Current Projects Instagram Pages:

Brian Brooks (main account) Instagram Website

Emily The Strange (character account) Instagram Website

Oopsy Daisy (character account) Instagram Website

Temescal Now (neighborhood account) Instagram

Animated Poetry

A selection of animated single-line poems created in the Instagram app in 2022.

Hello, and welcome to my website. My name is Brian Brooks. For those of you I haven’t met, let me say that I live in Oakland, California, and I am an artist and writer type graphic designer. This website contains a selection of both my commercial and fine art projects and maybe a lot in between. Let’s take a look at my projects, shall we? For a chronological tour, scroll below.

Emily The Strange®

I have been working with Emily The Strange® creator Rob Reger and Cosmic Debris on the Emily The Strange® property again after a 13 year break. I create new designs and help keep the Instagram account going follow us along @emilythestrange_official. I was one of the original designers, illustrators, and writers for the character.

Rob and company have recently revamped Emily The Strange’s website (www.emilystrange.com) in honor of the character’s 30th anniversary

My Neighborhood

After Smokey’s Tangle came to a close in 2018, I began an odyssey into using my immediate neighborhood as both studio and subject matter that continues to this day.

It started off as a hobby, and has slowly taken over a large part of my art practice. Read more these projects on the My Neighborhood page of this website.

I have been compiling my work in series of brochures and zine booklets, as well as an Instagram page.

Oopsy™

In late 2018 I created an Instagram account for my Oopsy Daisy characters from my days at Cosmic Debris. I hadn’t worked on the character in 12 years. @oopsyofficial

And late 2022 created Instagram accounts for the other characters from her world, including: a punk rocker named Sidney @sidneypunkofficial, a goth emo girl @goraxofficial, and an insanely rich entity named Princess Pretty @princessprettyofficial.

In Oopsy’s world Gora, Sidney, and Princess all have their own shows which Oopsy loves to watch.

Oopsy is very influenced by them. Oopsy doesn’t have a show and doesn’t know what she would do on her show if she did have one.

We also have a shop on Threadless as well as a website www.oopsyshop.com For more information on Oopsy, keep scrolling!

The Continuing Adventures of Everything (2017)

All drawings drawn by dip pen and scanned into the computer where they are assembled and color is added.

The Adventures of Everything is a world where every individual thing and every idea exists as equals and are all on their own journeys.

Cool Coloring Books (2014-2015)

Cool Coloring Books Collection: One Cool Coloring Book (2014) Too Cool To Color (2015) Three’s A Crowded Coloring Book (2015) Four-Dimensional Coloring Book (2015)Give Me Five Coloring Book (2015)

Cool Coloring Books are a series of coloring books by Brian Brooks. They are available for purchase on Amazon

What If? (2013-2015)

A series of poetic questions with simple illustrations. If used correctly they can open a whole universe into new ways of thinking outside of the box, all by asking really stupid clever questions.

What If? Volume 1 (2013) , What If? Volume 2 (2014), and What If? Volume 3 (2015) available on Amazon.

What If? Volumes 1 – 3 by Brian Brooks are available for purchase on Amazon.

Radd & Badd Tattoo Flash (2013)

A series of watercolors drawn with pen & ink and colored with watercolor paint on watercolor paper.

We Like Bugs

“Whether We Like It Or Not, We Humans Are A Lot Like Bugs.” A mini comic from 2006 exploring the similarities and differences between humans and bugs.

Give Paul A Chance

Mini comic from 2006. A nude Paul McCartney surprises his old bestie John Lennon and wife Yoko Ono in their hotel room as they are trying to stage a Bed In.

Drawn in the style of John Lennon’s Bag One (1969) series of drawings.

Star Wars On Earth (2006)

Characters from the popular Star Wars® franchise (original trilogy) seen on Earth dealing with the insecurities and daily life issues of being run-of-the-mill humans on Earth.

Boyz On Da Run (2006)

Animated short series created and written by Rob Reger and Brian Brooks.

Boyz On Da Run is a series of three animated short episodes aired on Disney Channel in the later 2000s. Created and written by Rob Reger and Brian Brooks. Watch all 3 episodes on YouTube, 12 min total length. [Link opens in a new tab] https://youtu.be/M_T99gRShqk?t=20

Trip Out Artist: Brian Brooks (nom de plume Pillowgoat)

“Cant Ford 2B Bored” Spread from the Emily The Strange comic, published by Dark Horse Comics, 2005

I was featured as the first Trip Out artist in the first Emily The Strange comic series published by Dark Horse Comics, 2005. I signed my name as Pillowgoat which was my nom de plume for the design work I did for the Emily product I created for Chronicle Books. I figured it would be more fun to be annoymous, like the great Residents, one of my

Oopsy Daisy Chronicle Books Program (2002-2005)

The Oopsy Daisy Trade Book & Gift Program, included stationery and trading card sticker packs 2002-2005.

Titles include: Oopsy Daisy’s Bad Bad Day, 64 page adult trade book. Gift Program Included: Valentine Card Box Set, Trading Card Sticker Packs, Postcard Box Set, 2 Journals, 2 Sets of Holiday Cards, Fold N Mail Pad, Wall Calendar, and Sticky Pads

Oopsy Daisy’s Bad Bad Day (2002)

Oopsy Daisy Glitter Stickers by Cosmic Debris (2000-2003)

Oopsy Glitter Stickers by Cosmic Debris, 2000-2003

Comic in Cosmix, Published by Cosmic Debris (2000)

Sadghetti, a comic I created for Cosmix, a promotionacomic published by Cosmic Debris, 2000

Early Emily The Strange Designs (1999-2002)

Illustration and design by Brian Brooks, art direction by Rob Reger, 2000.

Morrissey Gets A Job (1999)

Morrissey Gets A Job comic by Brian Brooks, 1999

Haunted House During The Day (1999)

Haunted House During The Day mini comic attachment file

Rock N Roll Coloring Books (1995-2006)

History:

2015 Mark, Julian “Radically Sharing Temescal, A group of artists, hackers, and other creative people have launched Omni Commons, a new community resource center in North Oakland that they hope will be an antidote to gentrification.” East Bay Express, Jan 21, 2015 Link

2009 Woo, Stu “Oakland’s Temescal Goes From Rundown to Reborn, How Local Merchants Found Success After Years of Work to Attract New Businesses and Reshape Their Neighborhood” Wall Street Journal, December 3, 2009. Link

2007 Virella, Kelly ”The Strange Drawings of Brian Brooks, The artist behind Emily the Strange attempts to exorcise his creation from his art.” Eastbay Express Feature, October 31, 2007. Link

2004 Elder, Sean “Oops, they went goth! My daughter and her friends are suddenly wearing plaid miniskirts and carting around Living Dead Dolls. What do black lipstick and snap-on dog collars mean to a 10-year-old?” Salon.com, APRIL 13, 2004 Link

2001 Smith, Brian. “Zine Buddha, Local artist Brian Brooks watches his work go from sticky barroom floors to flying off international clothing racks”. Phoenix New Times Feature, May 10 2001.Link

2001 Searleman, Eric. The It Girl: As Emily Flourishes, Millions Turn and Face The Strange. Arizona Republic, March 29 2001. Link

1999 Athitakis, Mark. “Riff Raff, Morrissey Gets Colored Black on the Outside, Because Black Is How He Feels on the Inside”, SF Weekly, October 13 1999. Link