A Beautiful Letdown: The Art of Brandon Robinson

Crazy Love Ch.2 | Francis Chan

2011-09-15T21:58:00.000-07:00

REVIVAL is on the way...Crazy Love - Chapter 3

2011-09-15T21:42:00.000-07:00

Hello Blog world. It's been sometime!!! Wow 1 year and some change.. man. I missed you all and as you can see I'm changing up the focus of this blog to not only be a space for my art and experiences but, to really be a place of inspiration. I've been through much since my previous post and I will share more about what happened to me during that long break away. I praise the Lord Jesus for the cross and the restoration he's bringing in my life. I've never been more excited about the future he has for me and I'm begining to come to terms with thing of the past and how he used those things to prepare me for his great work. I've recently become a big fan of Francis Chan. I discovered his book Forgotten God last year and saw a portion of his DVD. This clip is from Crazy love and I thought it would be a great precursor to the new beginning for the ABL blog. Don't sweat though fam! I'm still drawing and will post my new works. God's doing great things and I'm joyful for all that has in store for us!

I'll be back a few!
-Brandon

A Dope Quote pt 3 for 2010...

2010-04-27T21:27:00.001-07:00

"Plan B sucks. There is no plan B. When you're doing something you're truly passionate about, there is no plan B." -Chris Gardner

The truth.. straight up! That's why I can't give up!
I'll be back soon..

-SRS

Happy New Year blogworld!!

2010-01-14T10:26:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year my friends! May God's Blessings be upon u in 2010!
2009 was mixed with major challenges and very exciting changes but, I believe 2010 is the year we're gonna WIN! Ha ha.. I'm expecting an excting and prosperous year! Things are going to change for me and I'm ready to make that change. I'm fasting and I have no internet at the moment since I've moved so it will be a bit quiet for some time. Don't worry I'm going to be back with new stuff! I wanted to post this gift illo of my favorite christian band from my church known as THRIVE. THRIVE is a very inspiring and fantastic spiritfuilled rock band that has really inspired me to be a better person. These young people are touching lives when the play the same way I wish to do with my own art. So keep an ear to the ground for them and keep me in prayer. God's up to something for us yallz! Don't be afraid this is our year!!!

-SRS

The Wiz....

2009-12-08T00:07:00.000-08:00

A Dark Wizard I did for a job test! I hope you all like it!!

The Blackest Friday lead to Christmas Memories..

2009-11-28T09:33:00.001-08:00

Hey Blog world. I'm Back! Happy Belate Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!

I hope you had a fun Black Friday because mine was just well...BLACK!

It rained while I was at work, I found out I have to move from my new place, and I'm not going

to be going to Florida for work at Seaworld. Ugh.. The Devil's startin' up mess again!

Well I heard one of my fave Christmas tunes at the Park. It was a cover of WHAM!'s " Last Christmas". I loved the song when I was kid! My sis was a big WHAM! head back in the 80's.

So I did an illustration/speed paint inspired by the song. Check out the youtube link and listen to the song and look at the pic. To be honest it is a bit true for me. As much as the I love Christmas , I often feel sad about not having a relationship. I would give my heart and only have it turned away and it's been like that since I was young. So related to this song especially with current events in my life after my Mother's Passing. So Enjoy..

-SRS

Wonderland / DTRH featured in Golden Gate Xpress

2009-11-19T11:05:00.000-08:00

Wonderland and Down the Rabbit hole where featured in Golden Gate Xpress last week!
I was interviewed for the story!!! So awsome!!! Mad thanks to Kelly Connors andmy bud/ photographer Trina E. :

http://www.flickr.com/photos/trina158/

God's doing amazing things and taking me to amazing places!
Thank you Jesus and all my friends who I worked with and supported Wonderland
and DTRH!! Stay believing my friends he will make a way and keep his promises!!

-SRS

Down the Rabbit Hole

2009-11-10T21:10:00.000-08:00

Wow! Wonderland has been an amazing project and experience to workon!
It's been a great pleasure working with my teammates Jonathan Fung, Eric Otto, and Monika Jones on this powerful art installation! Wonderland as well as DTRH has been making major
waves in the media. I did the initial concept for the proposal which is the above image. It was great being apart of the production design. Everyone did a terrific job and took the audience into
the eyes of the victims of Human Trafficking. Please come see the show on it's last
week! Here's the info:

“Down The Rabbit Hole”, (YWAM building) - 357 Ellis Street

M-F, 11-3pm, call Katie at 415.885.6543 for an appointment; Sat, 11-3 pm

Also Mad Thanks to all the organizations that supported this installation and this show:

Down the Rabbit Hole Partners

http://www.becausejusticematters.org

http://www.notforsalecampaign.org

http://www.sagesf.org

http://www.sfsafehouse.org

Special Thanks

Alf Pollard

City Impact

Colin Day Photography

Community Benefit District

Fern Silva

Fight Club

Katie Greenawalt

Lance Fung

Planned Parenthood Mar Monte

San Francisco Grant for the Arts

Santa Clara University, College of Arts & Sciences, Dean's Grant

Tim Svoboda

Youth With A Mission (YWAM)

Thanks for stopping by and please check out our exhibit and all the fantastic works

in Wonderland! Please continue to fight the horrible crime of Human Trafficking!

(Production Stills by Jonathan Fung)

-SRS

Batman Snack Sketches continued..

2009-10-19T00:59:00.000-07:00

Hey Blog world I'm back from the enlightenment trip at least for a little while. I got the urge to do more Batman Begins/Dark Knight themed sketches. So I went after my fave villain of all the Joker and one Batman Rogue who always messed with me Two-Face. Just for fun I did a chibi version of Joker. I was imagining the Joker as a young, smart, hip and mad Emotional Hardcore Kid. Mostly I did it for the hair, that hairstyle is just so cool and at the same time it's a bit menacing. Two-face I was just trying to get really creepy with it like my previous Scarecrow. Well I hope you all will enjoy these I have more to come soon with a full report about Wonderland and Down the Rabbit Hole. Thank you for all your prayers and support. It's a big challenge to morn a loss, have financial problems, trying to find another job, family challenges, and moving. Yet thankfully they are not to big for God!!! I'll be back this week with more. Thank you all again.

Down the Rabbit Hole: Wonderland hit's San Francisco this weekend!!

2009-10-12T15:24:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! How goes it? for the past week and through out the year I've been collaborating with film maker Jonathan Fung, Artist Monika Jones, Artist Eric Otto, and Mark Lee on a very exciting art installation called Wonderland. Wonderland is an art exhibit that was created to bring a lighter face towards one of San Francisco's Oldest and Impoverished District's "The Tenderloin". Several Artists from around the nation and globe are working on this landmark exhibit. My team's installation titled "Down the Rabbit Hole", which is a installation that confronts the social issue of Human Trafficking . We were fortunate enough to be donated a room by the good folks over at YWAM in the Tenderloin that was exactly what we needed to make this happen. This past week, we were busy painting the walls before we move in the furniture this week.

Please come join me and my team mates at the opening this weekend.

Here's our blog for down the rabbit hole: http://wonderlandshow-7.blogspot.com/

Wonderland

http://www.wonderlandshow.org/

Opens :October 17th -November 15th 2009

Opening Ceremony: Oct. 17th 2009

Boeddeker Park@ Jones & Eddy st.

San Francisco, Ca

11am-5pm, Opening Remarks 12pm

Oct. 18th 2009: Public Symposium

Warfield Theater 2pm-4pm

San Francisco,Ca

Down the Rabbit Hole

YWAM building 357 Ellis st. San Francisco , Ca.

BTW: we got mentioned in a big UK Publication , SF Bay Guardian and the New York Times!!!

http://www.theartnewspaper.com/whatson/results.asp?id=1111255

http://www.sfbg.com/entry.php?page=2&entry_id=9057&catid=85&volume_id=398&issue_id=447&volume_num=43&issue_num

Yeah I'm still in monk mode but I've been working too! LOL, so please come see our exibit!

And if you look below at the pictures you can see my hand!!! ha ha..

see you there friends!!

-Brandon Robinson

Monk Mode aka I'm going to be away .......

2009-09-27T22:12:00.000-07:00

Hey Blog world friends! I've been having some hard times as of late and I've come to the decision that I have to get away for a while. I won't be posting up for sometime ( don't worry I'll be back).
I need to take some time away from the net to get things together. If you wish to contact me just email me. Thank you all for your support!

I will see you all soon in the near future with new art,

Brandon Robinson
StudioRisingStar

Switchfoot- The Loser

2009-09-10T12:13:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the long pause in posting. I'm working at the LA County Fair this week! Come visit me at Kaman's Art Shoppes I'm the only short guy working!

Well I don't recall posting this song before but this another Switchfoot song I love but, it really got me thinking about the meaning of this song. Being a Loser is a very interesting concept. Commonly we look down at the those who we consider losers because of their personalities, social status, list of mistakes, failings, finacial status, physical features etc. If your an american you know this concept because it's been raised with us since we were children to not be losers in society's view. Yet Switchfoot turn this common idea around to something amazing. What if being a Loser was actually and is actually one of the best positions? Some could take this the wrong way but, they are not making a cynical joke about being successful.

Consider these bible verses:

Matthew 6:20-21 (New Living Translation)
20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

1 timothy 6:17-18

17Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

We're so trained to go after Success. We've been told to get the best educations, jobs, homes, spouces, and other things that we call "Successful" and look down at those who don't measure up to society's standards(Losers). Yet in this song and in God's word he tells us that the Loser's will ultimately be the winners in the end because they have nothing in this world and for that they have a home in the Kingdom of God! They don't have to keep up with the Jones' , worry deeply about status,
or what the world/ people think of them. In a way they are free from the great slavery that so many people in my country are bound to. I've learned and experienced all this in my early 20's and up today. I couldn't measure up to the standards of my parents, my culture, my industry, my religion, and for that matter my world. I'm the greatest of Losers and I have nothing good to offer this world and all the more why I rely on the hope of my Savior. With that hope the Lord has shared his wisdom about life with me that I'm still learning everyday.

So ask yourself today could you loose it all?

Relient K - Getting Into You

2009-08-25T01:04:00.001-07:00

I love this song by Reliant K! I heard this when I was 23.
I can play the opening riff on my guitar it seems pretty easy.
But any hoo very deep song about God! I was thinking of this song so much as of late. Getting back into him from a long time of struggle or maybe even when I thought I got a way he was always there..

The Temptations - Girl (Why You Wanna Make Me Blue)

2009-05-20T06:40:00.001-07:00

One more Tribute to my Mother Carroll Robinson.
A Real Classic for a teen from the 1960's she loved The Temptations and I grew up with them in my life as a child.
These songs made me dance and sparked my imagination to do cartoons!

Thank you again Mom and I'll miss you!

-SRS

Thank you Mom I'll never forget you!

2009-05-20T06:25:00.001-07:00

Carroll Evelyn Robinson
July 1947- May 2009

One of her favorite songs by one of her favorite singers.
Ben E. King " Stand by me" has been a treasure for many and now it's even more personal to me. Thank you Jesus for allowing me to know her for 26 years! She's now in the kingdom living in victory and free of her Cancer. Thank you and to you be praised!

-SRS

My Highest Lows..

2009-05-17T22:31:00.001-07:00

Hey Blog world. Sorry for the long art posting wait! Man things have been busy lately but here is a preview of my work from our show "The Highest Lows". I have more based on this series that I'm working on but due two the limited number of pieces these two I chose. The paintings are based to two of my friends. I hope you like and if your in the east bay area stop by Individual Collective Gallery! The show will be there until June 13th 2009.

-SRS

Super Gem Fighters - Completion - Ryu Part 1/2

2009-05-13T20:36:00.001-07:00

This was so cute!! I always wanted to play it!!
Awe my youth! Capcom was such a big influence and shape on my artwork!

-SRS

Individual Collective presents: "The Highest Lows: A lowbrow tribute to fine art"

2009-04-30T00:15:00.000-07:00

Just two weeks away is IC's next big art show titled The Highest Lows: A lowbrow tribute to fine art. An awesome list of East bay lowbrow artists take it back to the academy in the Highest Lows. The challenge was to create art using classical fine art techniques with subject matter that is commonly found in Low Brow Art. I've been waiting for this show since Boxed In closed and we're all excited about it! Please come and check out this amazing show from May 16th 2009-June 13th,2009. The opening starts at 6pm-10pm at 419 Georgia st. Vallejo, Ca 94590.
I hope to see you there for our young galleries second big art show!

-SRS

tatsunoko vs capcom gameplay hd

2009-04-27T11:46:00.001-07:00

Man this game was beautifully executed!!!
Shinkiro's concepts , the 3/d enviorments and the animation are fantastic! SF4 was kickin' but this game was sweet! I wish they put this out in the US.

-SRS

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom - On the Rooftop of Taiyou HS (Batsu)

2009-04-27T11:13:00.001-07:00

Man a remix of an old classic!
I miss Rival Schools and the remake for Tatsunoko vs Capcom is fantastic!! Enjoy!

-SRS

The weirdest/dopest fashion commercial I've ever seen..

2009-04-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

I got this like off of Tim Townsend's DA page(thanks Tim!). Louis Vuitton has an anime commercial take a look at it here. I believe the designer of the Visual development was the famous Japanese artist Takashi Murakami. It's a fun commercial!

-SRS

TRDMRC Live on Japanese Radio!!!!!

2009-04-08T10:24:00.001-07:00

WOW!! His music was played live and he was interviewed by DJ "Sach" on Japanese Radio Station FREE WAVE (TENJIN) 77.7 FM!! Fukuoka, Japan. Dreams are coming true big time!!
Man I gotta get ready for all his hits to his blog! Someone from japan might stop by to a beautiful letdown in from japan. Get ready, Get ready, GET READY yallz! ha ha.. I'm happy for Marcus all the chats we've had about going to Japan and doing art and he beat me to it! Oh well please visit the video on Vimeo and get Prelude to A.. ! It's a fantastic, artistic, journey through music and sound!

Thanks,
SRS

Trdmrc : Live in Japan(and I'm not there..dang it!)

2009-04-07T13:49:00.001-07:00

Please check out TRDMRC aka Marcus B's blog here to check out his awesome posts of his venture to the land of the Rising Sun and the country where dreams are made of (at least to me !) Congrats on your journey to the east brohamma! I wish I was there!

(photo by Marcus B)
-SRS

An Unknown Visionary.....

2009-04-02T11:42:00.000-07:00

Will I get my day in the sun? Will my artwork finally be seen in the world?
Will I finally get good money for my hardwork? The struggle continues as I'm stuck in between being a loser and being respected. This is one of the worst places to be and after 2 years of being in this place I can't help but be frustrated. My family is never supportive of what I do unless it's convenient ( like when I was in the town newspaper in promoting this show and our gallery). People support you and are proud of you in the big shiney moments but, they treat you like crud in the not so glam moments. These are such annoying days full of contradiction. Days that are both happy and praise worthy while being hard and trying. When will these times end? When will stability come in my life in all areas? God please send some rain in my life because I'm dying in a spiritual desert...

(photo by TRDMRC, thanx G!)

-SRS

Success and a future music legend visits Vtown!

2009-04-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

Individual Collective Gallery's opening was fantastic! We opened to a whopping 300 people that evening! What made the day even more sweet was the attendance of my close friends Marcus "TRDMRC" B. and and my buddie Shamara "Super Shamario" ! They had a great time seeing the works of IC and eating a Elaudio's Mexican Restaraunt across the street from the gallery. It's really good to know and have friends of yours who have a genuwine interest in art come to see your work. I was glad to see them there and enjoyed riding with them to the show and taking them home after. There was more great art from the show that my friends did but unfortunately my camera sucks ! So check out my bro and fellow IC member Albert's professional photos from that night at Alamphoto.com!

Thanks my friends and viewers for your support!

I Will Run - Freddy Rodriguez

2009-03-15T07:08:00.001-07:00

Some mo Worship for Sunday Morning!
Got run back after God after such a stressful and worry filled week!
I hope you'll run after him too in your times of struggle.

amen,
Brandon

Nothing Compares - Champions Live

2009-03-15T05:46:00.001-07:00

I can't wait to play this song for Easter!!!!
Freddy Rodriguez rules! Enjoy this worship moment!
" All my past is gone".... amen!
-SRS

Run Dmc - Mortal Kombat

2009-03-09T12:14:00.001-07:00

Same video but it's remixed with the Mortal Kombat theme remix.
This really taking it back seriously!!! It's just right to where I'm going.

It's Like That

2009-03-09T12:08:00.001-07:00

yeah boi! It's like that for reals!

I had to post this up cause I'm makin' a declaration.
I'm taking my art back to when it was really real. yeah I'm working on my graphic novel that I shelved a while back and I've got some recent inspiration as well as the pop cultural forecast is tellin' me I got to take my 2000's creativity and christian experiences back to the 90's...

Thanks Jason Nevis for this sick remix that got me strutin' and breakin' in high school!

ha ha.. more Jesus and art coming soon..

Individual Collective's new show Boxed In

2009-03-06T10:26:00.001-08:00

My friends and I are having a new art show at our new studio!
Come check us out on March 21 6pm-10pm 419 Georgia st. Vallejo,Ca 94590.
Show ends Aprill 10th same time, same place.
We have long list of artists joining us and some way cool bands from Vallejo!
Please come out and check out what the East Bay Art scene is repin!

-Brandon

Reprogrammed @ Wondercon 2009: Success!

2009-03-02T00:56:00.001-08:00

Wondercon was fun this year! I was with my company Charter Road Productions promoting the Reprogrammed Project at the Academy of Art University Booth. That's where we debuted my month long comic book project for the series. Feel free to check it out and let me know what you think. The Comic (especially the animated version) was received very positively and there might be a chance that it will continue . I'm very happy with what Jesus did this weekend! I was happy to see many of my old Art School friends and Industry Pro-friends that remembered me from previous conventions. The comic will be up on this blog for yallz to read and I will also put on the portfolio blog too. Thanks for stopping by!

-Brandon

SRS vs Cheeks: "insert title here"

2009-02-22T01:07:00.000-08:00

Sup Blog world! I know it's been quite lately and I've been busy working on an animated telvision production. I finished my comic for my company! wooohoo! But man did it take it's toll on me!
I'm so pooped I barely got through my concept project I had to do. Any hoo had to post up a color job I did of the legend Sean "Cheeks" Galloway's awesome piece for Spectacular Spider-man. I hope he likes it. I had fun and I wanted to do something fun for once after doing such major work.
Enjoy and more to come.

ps: I was trying to think of a catchy title but got stuck. Here were some I thought of:

" Muddy Waters", "I hate Monday's", " Pete. You Hecka Late!", " Litter buggin' " ( a play on cheeks original title). If you can think of something funny please post it up!

-Brandon

Caricature Snacks....

2009-02-11T12:06:00.000-08:00

Hey Blog world! It's been a hectic start of February! I've been really busy working on Reprogrammed's promo comic for WonderCon this month so sorry for the no posts in a while.
Here are some caricatures I squeezed in for some fun. Hope you like. I'll post up more new stuff soon. I've been thinking a lot about very personal new works and my book I want to create. I'm excited. Also Individual Collective finally got a new studio! We're fixing up the place as I type this kidz! So more to come soon enjoy my fun caricatures of these 2 beautiful ladies!

-Brandon

Nightmares On Wax - Les Nuits

2009-02-02T10:56:00.001-08:00

This song is brilliant! From back in my high school years!
Enjoy it! I love this genre of just beats!

Black Kids - Look at me (When I Rock Wichoo) -OFFICIAL VIDEO

2009-01-31T08:57:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67nZeSkz3zE

This video by Black Kids is SICK!!!!
Challenge everyone try to name as many of the 80's cartoons refrenced in this video! I'll post my answers too!

-Brandon

A dope quote pt 2

2009-01-20T11:17:00.000-08:00

"Genius is more often found in a cracked pot than in a whole one."

E. B. White -

Man this E.B. White quote is real.

Hope you all enjoyed Obama's Inauguration!
It was fantastic! All those people!

Lupin the 3rd ...

2009-01-18T01:06:00.000-08:00

Hey Blog world! I wanted to post up something that I did for a warm up before working on my comic book job. This is the fame Manga/Anime character Lupin the 3rd. I did him in his suit from the movie "Lupin the 3rd: The Castle of Caliostro". It's the first Lupin movie I saw and by far my favorite. Hayao Miyazaki directed the film. I loved it because Lupin shows more heart and heroicism than in his television series where he's usually a suave, cunning, funny, and raunchy. I had fun doing this and will do more in the future. Please watch The Castle of Caliostro it's a fantastic Anime!

-SRS

" Your So Talented!... but we won't give you a job"...

2009-01-15T00:18:00.000-08:00

Criticism and Praise. Two powerful forces based on an opinion and speech.
Since the last time I updated, I've gotten 3 rejections from 3 different companies.
Since I've graduated school I've gotten a total of 17 rejections and peppered in those rejections were some sort of criticism or a half hearted excuse why I didn't get the job. On the other side of the coin, normal people and common folks will say things like " Your So Talented!", " You should be working for Lucas!", " Wow such a gift!" etc. I've been in the middle of these two fields for almost 2 years now and to be honest I'm totally confused!

Basically what this means is (for lack of a better term) I'm the Lukewarm Pro/Vis. Dev.-Artist i.e The "Nutrasweet/Equal/Sweet n' Low/Diet" of the artworld. Tastes great but, not like the real thing. It's really great to be recognized for your gifts and talent in art but , it sucks to have them constantly dismissed or rejected by the Entertainment Industry money driven standards. Well, I'm just blowing off steam and laughing at the same time about my cool quip I thought of.

A Beautiful Letdown: the low calorie substitue to your fattening Art & Entertainment Industry!
LMBO!!! Well God is still in control and he's making a special place for me in life and after this life!
He'll open a door that no man can shut, and that likes Diet for a change....

-Brandon

The new name A Beautiful Letdown , inspired by Switchfoot

2009-01-12T16:41:00.001-08:00

I'm sure you've not only noticed the new layout and colors but, new header title of my blog. No didn't ditch studio rising star it's still my online studio name. This blog has changed in focus from being just about my art to being about my art and life. So I felt it would be the right thing to be honest about who I am here. This title is not a negative thing be any means but, it's an honest title for the person I am today. I went through many struggles and challenges in my short 26 years. This Switchfoot song really describes the past 9 years of my life and I identify with it's message.

For most of my life and even now I've struggled to find my place. I've had dreams of being cool, attractive, and being highly successful for my own selfish gain. That was until I met Jesus Christ and took seriously identifying myself as a Christian . In my Art School years I vowed to take my salvation seriously and I went through challenging trials where I found out that I wasn't the person I believed I was. I found out how much of a letdown I was to my family, friends, teachers, and others. Yet Jesus was the only one who called a foolish, slow, unattractive, uncool, naive young man beautiful. So walk in my everyday life a lone man who has no place in this culture, who waits for his home with his savior.

As you listen to this song, Please read this passage from Hebrews 11:13-16:

13All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. 14People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

I will also be working on an art book based on this title for sometime in the future.

Thank you for visiting,
Brandon Robinson

Japanese spiderman

2009-01-12T16:15:00.001-08:00

This kinda fresh g!

-B

The True Adventures of Odewap - Official Episode # 1 (Me She Likes)

2009-01-12T16:14:00.001-08:00

Odewap Rules!!! This is a fun short by multimedia artist TRDMRC. Something nice and fresh for the 09!

-Brandon

The Remodled Blog or 2009!

2009-01-08T22:19:00.000-08:00

What do you all think!?
I've wanted to make a change this year so why not the blog eh?!
Let me know what you think. New stuff on the way!

-Brandon Robinson

2008: wasn't great , 2009: I pray we'll shine....

2008-12-27T00:46:00.000-08:00

I'm a little early off but, I want to get this going.

2008 had it's really fun and awesome moments but I have to be frank, this year was horrible!
O8 has gained the title " Worst Year Ever" in my mind and life. This was the highest level of frustration I've had. As I type this post I'm filled with sadness and my hope is draining from with in me. So much Humiliation and feeling trapped this year. Amongst the good news of becoming an Art Director for a Christian Film Ministry, A new Urban Artist Crew, Caricaturing parties, being on a live gospel CD, meeting amazing musicians, paying off my car and making new friends this year, this year had too much negative stuff filling the in betweens. I've fallen into the credit trap, got laid off, fired, my Mom's Cancer returned, and really learned what being poor is. All this one year after I graduate college. My goodness my degree really feels like a joke right now. Why can't I get a job in my field!? It's been a struggle to practice anything when you continually get rejections. Aarrg! I'm really tired of my life. It seems like no matter what I do nothing gets better. Everything feels meaning less. I can't help but ask why?! Why can't get a job? Why can't I be happy? Why can't I leave Vallejo? Why can't I be positive? Why can't I see myself better? Why can't I come to terms with my race? Why can't I find and experience the change that I've dreamt about since I was young?! I'm so tired of saying I screwed up and so tired of being humiliated. Maybe I shouldn't have high hopes. Maybe I'll never be more than a letdown ....
I guess that's what I'll forever be.....

As of January 2009 I'm going to be updating the branding to this blog and all my other
social/business networking pages. Studiorisingstar will still be my biz/studio name but this blog in particular will go through a name change and change of style. It will be a new year and I want to try to takes steps toward real change. I'm going to need Jesus' help for it though. Merry Christmas to everyone but the way things are right now I'm just not into the season. I want a Positive Change in my life so much..... see you all next year.

-Brandon "SRS" Robinson

Muramasa : Demon Blade , creativity in video games done right..

2008-12-26T17:23:00.000-08:00

Man now I really gotta get a Wii! This is the successor to Vanillaware hit Odin Sphere.
MDB has the same hand drawn Traditional Animation of Odin Sphere but the story is inspired by Japanese Mythology rather than Norse Mythology like Odin Sphere. Once again it's hook is not only the Action/RPG game play but Vanillaware has created an eye pleasing mythic Japan with the fantastic Character Design , Layouts, and the classic 2/D animation that most American Games and film companies use less of. Man if only US game companies would be brave enough to use the great US 2/D animators and do something along the lines of this game! Only if there were people who were brave enough to create a games that were not about sales but filled with creativity. Check it out yallz!

(Photos from IGN.com)
-SRS

get it jaden!

2008-12-13T09:23:00.001-08:00

My Nephew Jaden gettin down in his underoos!!
Lol, while Jonovan spins around.

-SRS

On Brandon Robinson pt 4: On Being African American

2008-12-01T03:11:00.000-08:00

Sup Blog world! Well I've been wanting to do this posting for sometime now especially after President Elect Obama's win this past month. I've opened up about my influences for those who wish to get to know me and today I'm opening up and talk about mypersonal experiences being an African American .

In January of 2008, my sister asked me a very simple and very interesting question that I'd never given much thought to until now. " Why don't you draw many black people? "
I laughed a bit but, I began to think about more after she went back home. The thought bothered me. To be honest this wasn't the first time I heard that question, a kid I knew back in Junior High asked me the same thing. He assumed because of my Anime style at the time I was drawing mostly asian characters . I didn't have an answer even back then.

As looked at African American artists I admire like LeSean Thomas, Carl Jones, David Williams, and others , their art and characters have a true understanding of our culture. Yet when it comes to my application for some reason I want to draw other cultures aside from my own. I can't help but wonder if there is something deep inside me that causes this. I know I'll find answers in my past experiences.

I had a tough time as a youth growing up in the town I lived in. I was constantly harassed by other black children because of the way I spoke , the things I liked, and the way I dressed. They called me "White Boy" and would beat me up and steal my things. I felt like a great outcast even though I had the same skin color as they did. Eventually these feeling would lead me on a long journey to define my identity.

In my search I discovered how much people don't understand one another and the horrible stereotypes that have caricatured African Americans negatively. I've never liked the way the media and pop culture has painted African Americans. We're always portrayed as thugs, drug dealers, sex crazed, angry, uneducated, drug addicts, violent and it's celebrated. Where as if your an African American who doesn't fit any of those stereotypes your " Not Black enough" or "acting white". I've been on both sides of the coin from people calling me Less Black or assuming that I was just another weed smoking G. I always wondered why can't I be accepted for who I am as a person rather than people just projecting their expectations, fears, or ideas on to me.

It's frustrating trying to be a good citizen , christian, or man for that manner when your over shadowed by a wall of negativity and negative images of what some believe being "Black" is all about. I was so happy on Nov. 4th when Barrack Obama became our country's President Elect.
His background, his values, and his election as our next President have truly set the bar higher
for African Americans to better themselves. I think that's the heart of the matter to me.
As an artist and as a christian I want show to people that they can have a better life than what they are excepting of today. I may not have drawn black characters because of self hatred, but because of Godly wisdom and my experiences caused me to create characters who were not caricatures but a wonderful reflection of the diversity that our world and God has to offer. There is a lot more I could talk about but yeah I've talked my head off already.

By the way the Obama painting is a work in progress and I will be sending it to the Pres. elect before he goes into office. I will try to make prints for Sale for those who like it. Thanks for viewing.

-SRS

Magical Colors....

2008-11-18T16:28:00.001-08:00

I did a quick and hip CG of Jae Hong Kim aka Tincan21's
Character Go Rikimaki. Enjoy and feedback is greatly appreciated!
Please visit this man's Deviant Art page and blog!

http://tincan21.deviantart.com/
http://blog.naver.com/tincan21/

-SRS

Skizzen..

2008-11-17T15:05:00.001-08:00

Some nu sketches from warming up this morning before work!
Enjoy Hope you like my version of the Dark Knight and Scurcrow!

-SRS

Mirror's Edge: Creativity finally comes to modern gaming..

2008-11-07T06:43:00.000-08:00

I've been quite dissatisfied with the modern gaming industry. For American games there has been nothing but big budget over rendered clones of WOW, Halo, and others. I've never seen any games outside of Japan that have been driven off pure creativity and risk to be different. That was untill I went to my boy Imran's house and tried out the demo to Mirror's Edge. I don't know who at EA(of all companies) thought of this game but it's pure creative genius! On one level yeah it's first person combat game but, the twist is that the character is a freestyle runner/Spy. Your litterally jumping ,climbing, sliding, wall running on roof tops to your goals. Not to mention the simple color schemes of the levels are so cool! ( I love simple color schemes) Especially the first level reminds me of that Red Hot Chilli Peppers video inspired by the Minute Still Lifes by Erwin Wurm or/and personal storage garages ( which I love). I was really impressed with the design the game play was a real challenge since I'm not savy with the PS3 controls (cuz I'm Po').
I'm totally repin' this game. So please check it out if you have a PS3 I'm not sure if it's available for XBoX360 or Wii. I'll Probably blog about my list of most creative games....

Amen! Change has began!

2008-11-05T01:22:00.001-08:00

I couldn't go to sleep with out blogging about tonight. What an inspirational night and what an experience to see Barak Obama become the first African-American and the 44th President of the United States. I was filled with joy, excitement, and hope. I couldn't hold back my tears during the counting of his votes and his speech. It's wonderful to experience an African American man who exudes so much inspiration and is a glimmer of what it was like to see my Hero Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I pray that Jesus will use Obama to touch many lives and that he will be a great example of his famous verse " With men it is impossible but, not with God for all things are possible." History was made on Nov. 4th, 2008 and it's inspired me to change with it! I'm painting something special because of this momentous celebration and I'll be done with it this week. Stay Tuned and thank you all!

-SRS

We DONE!!!!

2008-11-02T22:34:00.001-08:00

Update Individual Collective's Mural at Moo..liscious Cerial Bar on Telegraph st. in Berkeley,Ca
is complete!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T17:09:00.000-07:00

Have a fun Halloween Everyone. I'll update you all soon but I thought I do a cute speed paint of a orangeade ghost!

-SRS

CG Crunches...

2008-10-01T15:03:00.001-07:00

I got inspired by Mac "Komoshi" Ko's Batman Character thread and decided to CG his work. The last one is for Dark134's contest on his Deviant Art Page. I hope I win.

Feel free to drop some feed back if you like.

-SRS

Feelin Good...

2008-09-25T01:31:00.000-07:00

Man I feel good! These are the sketches and final image of my contribution to Individual Collective's mural project at Moo..licious on Telegraph st. in Berkeley,Ca. I was just reflecting on the progress I've made since Art School. I would have never thought that my art work would progress in such a way . I was very surprised that my painting captured a classic UPA/"Retro" style that I loved as a child. This has inspired me and brought me great confidence. I feel happy that I've grown past being the " Anime Dood" and moved foward into discovering more of who Brandon Robinson is as an artist. Thank you Jesus!

(forgive me for the last photo being so big.. it's late, I'm tired, and I don't want shrink it right now.)

-SRS

The Best of times and Worst of times.....

2008-09-19T21:54:00.000-07:00

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times", some one said.

Well let's start with the Good News:

I had lunch in Emeryville with Pixar Studio Superstars Doug Dooley and none other than blog spot's and the pop art megastar BILL PRESING!!!!! Doug, Bill, Kan, and I eat at an Indian Restaurant up the street from Pixar's Campus. It was fun talking about childhood memories , the animation world, and gaining some knowledge from some cool kids from one of the illlest animation studios world wide. After that me Kan went to Boarders and looked at art books and comics and caught up on life. Towards the end of the day we went to Hilltop Mall and took some pics since I won't see my bro for a while now that he lives and teaches in So Cal.

Second thing is Individual Collective got the chance of a life time, we're doing a mural at a unique restaurant called Mooliscious. Mooliscious is a cereal bar (yes , cereal bar) where you can have your choice of 40 kinds of breakfast cereal anytime you want. Not only that but their is all sorts of cereal themed foods! But anyhow, IC is creating a mural and doing some stuff to add to this totally hip restaurant. Our Mural has a cereal theme and if your a kid who lived through the 80's and 90's you'll dig our work and this store. We've never done something like this together outside of live art and the chalk event in Napa earlier this year.

And for the Bad News:

I got a new job and as of last week I got fired. I've been struggling financially this majority of this month. Truth is I wanted to quit the job 2 weeks after I got it, but I feel humiliated. I've never been fired from any of my jobs in the past. Man this year has been filled with really awesome ups and major downs. I can't wait for the day that I get a job in my field and have the satisfaction of working in a place where I have respect and dignity. I've had major troubles with my faith and now I feel kinda bad cause God is making a way while I was angry and frustrated by my circumstances.

Even though the times are tough, God's still good and as I rejoice he's turns my sorrows into joy.

As I looked at these photos it made me feel happy about the good things I have in my life and the good things that have happend this year.

-SRS/Brandon

A dope quote...

2008-09-10T22:24:00.000-07:00

I found this quote on another blog called Dirty Shame:

"You think you can avoid pain, but actually you can't. If you do, you just get sicker, or you feel more pain. But if you can speak it, if you can write it, if you can paint it, it is very healing." - Alice Walker

Man that Alice Walker quote makes me think...does it make you think too?

-SRS

Refresh yo' self with Jesus!: X-Factor Ministries Retreat

2008-09-01T17:02:00.001-07:00

I went to Prayer Mountain for the annual X-Factor Retreat. For One day we fasted, prayed, studied, worshiped, and did exercises and activities to stretch and renew our faith in God. It was a well needed get away for me. Alot of stuff was on my mind and going up to prayer mountain and meeting Christ there was great! The Prayer Mountain staff were building new chapels as well as adding new plants. What was not shown in the photos was the Green Apple I found and picked up for my faith activity. We were to find something represented how we felt our faith was like today. The building and the apple reminded me of my Christian Walk. I've learned alot and have bore some fruit but, I'm still growing and being build into the person God wants me to be.

Learning that fact gave me major confidence after the retreat. It was good to hang with Jonathan , Alison, and the members of X-Factor since I saw them last in May. I will see them again in October for Hallowed 08'.

-SRS/Brandon

Ps: The Stratocaster in the photos is mine. I played worship melodies during our prayer time.

My bud was checking it out. He loved it.

IC@111 Minna Gallery SF: Friday was live!!

2008-09-01T00:23:00.000-07:00

Man things are really moving for Individual Collective!! IC and I got our first big chance to do live art at famed Gallery/Club 111 Minna in San Francisco through Oh Dang! Magazine. It was a late and wild night filled with great art and awesome Hip-Hop performances by some new friends like Nico Villamor, the amazing and gorgeous female MC Hopie Spitshard , and my new fave Hip-Hop group from LA Giant Panda who were fun and fierce!! Before we went to Minna, we made a pitstop by a shop that our IC cohorts Swamps and Bridges were bombing a dressing room (bombing=painting).

The shop was looking hip, even the restroom was dope! After that we got to Minna about 8pm and found out we didn't start untill 11pm.... So we relaxed , set up, got some drinks, break danced, and then prepared for the show and when the clock struck 11pm the people came in like a herd G! Nico was up first and tore the stage up with his hot song " I'm Going". Then the lovely Hopie Spitshard came in to drop science on what a real female MC is and can do in heels on stage. Lastly Giant Panda came in and like the amazing creature they were bigger than life! They were cool dudes! Really down to earth and inspiring. After hearing their stuff and the other artists I wanted to do a custom painting for all of them! (coming soon..) IC did a split theme; a Giant panda with dimonds and a awesome piece by Swamps and Bridges . Man it was late and real fun.

I got to see good friends like Saif, Richard, Janice and my lovely friend Kay who was the inspiration/model for the fourth painting in my previous blog post. There are more shows to come and more art on the way. Stay Tuned please!

-SRS/Brandon

PS: Obama Lincoln... wow.. interesting digial manipulation

New flava for your......eye?

2008-08-12T02:11:00.001-07:00

Ah finally after all this time.. some new art! Be amazed! He's back! Brandon's back with some fresh pieces! Straight from the IC show room comes 3 acrylic paintings! Plus two watercolor paintings of two gorgeous young women! It's late so I'll describe each of them in more detail later. It's good having some progress.....

-SRS

Big Update: IC @ OTMS and Streets of Gold...

2008-08-03T21:43:00.001-07:00

Man July was packed with big stuff. Not just Comic Con but two big events for Individual Collective. First off Streets of Gold in San Francisco's Club Cocamo was cool. The turn was a bit slow but none the less it was cool! There were some awesome artists, clothing companies, and hip-hop artists at SOG. IC was representing with diverse crews and stores. Got to see one of my old friends from the AAU and I got to see local underground acts like Mikey Manifest, Del Rocks, plus many other acts including an awesome SF native female MC by the name of Hopie Spitshard. Hopie stood out to me the most. She was the first REAL female MC I've seen in a long time that takes Hip-Hop to its essence. She reminded me of classic Salt n' Pepa and Queen Latifa. She impressed me so much that I had to draw a free caricature of her. That wouldn't be the last I would see her...

The following week was the opening of IC's first Gallery show at Off the Mark Studio in Vallejo.

We were so honored and surprised by the turn out for the opening. Approx. 300+ people came to our opening show. Eveyone left rave reviews especially the regular visitors of the gallery leaving positive comments with owner Jeremy . They said that our show was unique, refreshing, exciting, and one of the best shows in the opening of OTM. A few sales were made and many connections came from that show. Plus we had some awesome acts including....... HOPIE SPITSHARD!!!! Yup she came in for a last minute special performance along with IC's own rjess. solo vocal performance which was awesome! Mad respect and love to our Guest DJ's from SF bringing back the art of scratch to the urban arts! It was wild fun night I will never forget. The closing of the show went well also. Major achievement for Individual Collective. More is on the way this month. BYOArt in 2weeks and a rumored Streets of Gold return this time starting at night. Man Big things are happening, thank you Jesus!!

-SRS

On SDCC pt 4: Old town was pimp!

2008-08-03T13:06:00.000-07:00

Man the other sick thing about my San Diego trip was I got to see the famed State historical landmark Old Town San Diego! Man it was too awesome. Lots of tastey Mexican food, quaint shops, and the tipping point was the Chuck Jones Museum! All animation and film art work in this one of a kind animation themed gallery! So man inspirational Socal artists! Enjoy these pics.

Ps: If your in Downtown SD check out club Stage great bands and great atmosphere.

The guitar pic features local soul rockers Chimney Fish.

-SRS

On SDCC pt 3: Reconnecting with friends...

2008-08-03T12:59:00.000-07:00

One of the best parts about SDCC was I got to reconnect and hang with my college friends.

You might know some of them from my blog listings. I got to hang out with Kanishka, Imran, his Brother, Kevin, Saif (the general), Buffy who got a new job with a film studio, Rob Barros fresh from his job at Avalance Studios, Genevive Tsai, Alex Ahad, PMBQ, Sue Fabie, and my old friend who I haven't seen since we were in grade school Adam Roseland who is a Comic artist by night , Concept artist by day. That factor with others in my second report about SDCC made it worth while. On another soon post I have some issues I have to rant about SDCC.

Stay tuned,

SRS

On SDCC pt2: Where I met Jose Lopez!

2008-07-30T22:16:00.000-07:00

On ward towards the next item from my week down in SD,Ca. I finally met Jose Lopez !

The superstar character designer of The Batman , Jakie Chan Adventures, and many more.

It took me the whole Con to finally track him down. He was so humble and kind! That made my day and he gave me some positive feed back on my work that was very helpful! I also got to reconnect with Stephen Silver and his wife who I was surprised she still remebered me after meeting her last year. Also I see Lesean Thomas, and Joe Mad at the Play Booth. Fred Perry Anatartic Press Comics legend doing his thang that made Gold Digger an indy manga legend !

Many Toy companies at SDCC this year and Celebrites.Kim Kardashian was there.... and I missed her! Dang it! Oh well I guess theres always next year...

More to come.

-SRS

On SDCC.... pt. 1 Spectacular Spider-Man

2008-07-29T20:03:00.000-07:00

I'm back blog world! Here's a litte info drop about SDCC.

First off the Spectacular Spiderman panel was pimpiliscous!

Lot's off hot stuff for next season and the dvd's are coming out this fall!

Man the goofy part of the panel was the quip reel that the staff edited together.

The things people can do with editing..... any who Sean Cheeks Galloway still rockin' it hard and puttin' it down on character design front, Greg Wiseman layin down the lyrical storytellin', Vic Cook Directing the animation for this bomb series, and the stellar voice cast droppin' life into these characters (especially Mary Jane). Steve Bloom gave us a freebie goblin laugh live in the panel. Later on and before the con, I got to talk to Vic Cook more about the animation production and it felt good to know that he still remembered me from Wonder Con of this year! ( plus for the record he did leave me that message on that blog posting!! I got a few pics from SD and more to talk about soon. I'll be back in a minute.

-SRS

Mega Man is Back and this time hes Lofi!!

2008-07-07T19:21:00.000-07:00

http://www.dailymotion.com/relevance/search/mega%2Bman%2B9/video/x61ltv_mega-man-9-first-footage_videogames

Man this is going to be cool! Mega Man 9 a true sequal to the Megaman series I grew up with!
The wild thing is that it's going to be in 8bit/ 2D NES style! Man talk about creativity in motion. The link above is footage from japan and the link in the title leads to an interesting article about the game! Some stuff just works better in 2/D, all you GenerationNXT'rs can hate on the lofi version of megaman all you want but man at least someone is doing something different!

-SRS

RE: Cammy by Kaniska M, colors by SRS

2008-07-02T18:32:00.000-07:00

So I send Kan an email titled personal gold and what did he send me back? He said no on gold and keep diggin! WTHK Man!! I personally thought that first one was pimp. He liked my Nishamura Kinu inspired coloring style. So I gave it a shot.. after 2-3hrs man I like it but man it was a pain.

Hope this one is gold or at least silver...(at least).

-SRS

Cammy by Kanishka M. colors by SRS/Brandon Robinson

2008-07-01T01:52:00.000-07:00

He sent this to me when he couldn't finish in time for the SF/Udon contest. When I first started coloring it I didn't like it and just tossed it aside. Then I got the itch for some CG crunches so I went all out an finished it. Hope he likes it...

-SRS

Individual Collective's first solo show!!!

2008-06-24T18:18:00.000-07:00

Hey Blog world! FYI My fourth and first solo show with my crew The Individual Collective will be on July the 11th-26th in Vallejo, Ca at Off the Mark Studios. This is going to be off the chain!
If your in the east bay come check this out in 3 weeks! There will be refreshments for the opening and live painting and live music. Come Check out how the IC is shaking down the art world!

Individual Collective @ Off the Mark Studio
Gallery Opening Party July11-July 26 2008 6pm-10pm.
630 Marin St. Vallejo,Ca 94590

See you there!
-SRS/Brandon

Caricatures of Deviant Artists pt 1

2008-06-20T15:20:00.000-07:00

Here's a series of caricatures I just did from a photo of artists that are watching my Deviant Art page.
I'm promoting/practicing my Caricaturing through fellow artists and friends right now. If you want one let me know via message or email with a photo of yourself.

-SRS

My friend Sylvia Ji @ White Walls in San Francisco

2008-06-16T17:43:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday I got to see my good buddy and famed Urban Illustrator Sylvia Ji at White Walls Gallery in San Francisco. Her work has been featured in Juxtapoz , Society of Illustrators, and many other venues. The show was awesome! Sylvia's work has become so amazing since we were at the Academy of Art University. I was so happy to see her since I've had a hard time being able to go to her previous shows in SF. I missed her so much! I'm so happy I got to view this show and the other works at the gallery along side her work. Enjoy the pics and check Sylvia out online.

-SRS

TRDMRC: Prelude to a..... variant cover

2008-06-10T20:06:00.000-07:00

Painting for the Second edition cover for TRDMRC's latest album "Prelude to a"....
It's a gift for a very good friend. Enjoy!

-SRS/Brandon

Re: The Call......

2008-06-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

Remeber the past posting I titled the Call? It was about a company I was getting info on that may wish to hire me? Well I called the guy back today and sadly he said my work wasn't up to par with the artists of their studio. I was really let down by his response as well as his reason why my work wasn't up to par( my work was too student looking, even though I just got out of college). I was really frustrated and down for a while, but interesting enough right after I got off the phone with him, a gentlemen from Umpaqua Bank in Vallejo,Ca called me to let me know I had a possible buyer for my painting from I.C.'s show last week! He took down my info and confirmed that it was my painting and gave the man my the info. Wow how God work's man! Even in defeat he lifts us up above it! So I move onward in my goal to finish my portfolio and to my next Caricature gig on friday. I can't believe I have to be dressed as a pirate.....ugh..

-SRS/Brandon

My Vampire Weekend....

2008-06-02T19:25:00.001-07:00

Why do I call it a Vampire Weekend? (not only cause I got the band Vampire Weekend in my head)But this past weekend sucked the energon crystals out of yah boi! It all started with Friday evening with my crew Individual Collective and our show at Umpaqua Bank "Circle of Time". The show went good, I got there early to take some pics and hang before I jetted off north to a Colusa for my all nighter caricature gig. I was at Colusa High School's Grad Night from 10:30pm-2:30am. Before I started I got to play some classic video games like Root Beer Tapper, Bubbles, and Timber. But, there was one thing that bugged me out, the US Army had recruits there with an Army Shooting video game with a laser targeting rifle . I did horrible on that game because I never shot a gun or held a gun in my life (thank you Jesus!), Much respect to my countries service men but dang G... I don't know about all that. Any hoo I had a few really good caricatures and I took pictures of them. The Grad Night was nice though! It looked fun for such a small school. I left there about 3:00 am on my way back to Vtown, but on the way I got tired so I stopped at truck stop/gas station for a drink and some rest. I couldn't sleep in my car.. but I relaxed the best I could none the less. I woke about 5am , grabbed some breakfast from a wendy's and hit the road. I got back home to Vallejo about 6:45am. Then I chatted with my mom's then went to sleep for 2 hrs. I got back up about 10am right on time for spider-man, but I was still majorly wiped out from earlier that morning. I went to the Farmer's Market around 11:30am. Hung out with the IC at the Art Square. Then headed back home in preparation for my next event: " Ruth's 18th B-Day Cotillion " in Daily City,CA.

I got Daily City around 5pm (great time!) set up my stuff and got my seat with my church fam.
Her Cotillion was beautiful! Ruth looked beautiful! There was pink and purple every where! and they even had chocolate meat!!!!(pork cooked in pigs blood, a Philippine delicacy ) and to top it off they had a whole roasted Pig!!!! It was pimp! The Sonza Familia went all out G! The night ended with the Roses & Candles Ceremony and a Hyphy Drenched Hip-hop dance off. I drew a caricature of Ruth as requested by Mr. and Mrs. Sonza. She loved it ,but my camera didn't...
The rest of the party I was stuck to my chair cause after everyone saw Ruth's Caricature they all wanted one. So at $3.00 a pop... they could have a memory and $30.00 later I was a happy man!

Then I drove home.... and Over slept on Sunday and missed Church.
The vampire of work sucked me dry....
That was my Vampire weekend

Show tonight featuring me and my homies I.C...

2008-05-30T13:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight from 6:30PM to 8:30PM at Umpqua Bank in Vallejo, Individual Collective will be doing live painting and exhibiting a few pieces for sale from our coffers.

Be there or be square.

-SRS

The New Att....

2008-05-29T20:46:00.000-07:00

Well this is my new piece I did for Individual Collective's show at Umpaqua Bank in Vallejo,Ca
which will be tommarow at 6pm-8pm. I took my painting in and guess who I saw... CREATURES OF THE MIND!!!! (aka JR/Dyno and Adrian) Yeah we we're turning our stuff in for the show. I still got to find a hanger for my paintin.... man I haven't painted in Acrylic in years I got totally re-inspired after painting today!

-SRS

I went to Pixar foooo!!!

2008-05-29T20:25:00.000-07:00

Yeah thanks to my home boi kanishka, I got to visit Pixar and got an awesome tour of the studio.
I only got to see half of it because of their production scedule. I got to see all the concept art for Wall.E! It was beautiful to see all that goes into their films. Got to give a shout out to my new friend Doug Doogley a Pixar animator who gave us the tour. He and Kan go back to that animation mentor..... I got to see some folks from my AAU past like Hasia Sroat and my friend Willie a sick artist I knew from AAU who's rockin' out at Pixar. Well now that I've seen the place I'm going to apply there for work. For a long time since high school, I never thought about working at pixar cause I wasn't into 3-D animation/ I didn't think I was good enough/ wasn't my direction at the time but, seeing the artist works on Wall.E inspired me to believe and have faith that I have a shot. It was wild! I even did the can can with Sully!!!

-SRS

Back to you... Dreamgirl...

2008-05-22T15:42:00.001-07:00

Hi all how are you out there! It's been a long time.... I shouldn't have left you.. without a dope piece to step to! Ha ha, Here's so mo' CG studies of that illustrious dream girl I made. I have a comparison up top for yallz to peep. The 2 new versions are a different tecnique used by many of the classic image colorists. You can peep the difference between these two and my first. The first one is more painterly and loose while this one is controlled and gradated. Please tell me what you think cause I just practicing. More is on the way.

-SRS

The Call.....

2008-05-13T15:17:00.000-07:00

Man something Big happened today! I called a studio looking for address for their company to send a portfolio to them. 2 of my animation heroes work for this certain company. Well I called them over the weekend and they didn't get back to me. So I called today, talked to their secretary and she took my information and gave it to a supervisor. He called me 20mins later.. we talked. I introduced myself , stated my position, and asked for an address to their company. He told me they weren't looking for anyone at the moment and he was pretty stand off about answering my questions. He asked about my experience, where I was from, and if I believed that my work was up to par with the likes of their artists of which I said calmly " Yes". He paused for a second and surprised me with asking for my website and email and he said if they like me they'll think of using me as a freelance artist for their company. I was excited but, I was especially nervous! I didn't think he would want to see my website so quickly! I'm praying that this will work out, God's opening doors.... Please pray for me and this new opportunity friends!

-Brandon/SRS

Demon Hunter - One Thousand Appologies.....

2008-05-08T21:29:00.001-07:00

For some reason I really connected to his song since I first heard it. If only I could give a thousand appologies for all that I've done wrong.

-SRS

Dat NU XMEN show is pimp!

2008-05-07T17:06:00.000-07:00

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1388782857/bctid1539906060

Dudes and Ladies, check this link out to the trailer for the new Wolverine and the X-Men show coming out soon. This looks like more of a sequel to the 90's X-men series rather than an update on X-Men: EVO. Steven Gordon worked on this so it 's going to be hot!

-SRS

A Prayer Request for a close friend...

2008-05-07T09:58:00.000-07:00

Hey All. Mo' art is on the way but I gotta get this off my heart.
I'm just giving at shout out to my homie from NY and fellow artist Marcus "TRDMRC"B. who is on location in England because his Father died a week ago of Cancer. My prayers are going out to him and his familia. Please drop a line and check out his music inspired by his father at this link:

http://trdmrc.blogspot.com/2008/05/dad-1956-2008-good-day-world-i-have.html

Thank you and God bless you all for visiting.

"Jesus please bless Marcus and his family and strengthen and inspire
them through their hurts with the loss of Mr.B. "

Amen,
Brandon/SRS

Lupe Fiasco - Superstar (w; Lyrics)

2008-05-05T20:52:00.001-07:00

One more video with great cinematography and
brilliant compositions! Man being a superstar isn't always the best deal it seems to be...

-SRS

Rock Star Supernova - Headspin Video

2008-04-30T00:38:00.001-07:00

I loved this video and this song. I never watched Rock star Supernova but this song and this video really got my attention. I love the chord progression and the cinematography with the digital cameras.

-SRS

To Komoshi, Thanks for everything..StudioRisingStar

2008-04-24T01:02:00.001-07:00

This is a reply to Mac Ko's version of my character Diana. This is my rendition of his video game character Lucy. I know cooled her down cuz this girls on fire!But since I like things chilled I thought I'd give her bad self a glass of Blue Kool Aid and see what happens. Well I hope the my nu net buddy Mac Ko of Canada will like this......

Mac ko is the Shiznite!!!!

2008-04-23T18:32:00.001-07:00

Man this was an awesome present!! My new Canadian homie Mac Ko aka macaroni
drew his rendition of my character in my up incoming graphic novel. I haven't posted any art for my book yet untill I got it together but, I'm a new fan of Mac's art and I challenged him to a sketch trade. Honestly I didn't think he wanted to draw Diana but, he surprised me today! Now I gotta give him my version of his character Lucy from his game he created. Man this is the sickness G!! Visit my bro at his blog all linked up on my artists links and in this postal post!
Thanx again Mac Ko!!

-SRS

Work in Progress....

2008-04-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

Doing this digital illo for practice. Would love feed back. I'm excited for the new Batman film that the great Heath Ledger stared in. This is a tribute to the excellent job the team has done on this new franchise of Batman films and a tribute to the Ledger for laying down a now legendary take on my fave villain!

-SRS

Oh snap this is fo' real...

2008-04-16T21:43:00.001-07:00

Man I always wanted to be in Street Fighter game tournament. I consider myself to be an illmatic SF champ but yo.. this cat is real!
If you don't know anything bout' SF3 and the parry technique you won't understand how ill this is!! Watch and be amazed!

-SRS

Re: this ain't no joke....

2008-04-14T16:54:00.000-07:00

Okay there has been alot of buzz going around about the Orphans Bill being a hoax. I admit I did freak out when I first posted about it, but many people started feeing it wasn't legit because of sources like this link :

http://maradydd.livejournal.com/374886.html

After some folks read this many started to feel that this wasn't a concern. I disagree strongly.
Everyone please look into this bill for yourselves and find out as much information as possible.
This is a serious issue that should be looked into and considered. Educate yourself to make the right decisions. Don't rely on others opinions. I'm putting this up because I want inform my friends and colleagues on what I've heard and in hopes that yallz will find out more about this for yourselves. I originally found out about Orphaned Works from this artist on DA:

http://sh3lly.deviantart.com/journal/17825369/#journal

She has posted some really good links about the Bill. Also check out:

http://mercuralis.deviantart.com/art/Orphaned-Works-Awareness-82632002

http://messa.deviantart.com/journal/17808099/#journal

Here's also more info on Orphan Works:

http://www.illustratorspartnership.org/01_topics/article.php?searchterm=00185

Mercuralis creator of the awesome poster I posted on this blog and has posted some more really good links about this issue. Messa also has some links too. Please everyone I implore you all to educate yourselves on the Orphaned works Bill and don't just dismiss this as a hoax, old news or an over reacted internet/deviant art issue.

-SRS

Attention All Artists!!! This aint no joke....

2008-04-12T01:23:00.000-07:00

All my artist friends please spread the word and read this article because this is some serious junk that's trying to go down in congress. There is a bill on the table called the Orphan works bill which basically gives people the right to steal your art work from you, not pay you, or give you any credit on your creations. This is urgent and please spread the word!!!! This is not a joke this is for real!

http://mag.awn.com/index.php?ltype=Columns&column=MindBiz&article_no=3605

Here's and interview about this:

http://www.sellyourtvconceptnow.com/orphan.html

-SRS

This just in.... a news brief

2008-04-09T14:22:00.000-07:00

Cartoon Network bows the Cartoonstitute: A 'think tank' for animators

An interesting development within Cartoon Network was overshadowed by the slew of other announcements unveiled at the cabler's upfront presentation last week.

Rob Sorcher, Cartoon Net's newly appointed chief content officer, is spearheading a development initiative they've dubbed the "Cartoonstitute." Sorcher (pictured left) wants to get a bunch of original development in the works pronto (insert a Hanna-Barbera zoink and pat-a-pat-a-pat-a-pat sound of running bare feet here), and so he's carving out a space with the Burbank-based Cartoon Studios facility for an artists colony that he hopes will harvest funny fruit in the near future.

Cartoonstitute will be run by two veteran Cartoon Net producers, Craig McCracken, of "Powerpuff Girls" and 'Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends" fame, and Rob Renzetti ("My Life as a Teenage Robot"). Sorcher aims to put six artists to work full-time on pilots and short segments for the channel immediately, under the guidance of McCracken and Renzetti. As many as 30 more artists -- some already in-house at Cartoon, some new to the toon net tent -- will be brought in to pitch in and/or develop their own ideas at any given time, particularly when they're on production hiatus from other Cartoon Net shows.

Sorcher was part of the early Cartoon Net exec team in the mid-1990s and rejoined the channel in January after six years at AMC. He wants to generate 150 bits of programming for Cartoon Net during the next 20 months. It's an ambitious target, and a sign of how eager the new programming chief is to inject new characters and fresh yuks into Cartoon. The mission, as Sorcher sees it, is to create a "think tank" for animators. A productive think tank.

"I wanted to put a swift development track together," he says, "but the other side of it is thinking about long-term development and what it takes to get a successful cartoon series. I know that a lot of it comes from setting out the conditions where artists and writes can really succeed at doing that. We started thinking about how to create an environment where this kind of creative thinking can happen."

McCracken and Renzetti will oversee the operation in their own dedicated area of the Cartoon Studios building, with McCracken serving as exec producer and Renzetti as supervising producer. Cartoon is close to wrapping its first batch of development pacts to fuel its development drive. (McCracken is pictured at right at the 2007 Annie Awards where he picked up a kudo for "Foster's.")

Putting the initiative in the hands of artists was important because they'll be able to speak to and work with other ink- and paint- and CG-stained wretches in a way that no executive ever could. One thing Sorcher's learned is that in many cases, a cartoon character needs to be developed and refined on its own, before the many other elements of a show are determined.

"Many times an artist has an idea for a character, but it becomes a big obstacle if you ask them to pitch you the entire show before you move forward," Sorcher sez. "It can be so daunting that the ideas go nowhere; I've seen it happen. So the idea is to get people immediately working on ideas, concepts, drawings. We want artists talking to artists and putting their notions on paper. Then we'll figure out if there is a hit series" lurking among those characters and concepts, Sorcher says.

Because of the need for speed, Cartoon Net is looking for animators, scribes, directors and storyboarders with experience. They're not setting up a recruiting station on the campus of Cal Arts, though over time Sorcher sez he'd love to expand the Cartoonstitute to include an apprenticeship-type program for promising art students.

"This is a huge deal. The goal is for us to become premier television studio where animators want to work," Sorcher sez. "This should be the environment where they dream about coming to do there shows, where the process (of development) is respected and led by artists."

Posted at 11:06 PM in Animation, Cartoon Network | Permalink

On Brandon Robinson..Pt 3: 2000-Present

2008-04-08T23:24:00.001-07:00

Well here we are in the present 2008 looking back in the span of 8 years. Not all of the pictures show all that have inspired me. I graduated from High School in 2000 and entered The Academy of Art University in Spring 2001. Art school exposed me to the important techniques, application, and knowledge for my art career. While there I was inspired by all the different genres and industries that the Arts and Entertainment world has to offer. I was inspired by many Fashion Designers, New Media/Graphic Designers, Industrial Designers, Illustrators, Fine Artists, and most importantly Animators! I was also exposed to the great history of Art and that's where I was fully exposed to Leonardo Davinci, Michealangelo, Raphael, Dontello( Not the turtles yall! That was back in the 80's G!) , Picasso, Carvagio, and others but, gravitated to a few of the 20 century like Norman Rockwell, Kathe Kolowitz, Salvador Dali, Edward Hopper, Kandinsky, Mondrian, Warhol, Peter Max, and my very favorite John Singer Sargent. In the popular arts world artist I began to discover and dig where Alex Ross, Steve Gordon, Jeff Matsuda, Sean "Cheeks" Galloway, Lesean Thomas, Charles Park, Long Vo, UDON Entertainment( I still want to work there), Omar Dogan, Alvin Lee, Pat Lee(DreamWave), Liquid!, Joe Madudera, Bill Presing, Nolan Obena, Jose Lopez, Ed Benes, Doze Green, Jeremy Fish, Gary Baseman, Jim Woodring, Shane Glines, Stephen Silver and many more. On the Anime front: Satoshi Kon, Shinchiro Watanabe, Makoto Shinkai, Osama Tezuka, Miyazaki, and the list continues on. I was also blessed to meet some of the most talented artists in my time of school like Albert T, Megan Wolfe T, Piya W, Rob Barros, Kanishka M, Genevieve, Sylvia Ji, Jason Worthington, Bill Sanchez, Chuck Pyle, Sherrie Sinclair, Marv Werlin, Eddie , Micheal Buffington, Camille Lapointes Lyones, Razael Cortez, Johnathan Fung, Diana K Lee, Sean Featherstone, Ken Junior, Sean O'Neal, Alex "O_8" Ahad, Christian Sy, PMBQ, Laura (Pinku), Cleven "Goodie" Goudeau, Bordin, Estavan, Willie Real, Imran, Taif, Saif, Alfredo, Ed, Creatures, The Earth Tones, Rene Pulido, John Pearson, Joe Blum, Grant Alexander, Arnie, Jim, Daniel, Charles, Roweena, Rico, Boonie, Tiege, Ron, Julian, Sean, Animation Lab Techs, Sue, Smalls, "Sto, Sherwin, Antony, Nick, Manny, Indvidual Collective, and many more wonderful and talented indivduals who have inspired me to keep creating. Well this is where Ive been now the question is where am I going......

to be continued

-SRS

On Brandon Robinson Pt 2: The 90's

2008-04-08T01:17:00.001-07:00

Okay so in the 90's things were very interesting. I lived through my elementary, junior high, and early high school years during the 1990's. Here in the Bay Area the dot.com explosion changed our economy. The 90's were a very special time for the Popular Arts & Entertainment industry. The Comic Book world would enter the the famed Comic Book Boom and also the independant comic book companies take the lead in popularity over D.C. and Marvel . This was thanks to Image, Dark Horse, and others who brought new characters, stories, and artists to the table. Also during this time the Animation industry would also go through an exciting change. Pixar introduces itself to the into the mainsteam with Toy Story while Disney created the last of it's great 2/D films The Lion King, Aladdin, Tarzan, and Mulan. Television animation gets a huge growth spurt thanks to the famed Bruce Timm Designed/Produced Batman : The Animated series and The X-Men. Batman(TAS) and X-men introduced mature storytelling and stylized character design was turned the TV Animation industry upside down and effecting other shows like Iron Man, Spider-Man, TMNT, Savage Dragon, Wild C.A.T.S as well as MTV pushed indie shows like Bevis and Butthead, Daria, The Maxx, Liquid Television, Spy Groove, Aeon Flux, and Downtown! While on the other end of the Spectrum Nickelodian waked out Nick Toons had us all laughing and questioning things (Ren and Stimpy, Rocko's Modern Life, Doug, Rugrats, Ahh! Real Monsters, Hey Arnold, Sponge Bob Squared Pants) , as well as the Cartoon Network was born and spread awareness about Animation Greats and New legends like Dexter's Laboratory (Gennedy T), Power Puff Girls (C. McCrackin) , Johnny Bravo ( Van Partable), and Cow and Chicken( David Fiess). I cannot forget the opening doors for primetime animated shows thanks to the mega giant comedy show The Simpsons, The Critic, and South park. As well as the video game industry became cemented as a reputable entertainment force thanks to Nintendo who continued to fight for popularity with Sega's GenX hero Sonic the HedgeHog, but these companies would also now have to watch their backs with the birth of The Sony Playstation which offered more 32 bits of power and CD quality graphics and sound. With the upgrade in processing power the graphical qualities changed too. While everyone was moving towards 3-D and making the hits like Tekken 3, Virtua Fighter, Enhergiez, Final Fantasy 7, Tomb Raider, Dead or Alive(yeah it came out in the 90's) GTA, and others that would set the peramiters for the next gen consoles; my fave Video Game company Capcom would not only make the move to 3D but also push the boundaries of 2D gaming. Street Fighter 2 made fighting games the " it" genre of the 90's and through the company's remarkable team of talented artists and animators they would create some of the most breath taking and memorable fighting games( Darkstalkers, SFAlpha, SF3/2S/3S, X-men children of the atom, Marvel Super Heroes, Xmen vs SF/MS vs SF, Marvel vs Capcom, Power Stone). Popular Music was changed thanks to the Grunge movement, the advancement of Alternative Rock, New Jack Swing, Conscious Hip-Hop, Gangsta Rap, Trip Hop, Drum and Bass, House, Electronica, Trance, and really annoying resurgence of Teen Pop. Within all of this heavy saturation of inspiration I became interested and ultamately a fan of Japanese Animation (Anime) and the indie manga artists Ben Dunn (Ninja High School) and Fred Perry (Gold Digger) . My curiousity about Anime began when I rented Mega Man X for Super Nintendo and saw Capcom's awesome designs for the new chapter in the Mega Man franchise. I loved the look of the characters because they reminded me of the 80's cartoons I grew up with. My interest peaked more when I saw Anime Classics Dominion Tank Police, Vampire Hunter D, 8 Man after, Project A-Ko, and the single most important Anime film that broke Anime into mainstream America AKIRA. I instantly fell in love with the compositions, designs, Background Layouts, and storytelling that separates Japanese Animation from the rest. No matter how much I loved Disney, Warner, and the other American companies that set the tone for western animation, their always was something about Anime that excited me and touched my creativity in a special way. My inspiration and art style began to lean towards more of an Anime style thanks not only to Dragon Ball Z (don't hate cause it was hot when I was 13!), Urusei Yatsura, Ranma 1/2, Tenchi Muyo!, Please Save My Earth, Street Fighter 2 the Animated Film, Fatal Fury the motion picture, Robotech (watched the whole series again on PBS), Key the Metal Idol, Sailor Moon ( I only watched it because there was nothing on at that time! Don't look at me that way!!!), Teckno man, and The Venus Wars, but it was thanks to an artist I knew in Jr. High School by the name of Aaron Sencil. Aaron for a 12 year old had an amazing eye for line quality, color, and over all design. He really inspired me to really stretch the capabilities of Crayola Markers !!! As well as I was inspired by a good friend I met around the same time Sherwin Rosario who blended cute with random humor through a joke book called Nonsince that would be passed around and updated all the way through high school. This was also the time where I made a major decision in my life to become a Christian. It was this major influx of amazing inspiration that I walked the path into Art. Much of these I've talked about have made a major impact on the industry. I going to the 2000's next for a present day look at my influences when I entered the Academy of Art.

-Brandon

I love STREET FIGHTER!

2008-04-03T14:34:00.001-07:00

Well for all yallz who want to know, this was my art work for the SF tribute art contest that Udon/Capcom put on for all amateur artists can put in their interpretation of the Street Fighter Characters. I did Yun and Yang with Gill , characters from SF 3. I know the reason why I didn't win and that doesn't matter to me. God be praised for the gift he's given me and better things are coming for me. This SF book just wasn't it but their is more in front of me than behind me. I hope you'll enjoy this, Plus added treat here be the line art...

-SRS

B7:a tribute to the Galloway

2008-03-26T15:03:00.000-07:00

This ones dedicated to the legendary Sean"Cheeks"Galloway. He created and co authored these wild and mad hip heroes known as the B7. I've been wanting to draw them for a minute and I needed a warm up before work so here it be...

-SRS

On Jesus Christ.....

2008-03-23T19:59:00.001-07:00

In Honor and reverence of this Easter Holiday:
Thank you my Lord Jesus Christ for this wonderful day and the great cost that you paid for us to be free. Easter isn't about bunny rabbits, colored eggs, and peeps(lol), but it's about the life, death, and resurrection of one man who would ultimately change history. Easter is the day we remember that no matter who we are, what we've done, or what our culture ,says, or of our vast imperfections we can all change. Ever since I was young and I saw vast imagery of Jesus I knew in my heart that there was something about him. I'll never forget in his word that says :

"but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong", 1 Corinithians 1:27

Thank you God so much for saving my life and giving me and others a new life. If this post offends you I apologize but, it's my blog and his story touched my life.

-Brandon Robinson

On Brandon Robinson.....: the 80's

2008-03-23T19:47:00.000-07:00

I was born on August 5, 1982 and came into this world viewing these programs and films.
These while many photos are just a sample of what inspired me to go into the field of Animation.
It's crazy to look at these and see just how much they shaped my style. A common misconception is that my only influence is Anime, but as you can see Iwas inspired by so much more. I loved the works of Warner Bros., Hanna-Barbera, Walt Disney, MGM. The films of these companies touched my imagination just as much as television animation. I noticed after just reviewing my influences and looking at my artwork that I have a thing for either Cute characters or Heroic Characters. I think that's because with the majority of the cartoons of the 80's were made to sell toys. Which makes a lot of since.... oh well. Any hoo the 80's a was a wild time if you were a kid. Major networks (ABC,CBS,NBC, Fox) all had saturday morning cartoons and depending on the network or station an weekday afternoon block too. Man these were the days, I miss them. I'm going to go to the 90's next to see where an important shift takes place and effects my artwork and continues to forge my way to being a Visual Development artist.

U-Min (Japanese poppers) are Ill!!!

2008-03-17T19:51:00.001-07:00

These doods are ill poppers!
Man talk about inspiration!

-SRS

Rockman OAV Opening 2

2008-03-12T16:17:00.009-07:00

This was how I dreamed of the Mega Man cartoon.

American Mega Man full opening

2008-03-12T16:17:00.007-07:00

Opening Animation from the US/CAN version.

Megaman 8 intro (RE:Re: Rockman opening)

2008-03-12T16:17:00.005-07:00

Here is the last of the Mega Man openings. This was from Mega Man 8.
This was one of the best designed of the two cartoon versions I posted. This was very exciting and I loved the playful and fun design of the Mega Man characters. I'm sharing this because I want to post something about my influences as well as to make a commentary about Anime. That will be in the near future.

-SRS