentee (MC/Producer/Dad) has been making hip hop for over 20 years. He has released several albums and collaborative projects. This year he started a new endeavor to release a song every week I believe. And so far it is has been amazing to hear both content, rhyme, and beat wise! If you're over 30 you'll really feel this one. Listen and share!

Buy his first 12 songs, the LP is called "The Fall"

Oct 24, 2019

Trust Your Struggle at Amor Eterno - Oakland

Hey! If you're in the Bay Area, I'd love to see you at this show on Saturday. Wer'e showing some photographs chronicling some of the Oakland work that we've done and showing a bit of our work from over the past 16 years. Come thru to Amor Eterno, an awesome gallery and tattoo space.


Cece Carpio - KQED Arts



YES! So juiced to see my sister Cece get featured in KQED Arts as she works so very hard to craft stories and beautiful images of indigenous women and peoples. If you didn't already know, Cece is one of the members of our crew "Trust Your Struggle Collective" Please watch and follow Cece on Instagram.

Oct 23, 2019

Bookmark 7 - Leer Novelas Gráficas

Hey, continuing with this the bookmarks, here is another one in Spanish urging the reader to "Leer novelas gráficas" or "read graphic novels". Forgive me if there's a simpler way to say that but I want to encourage Spanish speaking kids and adults of all kinds to read these books as well. Hopefully this will be useful.

If you'd like to get one of these please cop it here.


Here is the last bookmark I did: Read Graphic Novels



Oct 18, 2019

The Bull Horn- Formerly M is For Movement


So the blog I've been writing for for over the past year and a half is now "The Bull Horn"!! Why? Read about the changeand help us shape the direction of the new blog HERE.

There are some new posts up as well about writer Carole Lindstrom and librarian Laura Gonzalez. Please follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as well.  

Oct 16, 2019

Children's Portraits 53-54 - Mila & Zenzi

Wow, I was so enveloped in new bebe world with my daughter that I forgot to post these paintings I did last year! So these sisters are African American and Chinese. They are super sweet, smart, kind, and beautiful. And their parents are friends of the family. 

Wanna see the last one I painted of Mom Roopa and her son Ravi? Click HERE.

If you're interested in getting a portrait commissioned, please go to my store or on etsy. I have done over 60 portraits of children since 2012 I believe and it is always a fun gift to give to a parent, grandparent, or loved one. 


Oct 4, 2019

Ohio School Visit + Sol Con- Photos


Recently I went out to Columbus Ohio to attend the SOL Con at Ohio State University and to read to some children at Weinland Park Elementary school out there. Here are some photos from my trip. The photo above is from an apartment area I saw. I really dug the architecture. All in all, it was a great experience. Professor Katlin Marisol Sweeney along with Prof Frederick Luis Aldama organized so much of SOL CON and it was great to meet them. All the exhibitors and folks I met were super cool. I took most of the photos but a few are from the SOL Con.

The day of the con 

One of the huge buildings 


I did a school visit and reading while I was there. This is the school library at Weinland Elementary before the children arrived. I had a lot of fun meeting the principal Dr. Robinson, all the school staff and Dionne Custer from the Wexner Center for the Arts which I also visited while there. It was really great to meet the students, read them my book, show them artwork, answer their questions, and to talk to them about art and stories. The school purchased copies of my book Furqan's First Flat Top for many of the classrooms there.



Walking around the city from my hotel to leaving. Its always fun to walk around a city. I wish I'd had the time to see more but my trip was super short.

After visiting the Wexner Center for the Arts I created some video tutorials for them the following year during the start of the pandemic.Watch those HERE.

Entrance
Prof Aldama & Jaime Hernandez


Dig this? Check out my visit to the Latino Comics Expo in Modesto California, my reading at Woodland Elementary in Oakland, or this visit to Cesar Chavez Elementary in Davis, CA.

1619 Podcast - Bad blood

If you're not a reader, podcasts can also be a great way to get the info. 1619 is a ground breaking new piece curated by Nikole Hannah Jones at the New York Times. The podcast has 5 episodes so far. The one about the legacy of medical mistreatment called "bad blood" is incredible. Take a listen:


Oct 2, 2019

My Inktober favs 2013-2018

Yo! I started doing Inktober back in 2013 and i'm taking a break this year. But I wanted to do two things, share some of my favorites from the past and some artists who've been inspiring to me to watch during the month. Inktober really helped me stretch out with social justice, Latinx, and character design themes. And it has lead to me doing Black, Asian American, Women and Latinx history/heritage month drawings. And it is a reason to keep practicing. 

No matter how good or bad you think you are, you can improve. Often, I don't love 80% of the drawings and art that I do because I am self critical, but once I do put work out there I feel good about just making art. You can see all of the Inktober drawings I've ever posted here and some of my favorites are in this grid and listed below.

Ok top to bottom, left to right (click on each to learn more about them)
3. Ava DuVernay 2015
4. Black Hair 2015
5. Brown Berets 2018
6. Idalys Ortiz 2016
7. Walkman & Gi 2018

Here are some artists who've been inspiring to watch during the month of the years:

And of course Jake Parker the creator of this art challenge.
If you're interested in trying it out, here are the rules and a good realistic piece of advice.
Keep creating!

If you have questions for me about materials I used or subject matter let me know here or via email at info@robdontstop.com