Greeting card - I'm feeling you

 

Yo, got a greeting card for you. Send it to a crush, someone you like, maybe even love. Illustrated cover and black inside. Cop one here.

Here's the last set of postcards!!!

GROW sticker

 

Fam, I created an original painting with the word "GROW" back in 2013. Matter of fact, I painted a whole series of affirmations. In an effort to get back to making pieces that are not only affirming to me (hopefully you too) but to make it affordable, I plan to make some new stickers with affirming letter based art. I painted this piece on paper and got it printed with gold to add a bit of shine. I hope you like it. Stay tuned.

GET A STICKER HERE

Did you catch the last sticker pack? Here it is.

Video: Readings of Books I've worked on

One of a kind, like me or "Unico Como Yo" written by Laurin Mayeno and illustrated by me!

Where to cop this book: HERE

I am Sausal Creek / "Yo Soy El Arroyo Sausal" written by Melissa Reyes and illustrated by me!

Where to cop this book: HERE

 

Video: Sketchbook tour 1

Wow,  I've been "thinking" of making a sketchbook tour video for a minute, bout time I did one. Check it out. You use sketchbooks? Holler at me, I'd love to see.

Here's a collage of characters from last year:

Character collage 2019-2020

Character 158 - Motorcycle

 

Hattie "Moves w/the Wind" delighted in beating riders who underestimated her.

What's this? One of many many characters I draw or doodle for fun, practice, etc. I like them. You? Did you see the last character? Check it out here:

Character 157-Hammer

Character 156-Jump

Character 157 - Hammer

 

Hammer- Dee didn't believe in being polite. They liked to settle things the hard way.

What's this? One of many many characters I draw or doodle for fun, practice, etc. I like them. Did you catch the last two characters?

Jump

Fix or trash

 

Tone - Umber Magazine

 

Really juiced to become a part of this new publication dedicated to forward thinking Black men. Peep the short trailer and please go to the website and subscribe/follow. This is a new project started b Mike Nicholls of UMBER magazine and I have to give him props because he has been putting in major work to publish magazines in a time when people scroll endlessly.

Oakland Boogaloo-Dance history

This is a dope video about Bay Area dance/hip hop / Black history featuring "The Black Resurgents". The Boogaloo, strutting, etc came from the Bay Area which I didn't know until I was grown. Just heard Davey D talking about this on Hard Knock Radio (Politics and hip hop). And I want to shoutt out Traci "Starchild" Bartlow for always keeping dance history alive and Eric Arnold for being a griot who documents Bay Area history.

 

40 year old version- mood board

Wow, watched this with my wife and loved this film. Check it out If you're an artist, educator, teacher, or a film lover.

Watch the trailer if you'r not convinced.

Here's an inspiring board I made of other inspiring things - Inspiration Board 41

 

New Postcard set

I made a few new postcards based on illustrations from 2019 and 2020 with affirming words. You can cop this set here. 

If you dig this check out this postcard deal

And you can see the original characters here:

Encourage-Donny & Jalil  character design

Leap-Jump character design

Behold-Photo character design
 

Merch feature - Buzzfeed

 

So this happened in December of 2020. My sticker sheet got featured in Buzzfeed along with some other stocking stuffer ideas. Shout out to my homie Angela Dalton who told me about this article because I didn't know until she told me. Shout out to the journalist who included my sticker sheet in this post as it definitely drove some sales. I hope to get some more features like this in the future intentionally. 

If you missed this sticker sheet you can cop one HERE.

I also made one for librarians, bilingual language teachers.

Octavia's Parables Podcast

 

Y'all!! I LOVE THIS SHOW! I started listening last year and quickly had to listen to every single episode. Of course its easy because I love Octavia Butler's books and I especially love the Parable Series. But the hosts also make it really fun and relevant to today with questions and discussions that I find incredible. Support the show be listening for free on stitcher, spotify, apple, etc. And if you love it as much as I do become a patron on Patreon: Patreon.com/oparables

Toshi Reagon did a theater play about the book and made some incredible music based on the books. And Adrienne Maree Brown edited a book called Octavias Brood-a sci fi anthology.

This has inspired me to not only go back and re read the book, but to make some more art about it. These  are drawings I made in the past of Octavia:

2012-Ink

2017-Black History Month

Inspiration board 37

 

What it do fam? Hanging in there. Here is my latest and greatest inspiration board. What's this? Its the way I stay inspired and sane through all of life's trials and tribulations. I've been making inspiration boards full of films, books, music, events, people, artists, movements, and more for over a decade. Please check out and support the folks mentioned in them. Hopefully some of them will inspire you too.

From left to right, top to bottom.

1. Waajeed-Hip hop/house producer from Detroit 

2. Natalí Koromoto Martinez-Illustrator & Maker from Venezuela

3. Namir Blade- MC/Producer from Nashville 

4. Unfinished Business Deep South Podcast about the lynching of Isadore Banks

5. Cesar Cepeda-Stop motion animator/artist from Mexico

6. Lovecraft Country TV Show on HBO

7. Ahsoka Tano on The Mandalorian TV Show

8. Sarai and the meaning of awesome- Middle grade book written by Monica Brown, Sarai Gonzalez, and illustrated by Christine Almeda

9. Sara Alfageeh-Illustrator of comics and games

10. Rachel Ignotofsky-Illustrator/author from New Jersey

11. G Yamazawa- MC/Poet from North Carolina

12. Thee Sacred Souls-Old school Soul group from San Diego

13. Art of Nisha Kaur Sethi (Bay Area) & Photographer Himanshu Dua (India) about the labor strike in India

14. Esme & Roy animated show from Sesame Workshop

15. Octavia's Parables-A podcast about Octavia Butler's Parable series by Toshi Reagon & Adrienne Marie Brown

16. Zing Tsjeng-Writer, editor, podcast and TV show host from the UK

You catch the last Inspiration board? No? Pshhht. Peep that HERE homie.

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

Enter

 

DC mob, summer protests, idiots in govt. The largest strike in India, theft of $ from the people into billionaire's pockets, pandemic, the shifting of power, victories. It's a lot.

In the past I had a quick art response. Lately I've held back (Anyone else felt this lately?). This is a privilege. Some times it's exhaustion. I'm happy to share others work which speak on it. I've been making protest art for awhile but I don't always have the best quote to contribute. My folks know where I stand but I know some younger artists might be trying to figure it out. Me too. I've gotten hella game from OG artists & activists.

I'm trying to make art about what I'm for (Pro -people's control of the wealth they create, choice, queer, reparations, dismantling the US govt as it exists, free health care, women's rights, right to self defense, so many things, teaching actual history, )  Also trying to make a living.

But, if you're pissed off, if you've been connecting the dots, if you're seeing a lack of work in an area that makes you passionate; get involved. 

Homelessness, rights of trans people, fair pay, universal healthcare, abolishing jails/police, teaching how to grow food. Whatever "it" is, That someone who changes it is you. You can't take on the entire world of course.

But YOU can effect your block, school, church, crew, city, etc. Whatever you choose, get specific AF and find others who about that life. When you see others moving like you on another thing, show solidarity. The hyper specific will change and so will you, not just a headline, vibe, or a hashtag. A movement.

If you get burnt out, change up the pace so it's sustainable. Recenter. Remember to enjoy life and then re-enter.

That thing you're passionate about needs your genius, your heart; you. We all do. Enter. Go.

-Rob

Older post to read: Brutality through the years

Black Lives Mural w/ Binta Ayofemi painted in 2020.

45's - Music Inspired

 

Saw a design in an hgtv magazine and got inspired to make this. Two 45 adapter's for that music lover in you, your partner, or best friend. Look out for post cards of this image coming soon. 

BUY A PRINT HERE

Did you catch the painting of a Shekere? 

Here's a little more info:

This one is for the music lovers. It doesn't matter which genre, as long as music is something you can't get through the day without. Could be for musicians or the fans. The image represents two 45 adapters. These adapters are used to secure and play 45 rpm records. I chose these colors because they are complementary and I love the color the overlay of them creates. check out some of my other "Music Inspired" drawings and paintings.

Sticker pack 1- Multicultural

 

Hey fam, here's a pack of stickers you can get to send to a loved one, student, or educator. This includes many of the Black, POC stickers I've been making over the past year. Hope you dig them.

BUY HERE

Download 2 - Ethnic Studies coloring sheet

 

Here's a coloring sheet for all the folks trying to introduce the study and concept of "Ethnic Studies" to their students early. You can download a copy of this from my shop HERE. 

Thanks for your support and here is the previous download-Analog music.

Check out this time lapsed video I made of coloring it in.

Stuff I've been listening to - 17 (Soul)

 

Welcome to the new normal. Every so often I will post a bunch of songs that I've had on heavy rotation. Why? I LOVE MUSIC. If I didn't paint, that's probably what I'd do. Here are some Rhythm & Blues/ Soul songs that have been keeping me warm. The first one is from Minneapolis' Carlitta Durand who I heard of via Phonte. 

Thee Sacred Souls (San Diego) are giving me mountains of soul! Peep this song. 

This entire LP from  Lianne La Havas

(UK) is fire, but this is my favorite song from it.

Talk about sexy. This song is dripping with it. Love love love Sebastian Mikael, his sound, and his style.

Alex Mali (Brooklyn) gives me chills with the funk, pocket, and the slurred feeling of this song. So much style.

Dope mix of styles here with Seba Kaapstad (Germany/S. Africa).

This LA native Sunni Colón gives a nice intro to his LP Psicodelic here.

Greentea Peng (UK) I found through Colors and man has she dropped some heat in the last 2 years.

Saving the best for last, this jam from Alex Isley and Jack Dine (Both LA) is just the cherry on top to a series of songs and projects they've been doing together and this song is just flawless. Add the young Masego (Virginia) just kills it as a feature. 

That's it. Whenever I hear people say (insert musical genre) ain't what it used to be I just think how much they're missing. Mainstream outlets aren't enough. Whether its Spotify, Soundcloud, Youtube, actual record stores, or my favorite (DJ mixes) just go digging for new music :)

Listen to the last "Stuff I've been listening to" HERE

New self portrait!

 

Happy 2021 folks. I'm excited to share this new self portrait with you and ready to bob and weave in the new year. As I do most years I'll be using this for my branding on my social media and sites. Want to see past painted self portraits? See below. This one was painted in gouache.

2017

2014

Look out for a post about branding images and business cards soon.