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Reading at Casa Apoyo SF

Yo, I want to give a huge shout out to my sis Nancy from Latino Task Force in San Francisco, Jen Woo from SF Public Library, Patty from the YMCA, and all the librarians, volunteers, educators who came to this reading and presentation. Normally I’m in a classroom or library but it was dope to be here. Casa Apoyo or “Support House” is a hub for community resources in San Francisco’s Excelsior district where local familes can come get a bike, groceries, clothing, legal services, housing resources, and more.

Some fotos from inside the organizational hub!

As you can see in the above photos the spot is a hub, elders, women, and youth were coming in and out to get food and serve it. A was a perfect place to talk about my latest book because the theme is community.

I did a reading and presentation in English and Spanish. We talked about

  • Bilingual picture book reading
  • The importance of reading, writing, and literacy
  • Animation, gaming, engineering, art making, illustration
  • Art education through school, friends, sketchbooks, and self guided practice
  • The power of community, healthy foods, and more
  • We also talked about team work, editors, art directors, and collaboration
Via SF Days

Hopped on Bart from Fruitvale station in Oakland to Balboa next to Balboa HS and walked to Mission st where the org was.

Latino Task Force, SFPL, and several volunteers

During the reading Latino Task Force, SF Public Library, and several volunteers got the ingredients from the juice in the book ” Fresh Juice/ Jugo Fresco” , and juicers ready for the young people to not only taste, but to make themselves by putting the ingredients into the juicer and then they provided each kid a take home bag w/ more of the sme ingredients so they could share it with their family. These lovely folks also gave away English and Spanish copies of the book to each kid or adult who came.

Wanna invite me to speak or read to you students in elementary, high school, or college? Email me at info@robdontstop.com

I also brought my sketchbook, original drawings, and paintings and I passed them around while adults and children asked questions. It was amazing y’all and at that point it was beyond me as an individual and more about the concept of the story and the idea of interacting w/ a working artist/writer. Hasta la Proxima.

Dig this? Check out the time I got to speak to college students and educators at Modesto Jr College, or my last visit to El Cerrito Public Library

October 11, 2024
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Storytime Friends

Hey yall, I’m writing to you about Storytime Friends, a nonprofit I serve as a member of their Advisory
Council. Check out this message from the founders and dig in….and DONATE HERE

Storytime Friends has delivered a lively read-aloud video series, free
picture books, and fun, educational activities on a monthly basis to children at UCSF Benioff
Children’s Hospital in Oakland for 2 years now. They secured a fiscal sponsorship with the
Social Good Fund, so that we can offer tax-deduction benefits to our donors. And they’ve
built relationships with book publishers, a large community of authors & illustrators, local
Bay Area bookstores, and with Children’s Fairyland, and more along the way. 
 
We’ve accomplished all of this on a 100% volunteer basis. We’ve been pouring our hearts into
this, and now we need financial support to keep going and growing. 
 
My ask is this: if you can support Storytime Friends with a donation, I would be grateful.
 
Theyre fundraising to get more books into the hands of Kids in 2025. We hope to raise $30,000 by December 31, 2024. 
 
Thank you for considering this worthwhile project.

DONATE HERE

October 8, 2024
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Short story 31 – Spooky ride

Text: “Patrice and Larry had been practicing and falling on the track all summer. The older more experienced kids dared them to try the jumps but they always bit it trying. Tonight though, on Halloween before anyone got home to divvy up their candy, Patrice finally did it. She went up the biggest jump on “Shell Track”, now the only thing left to do besides puting on her costume was to land safely.”

What is this? Short stories are a way for me to sharpen my skills, to practice, and to stretch out by trying new ideas for stories. They started off as a way to practice the format of picture books but I’m interested in middle grade and comics as well. Here’s a new short story. As a kid I LOVED bmx bikes so much and would spend hours riding around my neighborhood.

I wanted to make a cool image of a girl riding a bmx bike on the night of halloween. The idea is for her to accomplish some big jump that is terrifying and gratifying at the same time. Then I just put a spooky tree, a costume on the friend in the background, and the moon with clouds. 

Dig this? Check out my Collage of Characters 2022-2024 or my first 130 pg Art Book

October 8, 2024
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Rest In Peace Megah Brown

Its been about a year since Megah Brown passed away after a motorcycle accident. I met Damion the first time he cut my hair some 10 or 12 years ago. I remember the first thing he said was “what have you done with your hair?!”. My afro was wild at the time which is totally fine but I wanted a trim.

Damion cut my hair and lined me up real nice that day and cut my hair and my son’s hair for many years. If you have followed my journey as a self published illustrator and author you’ll recognize Damion as he was the one cutting my hair in the book trailer for the first book I wrote and published, Furqan’s First Flat Top.

Shot at Damion’s Barbershop “Megah Browns” in 2016 back in 2016 by Eli Jacobs Fantauzzi

Although I only got to kick it with him once or twice outside of the barbershop, It didnt hit me how special the relationship between people and their barber can be until I heard all the stories from his former customers, his regulars; at the funeral. Damion was not only an excellent barber, but he was a beer maker, a motorcycle enthusiast, a sports fanatic, a hip hop head, a poet, a former graf writer, a husband, and a father.

Many times I sat in his chair or watched my son get a cut and just talked about life, being fathers, our families, etc. I couldn’t keep up with sports but I could talk his ear off about art and music and he let me. And he had a strong opinion of course, haha. He couldn’t stand it when I was late. I found out after talking to many other former clients that they got the same treatment. But that was only because he was serious about his craft and did not want his time to be wasted.
Video link

A few weeks ago his wife Mimi held a remembrance day where folks who knew him intimately, former customers, and friends could get together and reminisce. We all miss him dearly. Damion leaves behind a wife and a family. If you’d like to contribute to their family here’s the link to do so.

Damion w/ his wife Mimi, and their children. A beautiful blended family.

Thx for reading, Rest in Peace Damion Hunter aka Megah Man.

Dig this? Check out this drawing of Latino Comics Expo co-founder Ricardo Padilla or this KALW interview w/ Damion. It really shows his character straight from his voice.

Me at the Texas Book Festival rocking my “Megah Browns” shirt:)
October 2, 2024
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Short story 30-Club house

Short story 30 – Nala wished she’d never told her friends about the insect serum. She wanted to go home, to the car show, the movies, anyplace but here. Their clubhouse was supposed to be a special. But the bees found them. Usually the antidote worked to calm them down and Stewey tried. But not today. Maybe, just maybe Rez and Xotchi could stop them with the golden sceptres.

What’s this? Peace everyone, I started making short stories over a decade ago as a way to study picture books specifically and storytelling more broadly. Theseshorts are a way for me to practice and to build one brick at a time.

Dig this? Check otu some of my previous short stories made with colored pencil such as Welcome and First Protest.

September 26, 2024
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Storytime Print 6

Ok, here’s Storytime Print #6. This is based on a photo of my son when he was a tween reading graphic novels for hours, getting all the way into them, and inspiring of love of them in me too. If you’d like to get a copy of this print for your classroom, library, reading nook, or office.

GET A PRINT HERE

Dig this? Check out this set of Storytime prints I made in 2018/2019

September 22, 2024
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Waiting vs creating

If it weren’t for the decision I made to make a plan to self publish my first children’s books in 2013, I’d still be waiting for the industry to invite me to write, illustrate, speak, collaborate. Don’t wait for anyone to send you your dream project, make that shit happen. Shout out to Ava DuVernay. The first film I saw from her was about The Good Life Cafe, Project Blowed, etc.

Dig this? Check out this blog post about my journey into children’s books.

September 21, 2024
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Sketches 5

A page from my 2023 sketchbook. Scroll to the bottom to see the tour.

What’s this? This is a chance for me to share some sketches from my process. I share process art a lot with different projects but sometimes I just love looking back at the sketches I made before painting some of my personal or client work. Sometimes the sketches are better than the final! Something about the energy in them. Anyone, check them out and let me know which you like.

A sketch of Mousie from “Mi Vida Loca”, here’s more.
Digital sketch for a “meet the artist” piece I did.
Sketch for a Black history month piece about cartoonist Charles Johnson
Some sketches for some stickers I designed for Convergence Magazine
Dummy drawing from my book Fresh juice/ Jugo Fresco
This is one of the sketches from a coloring sheet I illustrated for the Facing Race Conference

Wanna see more of my sketches?

This is a page from my sketchbook!

Dig these? Check out my last sketchbook tour Thx for tuning in. Sign up for my newsletter

September 19, 2024
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Through the Portal- Sept 20-22nd (Chicago)

Hey fam If you will be in the Chicago area this weekend, go check out the “Through the Portal” conference which is bringing together activists & artists 2 discuss how we fix this shit we’re in, meaning how we use artwork to build political power and make tangible changes in the US and the world.

There will be hella speakers, workshops, panels, art, and more! A crew of artists and organizers I’ve been working with called “Artists for Radical Imagination” will be in the house leading a workshop space.

MORE INFO HERE

if you’re curious there are some videos about abolition, solidarity economy, and climate justice on Haymarket books youtube.

Dig this? check out this contribution to a direct action for Palestine

September 17, 2024
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