Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Conscious Art From Darryl Crosby

Artist Darryl Crosby

 Illustrator Darryl Crosby has come full circle. From his elementary school days drawing comics for fun, to a career in graphic design, to his current passion of illustrating pictures and stories aimed at black youth.

Like many African American parents, the addition of his first child challenged him to seek out culturally relevant media. These materials do exist but in relatively small quantities. Representation by mainstream and independent media companies is growing, but the high-quality content is still difficult to find. There is a need for such content and Crosby is determined to help fill it.

His latest project revolves around his original

characters Kinara’s Children: Everyday Heroes. Kinara’s Children is a series of illustrations and stories based on the 7 principles of the Nguzo Saba which is the underlying basis of the Kwanzaa holiday. Each principle is represented by a character who embodies these principles. The series demonstrates many positive ideas for our community including Unity, Creativity, and Cooperation.
“I’ve always wanted to produce children’s stories and illustrations”, says Crosby. “I remember my mother reading me tales of Anansi the Spider, Brer Rabbit, and John Henry. I loved the stories and didn’t realize I was also learning valuable lessons. These stories, along with my comic books, gave me a love of fantasy, mythology and storytelling. Kinara’s Children are modern fables for urban youth.” 

He’s come back to his roots. And loving it!
Check out the interview posted below this article

You can find out more about Darryl Crosby and Kinara’s Children at www.CreatedbyCrosby.com or on Facebook and Instagram at CreatedbyCrosby.

Check out the interview