Even though art and story have always been intertwined for Rhode Montijo, it wasn’t until his high school art teacher suggested art college that Rhode found a path to his true calling. And after entering California College of Arts and Crafts (now California College of the Arts) with a scholarship, he graduated with a BFA in illustration. Soon after, in 1999 Rhode self-published a five issue comic book series, Pablo’s Inferno, thanks largely to a grant by the Xeric Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by indie comics veteran Peter Laird (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles).
His first children’s book, Cloud Boy, was published in 2006 by Simon & Schuster, and in 2007, he began illustrating Greg Trine’s eight title, chapter book series Melvin Beederman Superhero for Henry Holt. In 2010, Montijo followed up Cloud Boy with The Halloween Kid and in 2012 began production on a half-hour animated Halloween Kid holiday special with Sanzigen, an animation studio based in Japan. Also in 2012, Montijo began writing his own children’s chapter book series titles The Gumazing Gum Girl! with Disney/Hyperion and has completed four titles to date. In 2015 Montijo did the character designs for the Amazon Prime children’s animated pilot, Knickerbock Teetertop, and has, over the years, done character design for Laika Pictures and Warner Brothers Animation. Rhode currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife Sylvia and is a fixture at comic conventions from coast to coast.
Open to picture book, b&w/interior, and cover illustration work.
