Drawing Up Connections to Nature
From shifting light to changing seasons, nature continues to inspire artists and designers around the world. Oakland-based artist, Robert Liu-Trujillo, drew on his connection to nature to inspire the illustrations featured throughout the reimagined Open Space Authority Nature Activity Book.
The refreshed activity book is filled with educational games and word puzzles that connect young people to nature in fun and engaging ways. It also includes illustrations of Santa Clara Valley open space, wildlife and people of all backgrounds and abilities enjoying the outdoors, an ode to the Open Space Authority’s belief that everyone is welcome in nature.
“Illustrating a diverse array of kids and people is a subtle way to say, ‘you can be here as well,’” Robert said. “Conservation and nature can feel very monocultured, so it’s important to show different ethnicities so that more people feel welcome.”
While working on the Open Space Authority’s Nature Activity Book, Robert took inspiration from his own connection to nature and other artists’ work to create quick doodles and a mood board that would later become the project’s final illustrations. “I go hiking at least once a month in the Oakland Hills and when I need to reset, I go to the ocean,” Robert said. “How lucky are we in the Bay Area to have so many different environments to explore?”
Once Robert had a collection of doodles drafted for the project, he picked the sketches that matched the goals of the activity book and redrew them in his loose style. “If there’s an imperfection, I won’t fuss over it like I used to and I’ll build it into the larger composition,” Robert shared about his illustration process. “I embrace ‘stains’ because they’re human and help me go with the flow.” Once Robert produced the first draft of the Nature Activity Book, he sent it to the Open Space Authority’s Communications & Media Department for review. After a few rounds of edits, Robert finalized his illustrations.
Copies of the activity book will be available at the Open Space Authority's outreach booth at upcoming community events in Santa Clara Valley. A free digital download of the activity book is also available on our website in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese.
“I hope children see the activity book and want to pick it up!” Robert said. “I hope it makes them more familiar with the places in the activity book and introduces them to nature and the outdoors.”
Robert’s Artistic Journey
Robert’s passion for art began at a young age when he used a sketchbook to safely express his thoughts and ideas. At the age of 10, Robert became interested in the art of airbrushing thanks to the music group Bell Biv DeVoe who brought the art form to mainstream culture. After much time spent asking his mom for airbrushing lessons, Robert’s mom signed him up for a class where he met Mike “Dream” Francisco, a well-known graffiti artist from Oakland.
Dream introduced Robert to graffiti and spray painting as art forms. “Graffiti is based in mentorship and you learn a lot from others – things like contrast, symmetry, hand lettering and color theory,” Robert shared. Graffiti became a way for Robert to hone his artistic skills and meet other kids who were also passionate about art and design. After graduating from high school, Robert attended San Francisco State University where he tried out graphic design and fine art classes. By his early 20s, Robert knew that being an illustrator was his passion.
As a professional author and illustrator, Robert has produced 12 children’s books and worked on numerous illustration-based projects and campaigns that align with his values. “My work is inspired by everything – I love creating stories about people around me and making illustrations that help bridge a gap or bring people together,” Robert said. “And I like making art that can help translate what’s happening [in the real world] into plain language so young people are more likely to connect with it.”
In the future, Robert plans to publish additional children’s books, a graphic novel and a sketchbook of drawings, paintings and behind-the-scenes work of his artistry. He also hopes to visit more schools and libraries to encourage young people to find their creative paths, much like Dream once did for Robert.
Learn more about Robert by visiting his website. Download a FREE copy of the Nature Activity Book here or pick up a copy at one of our springtime outreach events.