Editorial Illustration For Utne Reader: Retirement

This was an editorial illustration done recently for Utne Reader. The story was about how the retirement we've all been trained to envision in our future is obsolete. Everyone can pretty much count on having to tack on an extra five years of employment in order to survive. Unfortunately the end of the rainbow isn't quite where most are probably hoping it will be...

UPDATE: This editorial illustration was recently featured on the Utne Reader Illustrated Blog Series!

materials used: pen and ink, textures, and adobe photoshop. Buy photoshop here.



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view my illustration portfolio at http://www.rawtoastdesign.com/

RTD at Crafts In Chelsea

RTD will be out again this Saturday. Hide the remote and get off your couch for the afternoon! Come talk to a street-load of creative humans that love to make cool stuff for you...details below. RTD will be at booth 121.

The {NewNew} partners with PS 11 to bring you CRAFTS IN CHELSEA III

WHEN: Saturday, October 16 from 9-5pm
WHERE: 21st street between 8th and 9th avenue

This event spotlights over 100 of the best local New York artists and craftspeople vending their own unique jewelry, pottery, clothing, fine art and other handmade goods. Visitors to the fair will enjoy the opportunity to converse with artists about their creative processes while shopping for one of a kind items.

This event is run in conjunction with PS 11's annual FALL FESTIVAL – an indoor event that includes food, arts and crafts, bouncy castles, games and a petting zoo for New York City children. Last year this event drew record crowds and helped to fund arts programs for the students of PS 11.


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check out my illustration portfolio at http://www.rawtoastdesign.com/

Christian Century Cover Illustration: Fall Books Guide

This was an editorial illustration cover done recently for Christian Century's Fall Books Guide. I love it when you get loosely themed assignments like this. The only thing they asked for was that it have something to do with books and have a fall/autumn feel to it.

materials used: pen and ink, textures, and adobe photoshop.


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check out my illustration portfolio at http://www.rawtoastdesign.com/

Wall Street Journal

This was a piece done for the WSJ, for an article on a new long-term care perk that may help defray personal costs called the CLASS Act (Community Living Assistance Services and Supports). It printed pretty small 1.75" x 2.5" - so it needed to be simple and easy to read. The turnaround was a little crazy too, and really forces you to think quickly and crank out ideas. Unfortunately some of the more conceptual sketches that were sent over first got the ax and the editor wanted something with a pile of moolah in it, which led to the final above...

materials used: pen and ink, textures, and adobe photoshop. Buy photoshop here.


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check out my illustration portfolio at http://www.rawtoastdesign.com/

Creative Quarterly 21 Winners

Yee-haw!!! RTD is back in Creative Quarterly again! Mustache On My Mind will be sittin' pretty in the illustration category of issue 21. A full list of all the other artists are below. Congratulations to all the winners and runner-ups too!


Prints available here!

* multiple winning entries

Illustration: Professional
Eleftheria Alexandri
Vlad Alvarez
Steve Brodner
Andy Robert Davies
Peter Diamond
Judith Drews
Michael Hirshon
Jesse Kuhn
Debbie Lee
Rene Milot
Tin Salamunic
Alice Wellinger*

Illustration: Student
Kidon Bae, Art Center College of Design
Alija Craycroft, California College of the Arts
Tara Jacoby, Fashion Institute of Technology
Sam Singh*, Ontario College of Art & Design
Joe Sparrow, Kingston University



Fine Art: Professional
Clay Bodvin
Joshua Chambers
Lanny DeVuono
Antoine Faddoul
Anita Kunz
Louise Laplante
Roberto Osti*
Wayne Roth
Jelena Sabova
Wonil Suh
Corey Waurechen

Fine Art: Student
Amanda Joseph, University of Saint Francis
Angela Young, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, Arizona State University



Graphic Design: Professional
Matteo Bologna*, Mucca Deslgn Corp.
Caitlin Bauler
Calder Bateman Communications
Cooper Smith & Company
Ellen Bruss Design
KJ Kim
People Design
The O Group
Andy Wallman
Woodruff Sweitzer and Hammerpress
Nicole Ziegler, Nicole Ziegler Design


Graphic Design: Student
Crystal Chou, Academy of Art University
Elisa Fisher, Baylor University
Rebecca Flanders*, Tyler School of Art /Temple University
Nicole Gavrilles, Ringling College of Art & Design
Jiyun Ha, Art Center College of Design
Marcelo Hong, York University/Sheridan Institute
Eric Hu, Art Center College of Design
Elisa Vendramin, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design
Xiao Wu, Art Center College of Design


Photography: Professional
Rohan Beal, Rohan Beal Photography
Yvonne Buchanan
Michael Cooper, Michael Cooper Photographic
Jens Honore
Amanda Morrow, Amanda Morrow Photography
Paul Saturley
Landon Speers
Paul D. Van Hoy II, Fotoimpressions

Photography: Student
Elisa Fisher, Baylor University
Marcelo Hong*, York University/Sheridan Institute
Nicolas Shake, Claremont Graduate University
Kate Sumpter, Kent State University


CQ20: Runners-Up
Runners-up will be displayed on the online Gallery Winter 2010.

Illustration: Professional: Runner Up
Jessica Angiulli
Mo Budinger
Sam Wolfe Connelly
Daniel Horowitz
Frazer Hudson*
Angela Keoghan
Anne Lück
Patrick J. McQuade
Doug Panton
Pierre-Paul Pariseau
Tin Salamunic
Oliver Weiss
Alice Wellinger
Katia Wish


Illustration: Student: Runner Up
Kidon Bae, Art Center College of Design
Hye Jin Chung, School of Visual Arts
Alija Craycroft, California College of the Arts
Jesse Fillingham, Art Center College of Design
Mari Itabashi, School of Visual Arts
John Kutlu, Tyler School of Art / Temple University
Kaley McKean, Ontario College of Art & Design
Roman Muradov, Academy of Art University
Rachel Pontious, School of Visual Arts


Fine Art: Professional: Runner Up
Lisa Adams, Diane Birdsall Gallery
Antoine Faddoul
Andrew Keim
Jonathan Levy
Carson Pritchard, Carson Pritchard Design
Jelena Sabova
Serafima Sokolov
Kerstin Stephan*
Marius Valdes, Zoo Valdes

Fine Art: Student: Runner Up
Kathryn Blaine
Carly Drew, Converse College
Karl Holzenthal, Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts
David Knox, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lisa Perrin, SUNY New Paltz
Nicolas Shake, Claremont Graduate University
Hanna Kozlowski Slone, Clemson University
Lindsay Smith, Grand Valley State University


Graphic Design: Professional: Runner Up
Martin French
Jason Heuer
Jeff LaBarre
Jessica Ring, The Garden
The O Group
Dan Schunk
Fleishman Hillard*
Mark Todd*, wormfarm
Marius Valdes, Zoo Valdes

Graphic Design: Student: Runner Up
Hyejung Bae, Art Center College of Design
Yerina Cha, Art Center College of Design
Qiming Kiki Chen, Cal Poly Pomona
Laine Cherashore, Tyler School of Art/Temple University
Crystal Chou, Academy of Art University
Rinat De Picciotto, Emily Carr University of Art & Design
Katie Field, Tyler School of Art
Simon Fong, University of Baltimore
Simon Fong, University of Baltimore
Marcelo Hong, York University/Sheridan Institute
Frank Lionetti, Art Center College of Design
Megan Murray*, Tyler School of Art/Temple University
Kaycee Ng, York University / Sheridan College
Mark Sposato, Tyler School of Art
Francesca Staffieri*, Tyler School of Art/Temple University
Roy Tatum, Art Center College of Design
Winnie Yuen, Art Center College of Design


Photography: Professional: Runner Up
Rohan Beal, Rohan Beal Photography
Wendy Calman
Mary Shannon Johnstone
Renee Kalmar, Tulino Design Group, Inc.
Stephanie Potter
Tin Salamunic
Philipp Striebe, EXPOSED Philipp Striebe Photography
Ching Yee Tan
Paul D. Van Hoy II, Fotoimpressions


Photography: Student: Runner Up
Jinkyun Ahn, Royal College of Art
Yael Nov, University of Washington
Alejandra Reyes, Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design
Sophie Schwartz, Laurel School
Lorraine Turi, University of North Carolina, Charlotte


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check out my freelance illustration portfolio at rawtoastdesign.com

ADC 90th Cube Project

The Art Directors Club sent out a call for entries last month and provided a cube template for this years Cube Project and Exhibition. It was up to the artist to fill in the rest. This was my submission... The Unicube.



Come check out all the cube submissions at the 90th Cube Project Exhibition & Party on the 21st...details from the ADC below.

Help us kick off the 90th Annual Awards Competition! Come to our first event of the fall and our FIRST EVER Call For Entries launch party for the Annual Awards!

ADC provided you with the template and submissions rolled in for the 90th Cube Project & Exhibition. The show is being printed and installed at the ADC gallery right now! Every submission will also be featured in an online gallery on our awards site, so stay tuned. . .

Ultimately, 5 DESIGNS will be chosen by the ADC to be part of the printed Call, mailed in October when our awards registration site opens.

ADC Gallery
Tuesday, Sept. 21st
6:30-8:30pm
Snacks, wine and beer
FREE ADMISSION
RSVP here

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check out my illustration portfolio at http://www.rawtoastdesign.com/

A Thank You From East Side High

It's been a busy week! I know many of you are waiting to hear the final results of last weeks Kohls Cares promotion when you helped vote for a very deserving Manhattan public school, East Side Community High. While the results are not in yet officially from Kohls I did want to post the thank you letter that East Side High sent out along with suggested action and next steps. Many of you had generously expressed interest in helping the school out through other means and connections that you have via email, the contact info for who to speak to at ESCH for that is at the end of the note.

A thank you was posted on the blog last week from myself before the contest officially ended, but thank you all so much again! RTD ended up with well over 400 prints to sign and ship out! And many many others also voted, but declined the offer. Your free prints are currently being organized by all of the RTD worker knomes back at the lab and should ship out in a couple weeks once I get back from being on the road. Also if you are in the Chicago area this weekend and would like to pick yours up at the Renegade Craft Fair (booth 210) you are more than welcome to do so and I'll check you off the list.


Dear Students, Families, Staff, Alumni and Friends of East Side:

As September 3rd and the Kohl’s Facebook Contest comes to a close and we pack up Twelfth Street Tent Town after 11 long nights and many days of fighting for our deserving kids and community, I cannot thank you enough for your incredible support. Although it looks like we will not break into the top 20, we will not know who won for a few days. Kohl’s needs to make sure that all of the top 20 schools are in compliance with the contest rules. Disturbingly, there are no urban public schools or schools serving a diverse population in the top 30. We hope that Kohl’s recognizes the unfortunate reality and inequity of the competition and reaches out to support some more deserving schools on the list.

We know and take great pride that we made it to # 32!!! (up from #99 2 weeks ago.) We received more votes and support than any other urban public school in the entire country!!! Unfortunately, the majority of the schools in front of us have advantages and resources we just don’t have. They were able to raffle off IPads in exchange for votes, tap into international online religious networks and utilize additional resources afforded to wealthier communities.

We may not win the money, but we have accomplished something just as valuable. We have once again come together as a community to show the city, the country and the world what a special place East Side is. We are a community made up of, incredible young people, exceptional families, extraordinary educators, loyal alumni and dear friends, old and new. It has been nothing but an inspiration to see all of you coming out to show your support. You have been canvassing the streets, educating community members about our school, networking online hour after hour— day after day, rallying, and selflessly fighting for our young people to have what should be rightfully theirs; equal access and resources.

Your support and work on behalf of the students of East Side has created an incredible interest in our school. Several individuals have reached out wanting to volunteer time, share resources, and provide in-kind and cash donations.

The grueling part of this is over, but no matter what happens with the contest, we will continue to fight for our students and our school. Many of you have asked what’s next? The following are a few ways you can continue to support East Side and urban public schools in this contest and beyond.

1. Contact Kohl’s and share your comments and/or concerns about the competition. Kohl's Corporation – email and call as many people as you can.
Kevin Mansell - Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer: Kevin.mansell@kohls.com
Donald A. Brennan – Senior Executive Vice President: Donald.a.brennan@kohls.com
John B. Worthington – Senior Executive Vice President: john.b.worthington@kohls.com
Julie Gardner – EVP and Chief Marketing Officer: Julie.gardner@kohls.com
Vicki Shamion, Vice President, Public Relations: (262) 703-1464 investor.relations@kohls.com
Kohl's Board of Directors or Lead Director Steven Burd: directors@kohls.com
Brian F. Miller Senior VP - Corporate Governance (262)703-1723: brian.f.miller@kohls.com
Media Relations - (262) 703-1335
Community Relations - (262) 703-7000
Wes McDonald - Chief Financial Officer (262) 703-1893

2. Continue to share information about our wonderful community and story (we have provided links to all media/articles for you to send out)

3. Volunteer your time and share your knowledge and talents inside or outside of the school –email Jodi Caplan at jodic@eschs.org or call her at 917-836-8656

4. Keep checking our website for up to date news and events www.eschs.org

5. Get on our email list by sending an email to Jodi Caplan

6. Arrange a visit to our school or just stop by when you’re in the neighborhood

7. If you have any other ideas, feedback, inquiries, etc. please reach out to Jodi Caplan

East Side Community High School appreciates you and your support.

Renegade Craft Fair Chicago

Whoohooo! Here we go again... RTD is packin the mule and headin off to the windy city. We're just a few days away from the annual Renegade Craft Fair Chicago!

Bring your own eyeballs and bring your friends eyeballs too! The 8th Annual Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago will be held on September 11 + 12, 2010, along Division Street in Wicker Park. This craft, art, design and DIY spectacular will run from 11am – 7pm each day + feature over 300 of today’s finest indie-crafter gypsies that travel from all over the nation for these historic events!

Be sure to stop on by and visit with team RTD. We'll be set up at booth #210 on the north side of Division Street near Wood (see pic of map below). The Renegade Craft Fair is always FREE TO ATTEND! Hope to see you and your human faces there!



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check out my illustration portfolio at http://www.rawtoastdesign.com/

Thank you.

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported East Side Community High School this week. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. The response to this was rather overwhelming. I've received so many wonderful emails and positive responses to this effort. I can assure you that Mark and everyone else over at East Side High is eternally grateful and sends you their thanks as well.

As of right now I have a little over 400 prints to sign and ship out! And many many others also voted, but declined the offer. I'll get these all shipped off as soon as possible, but it will probably be two to three weeks before I'm able to do so. If you are in the Chicago area and would like to pick yours up at the Renegade Craft Fair (booth 210) I'll be attending September 11 + 12 you are more than welcome to do so.

Unfortunately this Kohl's Cares challenge looks like it will largely (maybe entirely) go to private schools that already have substantial budgets, huge endowments, and donors in place. And were able to market themselves the best (via free iPad incentives, helicopter rides, and paid advertising) with those budgets and not the schools that really could have benefited so profoundly with this money. This school can’t even afford new computers for themselves let alone give them away in exchange for votes like many of the leading schools are doing. A most unfortunate scenario and major oversight on Kohl's "strategic planning" for this campaign.

A really nice write up in the East Villager just came out and can be read here. It gives a great background on East Side Community High and all the noble issues that they stand for. I highly recommend checking it out. ESCH is a pretty special place.
http://www.thevillager.com/villager_384/principalintent.html

I feel very fortunate to have discovered East Side Community High the way that I did. No matter what the outcome is, I’m proud to be able to say I was involved with their mission and extremely grateful to know that I'm connected to so many wonderful supporters. I've been very fortunate as an artist and a business owner the past few years. It only seemed right to start paying that forward when this little "happy interruption" entered my life, and I look forward to continuing to support ESCH in the future.

I wish you all the greatest, and continued success in your lives, and hope that you are able to find ways to do this in your communities too.

And it ain't over til it's over! So if you haven't done so, please go vote and tell everyone you know! You have until midnight to show your support. http://bit.ly/cKkdkW

Be well and all good things to all of you!

Best,

Jesse

Emperor, Lover, Picture Maker
The Republic of Rawtoastdesign
http://www.rawtoastdesign.com
http://rawtoastdesign.blogspot.com

Illustration Friday: Dessert

I know this is supposed to be where I would normally post an illustration for this weeks IF topic, "dessert," but my time has been consumed with giving away my work for free this week to help raise awareness for a local school. So my "dessert" to you is a free print of my work if you would kindly give them 30 seconds of your time. All the details are here: http://rawtoastdesign.blogspot.com/2010/08/giving-away-my-work-for-free.html Hurry though voting ends at midnight, Friday, September 3rd.


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check out my editorial illustration portfolio at rawtoastdesign.com

Giving Away My Work For Free!

I had the pleasure of sitting down and really getting to hear Mark Federman, the principle of East Side Community High School, speak passionately about education, the arts, his school, and most importantly near to his heart, his students. This guy is the real deal. He's been living out of a tent on the street in front of his school for over a week now to raise awareness for his school. All because of a promise that he made to his kids as a mentor and leader that they all look up to and admire. KOHL's is giving away ten million dollars that will be split up between 20 schools, each getting 500,000 and Mark really wants this for his. It's a voting game. Unfortunately they're on the low end of the technology spectrum(due to current funding) which makes promoting this cause all that more of an uphill battle against many of the private schools currently holding the top 20 positions. It would be really unfortunate to see all of these awards only go to privately funded schools and not deserving Title 1 schools like East Side High that really are desperately in need of a boost like this to change the lives of the students there permanently.

Mark and I spoke for about a half an hour, but it didn't take more than a few minutes to see the energy in Mark's eyes even though he'd only had three hours of sleep the night before. He introduced me to their current arts program and all of the things they currently pull off with a non-existing budget, including a full gallery that they do student exhibitions in for the community to help raise money for the arts. In fact, pretty much anything that is outside of the lean and stripped down "norm" has to be personally funded out of his own pocket and other teachers at the school. We both conversed on our passion for a solid balance of technology with the arts in the classroom. This money would help fund a new mac lab where his students can access the equipment they need for a proper introduction to the graphic arts, computer illustration, and video production. In addition to this he has a pretty extensive list filled with after school programming, some fine tuning, and just making the overall experience a better one for his students.



So here's whats up. I need you to vote for very a deserving school that really needs our help and has lit up many faces on a street nearby where I live. In exchange I'm going to give you my work for free. This will not cost you a penny (I'm covering shipping costs too). Only about 30 seconds of your time will be needed for the voting. Mark has literally been camping out and living in front of the school for the past week in order to raise awareness for the needs of his school and the students that walk it's hallways. His ambition and determination has inspired me. He's out there doing exactly what every person in a leadership role should be doing in their community. He's lit a flame in everyone around him, brought together the community with his students, faculty, and parents and given them all hope and a dream worth coming together for. Bottom line, it's always near and dear to my heart when I see someone that's willing to go the extra mile and show the world they care... especially when it's for the kids.



I realize that we are bombarded by proposals on the internet non stop which is why I understand the value of a little bribe in order to elicit action. So go vote for East Side Community High School in the KOHL's Cares For Kids contest on Facebook to help them realize this dream of winning $500,000 and I will ship you a print of your choice that is hand signed and dated completely for free to anywhere in the world.

Here's how it works...

This must be done by Friday, September 3rd in order for it to count.

Go to this site http://apps.facebook.com/KohlsCares

You have to have a Facebook account to vote - if you don't have one it's really easy to sign up for one quickly at facebook.com

Login to facebook.

Then search for East Side Community High School on the http://apps.facebook.com/KohlsCares

Now Vote for East Side Community High School!... and make sure you vote 5 times for them. You can vote 5 times for one school.

Awesome.

This is important! Take a screenshot of the webpage that shows your name and picture proving to me that you voted. (How to Take a Screenshot in Microsoft Windows: http://bit.ly/eMVb | How to Take a Screenshot in Mac OS X: http://bit.ly/X70NJ )

Now email that screenshot picture file as an attachment to rawtoastdesign@gmail.com along with the name of the print you want from the RTD Store http://bit.ly/1549YG as well as your mailing address.

And don't forget to go tell all of your friends!

Done. And thank you kindly :)

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Why am I doing this? I've got a few reasons.

1. I've walked by here at all hours over the past week and whether it's morning, afternoon, or night, this school's steps have been lit up with smiling faces and people who genuinely care about their futures. And that makes me care. I also had the opportunity to sit down with Mark Federman, the principle of East Side Community High, and listen to him passionately speak about how profoundly this money would benefit his students, especially in the arts and technology.

2. I'm just a sucker for people who give a damn. All great things that materialize start off as an idea. An idea that is then fueled with emotion, heart, and perseverance by someone who cares. East Side High is a perfect example of this. Let's give these kids the recognition they deserve and make believers out of each and every one of them that have volunteered their time for this cause.

3. It's in my best interest to care about this school because every afternoon these kids repopulate my neighborhood. And the better educated and well rounded they all are the better chance that the future of this area that I live in will be a positive and fulfilling environment for all.

4. I am still just plain fascinated by the power of the internet and humans. How the influence of a few can generate a tidal wave of reaction. And that just maybe, if I send this on to the people that I know and then they forward it on to there friends. A little public school in the East Village of NY, that caught my attention through a 7 year old volunteer with a blue flyer and a principal sleeping in a tent, can see this dream materialize. Something like this will be more profound than we could ever imagine for these students.

Please vote 5 times for East Side Community High at http://apps.facebook.com/KohlsCares


Please leave comments on the blog here too! I would love to hear other ideas from you on how we can help this school. This is New York, the center of the world. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be able to put this extremely under served school in the spotlight and get them the votes that they need to change their world forever. This school needs us to be their voice! I believe in all of you.

Best,

Jesse Kuhn
The Republic of RAWTOASTDESIGN


Related Press:

NBC: Pitching in for His Kids: Principal Sleeps in Tent to Win School $500,000 http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Tent-City-Outside-new-York-City-High-School-101602168.html

NY1: High School Principal Continues To Camp Out To Win Cash
http://bit.ly/90uTnp

NY1: High School Principal Camps Out For Cash http://manhattan.ny1.com/content/top_stories/124480/high-school-principal-camps-out-for-cash

Daily News: School principal goes all out for his kids, sleeps in tent for chance to win $500,000 http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/08/26/2010-08-26_going_all_outsider_for_kids_is_matter_of_principal.html

KRS-ONE Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7eWIc8Sgpw


Go vote! http://apps.facebook.com/KohlsCares AND HELP SPREAD THE WORD!

Barefoot Walking Cover

This was a cover commission that was completed recently for the band Barefoot Walking and their upcoming album "Running Through Sprinklers." Check out BW's music over at http://www.facebook.com/barefootwalking

materials used: pen and ink, textures, and adobe photoshop.



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check out my illustration portfolio at http://www.rawtoastdesign.com/

New Prints Available

Some new prints have been added to the RTD Store! Stop on by and have a look... http://www.rawtoastdesign.com/store/index.htm


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check out my illustration portfolio at http://www.rawtoastdesign.com/

RTD Sets Up Shop In SF!

This is the last stop on the West Coast tour! Join RTD for the The 3rd Annual Renegade Craft Fair in San Francisco this weekend, July 31 + August 1, from 11am – 7pm each day at the Fort Mason Center Festival Pavilion! Check out the Renegade website for all the particulars y la información! http://www.renegadecraft.com/san-francisco


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check out my illustration portfolio at http://www.rawtoastdesign.com/

Wagons West For RTD!

Join RAWTOASTDESIGN (Booth #30) for the 2nd Annual Renegade Craft Fair in Los Angeles – July 24 + 25 from 11am – 7pm in Los Angeles State Historic Park (aka The Cornfield, located at 1245 N Spring Street)!! Get all the details over at the Renegade website - http://www.renegadecraft.com/los-angeles and hope to see you there!


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check out my illustration portfolio at http://www.rawtoastdesign.com/