Rhode Montijo's Blog

Howdy pardners! My book, THE HALLOWEEN KID, was created around the time after 9/11, when there was a lot of fear in the air. In my home town, students could no longer dress in their costumes at schools on Halloween, kids were encourage to go trick-or-treating in the daytime and in malls. The school's scarecrow parade was cancelled and not many folks participated in handing out candies and turned off their porch lights.

 I felt that the Halloween that I grew up with and loved was disappearing and wished someone could come and save it, so I created THE HALLOWEEN KID- a masked protector of Halloween who flies around on a hobby horse and wrangles up those who try to ruin Halloween! After the book was published, the idea of THE HALLOWEEN KID started to leak beyond the book. Around this time there were only a few homes in my neighborhood that were decorating their front yards with Halloween decorations, which differed so much from the level that it used to be when I was growing up. I thought that these people who decorated their homes for Halloween should be commended for keeping the Halloween spirit alive! For encouragement, I created a door note that stated that the decorated home was "HALLOWEEN KID APPROVED!" I would go to ANY house in my neighborhood that made an effort of decorating and posted a note of encouragement on their door. This was done with the hopes of thanking them for making the effort and also to hopefully to encourage them continuing to decorate the following year(s). Whenever I would get invited into a different town to read my book at schools or libraries, I would bring these door notes and post them around town on the homes decorated for Halloween.

Close up of the door note
Circled in red: Door note placement in Stockton, California (the first year of placing notes) Circled in red: Door note placement in Petaluma, California (the first year of placing notes)
Fast forward to today: I could use your help partners! Starting this year, YOU could help spread encouragement by posting your own "HALLOWEEN KID APPROVED" door signs. All you need to do is print this image below on orange colored card stock paper, cut it in half, and then cut the circle where the knob or handle will fit.

Do you enjoy seeing homes in your neighborhood decorate for the most wonderful time of the year? Now YOU can encourage and thank your neighbors for their efforts! Like the HALLOWEEN KID, you too can be a defender of Halloween! Have fun pardners! ~Rhode Montijo

DOWNLOAD AND PRINT YOUR OWN DOOR NOTE OF ENCOURAGEMENT! (below)

Place door notes at your own risk. Please be careful when placing on doors, daytime placement would be safer. Please do not trespass through gates or walls of homes. 

A hashtag has been created: #halloweenkidapproved if you'd like to share photos of your HALLOWEEN KID APPROVED door notes!



 This is what the door sign says in cowboy lingo: "You done did a good job of keeping the Halloween spirit alive by decorating' your house. Nice job partner!"

Visit the Fantasmical World of Rhode Montijo at San Diego Comic Con July 19-23 at booth #1329! New GENTLEMAN SKULL enamel pin  New GHOST JACK embroidered patch
New TOP HAT JACK enamel pin
New JACK-IN-THE-BOX enamel pin
New Glow-in-the-Dark GHOST enamel pin
New GHOST JACK enamel pin
Look for the all cardboard booth!

I've been tinkering with the Procreate (digital) app and tried to capture the look of vintage style illustration. It was a fun exercise and hope to try more soon!

I recently opened up a new Etsy store in time for the most wonderful time of year. To celebrate, I've been adding some vintage style Halloween inked originals to the shop. They are drawn on aged scrap book paper. I hope to keep adding them all the way to Halloween!

Visit RhodeMontijo.etsy.com !

OVER THE MOON
BROOM SHREDDER busts out radical tricks!
WITCH HAT WENDELL will put a spell on you! GENTLEMAN JACK always brings flowers! JUGGLING JACK can juggle on one foot! LANTERN JACK patrols the skies. MUMPKIN is always unravelling! THORNY JACK likes to make a point!

http://rhodemontijo.com

rhodemontijo.com

Bat Jack!

rhodemontijo.com

Visit: rhodemontijo.com

Hello out there!

I've been a bit busy, it seems, for the last few months traveling the world collecting spatulas and vintage pencil sharpener shavings! Fear not, the new studio is fully constructed and operational with lots of new works in the works!  I've also been finishing up The Halloween Kid Animated Special! Although it does not feel real yet, we wrapped up production a week before Halloween. What's follows is trying to find a home for the animated special either on network TV or online. We'll see what happens! Keep your fingers crossed! All of the latest Halloween Kid Animated Special news can be found here:
The Halloween Kid Official Fan Page

These days I've been posting more on these sites as it is easier to do so on my new portable image uploadifier!

Please find me on Facebook:

The Fantasmical World of Rhode Montijo

Instagram ( I post here often!)
&
Tumblr

Here are some recent creations from the studio:

On the week of December 15, 2014 you can adopt a whole new slew of limited thingys from my website: rhodemontijo.com (in the 'Goodies' section)
After a day of slow-motion monkey hockey, I challenged myself into trying something new in trying make an image by just using this texture below:
Thank you wood grain!
I enjoyed being a part of the Hellboy tribute art show! Sold!
I was also part of a Popeye tribute art show that celebrated 85 years of Popeye. This painting is up for sale here!
And also participated in an art show dedicated to the animated movie, THE BOOK OF LIFE! I believe this painting is still available here! Contact the gallery if you are interested!
I created a small run of these woodsy characters to hang to your liking! You can customize them with you and your loved one's initials! (Temporarily sold out!)

Finally, it was a HUGE honor having some of my characters built for the 90th Anaheim Halloween Parade!
Back to the studio for now...More news soon. Be good good friends!~RM