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watercolor Tag

Portrait Collage of Chapter 510/ Oak Library teens

I started working with Chapter 510 who commissioned the above portraits in 2014 maybe. Maybe earlier but they were one of the first organizations (Janet, Mariah, and Erica) who loved my work, approached me to work with them and illustrate portraits, characters, and more for their website, marketing materials, etc. The above portraits were done in collaboration with the Oakland Public Library over the span of many years.

Chapter 510 is an incredible organixation, similar to 826 Valencia in SF where they cultivate, nourish, and feed young writers, poets, and storytellers with classes, workshops, opportunities to publish, events, slams, readings, and more. Couple that with Oakland Public Library who offers a wealth of knowledge, stories, resources, entertainment, and community space and you havee a powerful combo.

I just wanted to share a collage looking back over the years of some of these poets!

These are some moments of action at Chapter 510.

Here’s one more portrait of a young poet named Greer.

Dig this? Check out some ink drawings I did of some writers at Chapter 510, or the artwork I did for the Oakland Public Library summer reading series.

February 11, 2025
in General, Ilustration
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Collab w/ Rights of Every Child

Rights of Every Child is a project by author and activist Danielle Davis. Its a project that seeks to highlight the human rights of children all over the world through artwork. Here’s a word from them:

The Rights of Every Child Initiative is here! It’s time. It’s time to spread the word. It’s time to speak out for children. It’s time to uphold their vital rights. We are inspired by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, a document signed by all UN countries and ratified by all but one: the US. This document outlines fundamental rights around how we must protect children. In the coming days, weeks, months, and beyond we will share illustrations by talented, caring artists who are vocal about children’s rights that convey one of rights as only they can. The language is distilled and simplified for our purpose and so that the heart of it that’s close to the artist’s heart comes through. It’s time. Thank you for joining us as this movement grows, blooms into something we can only create and do together on behalf of children—every one.

Here’s what I wrote about the piece:

With this illustration I wanted to focus on the light, innocence, and power that can come from a child. If given the space to speak they can have some pretty powerful observations, ideas, and solutions. The problem is adults who have either forgotten what it means to truly listen and empathize with children; or the adults have lost their own humanity. I wanted the child to have warmth and light and I illustrated the adults holding the microphones more dull as they sometimes feel this way.

I chose this [right] because I do believe we don’t listen to young people enough.

I typically search for several reference pictures, collage them together using photoshop and then make a sketch. After the sketch is done, I redraw it on thicker paper and paint it using watercolor.

Find more information about the project here: Rights of Every Child

Dig this? Check out this piece i did for the People’s Kitchen Collective zine!

December 16, 2024
in General, Ilustration
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Short Story 33 – Sunday Afternoon

Sunday Afternoon- For Amina’s family, music is medicine. Almost every Sunday , the phones and ipads were put away to do one thing: Music. The rules were: do your chores your homework, play, read, or relax but throw on your favorite music and just chill out. And so Betty listened to an album from vinyl club, Maya practiced scales , and mama just relaxed to her favorite that week.

What is this? Short stories are a way for me to sharpen my skills, to play, to practice, and to stretch out by trying new ideas for stories. In 2010 they started off as a way to practice the format of picture books but I’m interested in other formats now too. My name is Robert Liu-Trujillo and my most recent book is Fresh Juice/ Jugo Fresco published by Lee & Low Books.

Here’s some of my past short stories:

Dig this? Check out my first self published Art Book- 130 pages of sketches, paintings, characters, and more HERE

November 20, 2024
in General, Ilustration
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Free the Congo

Ok here’s the short version of my description:

A quick drawing/painting of a delivery truck with graffiti on it saying “Free the Congo” and “Down with Colonialism”. I painted this in solidarity with the people of the Congo in central Africa who are suffering from the direct effects of colonialism. The news will say its about corrupt leaders, I say look into the history of Belgium and France, their past and current colonial ties. Look into the countless companies in Europe and the US who profit from its vast mineral wealth (Coltan, Cobalt, etc). Who benefits from the millions who have been killed and displaced there? How is this related to other countries in Africa, Colombia, Palestine, the Philippines, India? The obscenely wealthy 1 % dont get there through “hard work”. They get there by using murder, rape, theft, sabotage, assasination, bribery, misinformation, and misdirection. To stand in solidarity with the Congo, please follow the Center for Research on the Congo-Kinshasa and independent news outlets to hear more about what is happening there and what activists there are calling on us to do. Comment w/ a journalist, book, podcast, artist, or news outlet that is accurately reporting about Congo.

Sources: Marc Lamont Hill, Kambale Musavuli, Double Down News, Break Through News, Democracy Now

Dig this? Check out this direct action against Black Rock who funds genocide in Palestine.

July 23, 2024
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Sketchbook pg 6

Here’s a page from my 2021 sketchbook. I draw a lot of people and often times the ones I draw from imagination can get boring or repetitive. So, I try to break out of that by drawing different poses and to warm up. These for example are of various dancers moving. If you can catch them while folks are dancing, great. I usually just watch videos of folks and pause it.

Wanna see a sketchbook tour of the whole video? Check it out HERE

Dig this? Check out sketchbook page 5 or my inspiration board to keep it funky.

March 27, 2024
in General, Ilustration
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Character Collage 2020-2022

What up fam, wow its been two years since I uploaded my last character collage. Back in 2020 I was a new dad again, and then the pandemic hit! I have still been sketching, drawing, and painting but lord it was rough balancing the kids at home, my work, and life. So here are a snippet of some of the characters I made over the past two years. This is the 9th time I’ve uploaded a collage of these over the past 13 years or so. I started making these as a way to practice character based artwork for storytelling, and I still love to do it. Always practicing to see improvement.
 
Left to right, top to bottom: 1. Word? 2. Bruce Leroy (Last Dragon) 3. Neighbor 4. Sketchbook doodle 5. Laura Charles (Last Dragon) 6. Hammer 7. Hmmph 8. Motorcycle 9. Sketchbook doodle 10. Deb Never 11. Crate Digger 12. Sketchbook doodle 13. Judging you 14. Spikey 15. Pink Dread
You can see the previous collages here too: 
If you are interested in more information about any of the characters, want to work with me, or interested in a print just email me at info@robdontstop.com To get a copy of my first 130 pg art book go HERE.
April 29, 2022
in General, Ilustration
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Latino Community Foundation

 

This past holiday season I did some artwork for the Latino Community Foundation to support their effort to get more Latinxs vaccinated. When it comes to this, I understand why hella people don’t want to be vaccinated. I get why people do not trust it. I for one am very critical of our government, our society, and political system. However, this is a measure of survival for me and I am vaccinated. So, when they reached out about doing these I was excited to support. 
Please check out the work that the foundation does here and their IG here. 

Here are some examples of artwork I’ve done for other organizations or groups:
January 30, 2022
in General
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