Rocky Casillas Aguirre is a bilingual visual artist, cartoonist, muralist, and children’s book author and illustrator whose work combines humor, imagination, and storytelling to explore mindfulness and mental health.
Rocky is the founder of Rokaturas, a MN-based arts and entertainment studio centered on destigmatizing mental health through books, animations, galleries, and workshops. He is best known as the creator of Twitch and the Mystic Weenie, a middle-grade graphic novel series following a sheltered flame and an ancient hotdog on a magical adventure of self-discovery.
As a teaching artist, Rocky has led numerous drawing and comic book writing workshops, as well as mural projects, with kids and teens across Minnesota public schools, libraries, youth centers, and shelters. He has also taught animation to high school students, helping them bring their own ideas to life through visual media. Rocky’s books and public art have been featured by KARE 11, Minnesota Public Radio (MPR), Northfield News, Barrio Latino, and KYMN. Additionally, his animations have been selected and screened at film festivals, including at the Minnesota State Fair. Through both his artwork and teaching, Rocky creates playful, accessible experiences that encourage creativity, connection, and emotional awareness.
Although Rocky’s workshops are designed primarily for K-12, they can be easily customized for adults and older participants. We all live in bodies that think and feel!
Programs
Workshops
Building Worlds and Characters for Children’s Stories
In this workshop, participants will explore the creative process of developing original characters and settings for their own children’s books. Through a series of playful drawing and storytelling activities, they’ll experiment with shapes and shadows, learn how to beat art block, and uncover some of the secrets behind the most recognizable characters in the world — all while laying the foundation for their next epic story!
Best For: High School (9-12), Teens & Young Adults; Adults; Duration: 45 – 90 minutes; Customization: Available virtually and in-person in Spanish or English
Drawing From Within: Turning Our Emotions into Characters
In this workshop, participants will be guided through a gentle mindfulness exercise focused on breathing, self-awareness, and reflection. Once we’re grounded in the space, everyone will receive a fun activity sheet to doodle and create an original character based on their own emotions. The workshop will end with a round of show and tell—encouraging conversation helps normalize and destigmatize mental health.
Best For: Upper Elementary (4-6); Middle School (5-8), High School (9-12), Teens & Young Adults, Adults, All-Ages, Older Adults – General; Duration: 45 – 60 minutes; Customization: Available virtually and in-person in Spanish or English.
Exquisite Corpse: The Art of Collaborative Storytelling
In this collaborative comic-making workshop, participants will use the Exquisite Corpse technique to create characters and stories together. Participants will work in groups of 4-5 to turn random scribbles into imaginative monsters that will become the protagonists of their comics. By the end, everyone will have a collection of surreal characters and wacky, unpredictable tales to share with the group.
Best For: Upper Elementary (4-6); Middle School (5-8), High School (9-12), Teens & Young Adults; Duration: 45 – 90 minutes; Customization: Available virtually and in-person in Spanish or English.
Mindful Coloring Station (Pop-up)
Having a coloring station at events can be helpful for those who get overwhelmed by loud music and stimuli. Kids and their families can take a moment to sit and enjoy the meditative practice of coloring. All pages include wholesome characters, uplifting messages, and affirmations to take home.
Best For: Everyone!; Duration: 30 – 120 minutes; Customization: Available in Spanish or English.
Teens and Zines: Introduction to Creating Comics
In this hands-on workshop, teens will learn the basics of visual storytelling and comic-making while creating their own 8-page mini-zine to take home. Participants will explore panels, speech bubbles, captions, sound effects, character expressions, and pacing. Then, they’ll develop a short story through quick sketches and thumbnails before creating their finished comic. No previous experience required – just bring your imagination and a willingness to make something weird, funny, and totally your own!
Best For: Middle School (5-8), High School (9-12), Teens & Young Adults; Duration: 45 – 90 minutes; Customization: Available virtually and in-person in Spanish or English.
What’s That Feeling? (Pop-up)
In this playful, interactive drawing game, participants will draw a series of fun, highly expressive characters alongside Rocky. Each character represents a feeling, but which one is it? Could it be joy? Or maybe it’s courage? What do you think it looks like?
Best For: Early Learners (Pre-K), Early Elementary (K-3), Upper Elementary (4-6), All-Ages, Intergenerational; Duration: 15 – 60 minutes.
Where Did Anxiety Go? Read Aloud + Drawing Sesh
Join Rocky for a fun, interactive reading and drawing workshop based on his book, Where Did Anxiety Go? – a playful rhyming picture book that helps children understand anxiety as a feeling that comes and goes, rather than something they need to be afraid of. The book introduces kids to common feelings and body responses associated with anxiety, along with simple mindfulness tools for navigating big emotions. After the read-aloud, kids will grab their pencils and follow along a live drawing demonstration to learn how to draw Twitch, Anxiety, and other featured characters. This hands-on activity gives kids a chance to be creative while exploring emotions through art.
Best For: Early Elementary (K-3); Duration: 45 – 90 minutes; Customization: Available virtually and in-person in Spanish or English.
Residencies
Bring Your Ideas to Life: Animation 101
In this 5-day residency, students will create their own animated GIF sticker that they can text to friends and post on social media using the Procreate app.
- Day One: Students will be introduced to Procreate basics and practice using the brush tools, erasing techniques, and manipulation of canvas layers. Everyone will be tasked with sketching emotion-based characters.
- Day Two: Students will choose one of their sketches and turn it into a fully colored emoji character. Using layers, they will create a “Character Profile” that includes their character’s name, superpower, and residence.
- Day Three: Students will learn animation basics by building on their knowledge of canvas layering, adding effects, and playing with frames per second to create an animation loop of their characters.
- Day Four: Students will learn how to animate text to combine with their character animation. The final product will be a GIF sticker.
- Day Five: Students will be introduced to the platform GIPHY to make their GIF searchable on iOS, Snapchat, Instagram, WhatsApp, and other platforms. We’ll wrap up the residency with a fun show and tell!
Please note: Procreate will need to be downloaded onto the students’ iPads prior to engagement.
Best For: High School (9-12), Teens & Young Adults; Duration: 5 days; Customization: Available virtually and in-person in Spanish or English
My Emotion Creature: A Drawing and Emotional Learning Residency
In this 5-day residency, students will create their own character that they’ll follow through an emotional journey. Each day builds on the artwork from the previous day while introducing new drawing and emotional-learning concepts, time for reflections, and group sharing.
- Day One: Students will create an original character who will become the main protagonist of their story for the entire residency, while learning self-awareness and emotional vocabulary.
- Day Two: Students will create an emotion creature their character might encounter, while learning how to recognize and name emotions.
- Day Three: Students will place their character into a challenging situation and explore how different people can react differently to the same scenarios.
- Day Four: Students will give their characters a visual “tool” that helps them navigate through difficult situations, while learning coping strategies, problem-solving, and how to ask for help.
- Day Five: Students will turn their main character, emotion creature, challenge scenario, and coping strategy into a short story using comic book elements.
Best For: Upper Elementary (4–6), Middle School (5–8); Duration: 5 days; Customization: Available virtually and in-person in Spanish or English
Teens & Zines: A Comics-Making Residency
In this 5-day residency, students will understand the basic elements of comic storytelling, create an original comic character and premise, and turn sketches into a complete 8-page mini zine! We’ll also have the opportunity to share work and reflect on the creative process.
- Day One: Students will learn the basic vocabulary and visual language of comics and create an original character they will use in their own story.
- Day Two: Students will use the Comic Story Formula to craft a tale of adventure with a clear beginning, middle, and ending.
- Day Three: Students will translate their written story into visual sequences using thumbnail sketches and panel composition.
- Day Four: Students will begin producing the final artwork for their comic using their storyboard as a guide.
- Day Five: Students will complete, assemble, and share their epic mini zines with the class!
Best For: Middle School (5-8), High School (9-12), Teens & Young Adults; Duration: 5 days; Customization: Available virtually and in-person in Spanish or English.
Feelings Safari: Exploring Our Emotions Through Art K-2 Residency
In this 5-day residency, student explorers will learn how to identify and name a variety of emotions, use colors and shapes to communicate feelings, create original character drawings, practice simple strategies for managing challenging emotions, and develop confidence in expressing themselves through art. Day One: Students will identify basic emotions (e.g., happy, sad, angry, scared, excited, and calm) and play with facial expressions and body language while creating their own characters. Day Two: Students will explore how shapes, lines, and colors can communicate different feelings and create an abstract drawing to share with the class. Day Three: Students will imagine their classroom is being visited by larger-than-life feelings creatures! Then, they will give these emotions their own identities and personalities on paper. Day Four: Students will gather in a circle for a read-aloud of “Where Did Anxiety Go?” followed by a drawing exercise that teaches them how to cope with DINO-SIZED emotions. Day Five: Students will complete a final art project called “My Feelings World,” in which they’ll combine what they’ve learned from the previous four days. We’ll end with a mini art gallery!
Best For: Early Elementary (K–3); Duration: 5 days; Customization: Available virtually and in-person in Spanish or English.
Teaching Artist Statement
Art is powerful.
It’s one of our most primitive forms of creative expression – a way to communicate with one another, process our emotions, and make sense of the world around us. I believe everyone should have access to that experience.
As a teaching artist, I use drawing, animation, and storytelling to help students discover their creative voices while exploring emotions and practicing mindfulness and self-care.
My workshops are hands-on, playful, and sizzling with wholesome characters, punny stories, and uplifting messages that remind us that feeling is just part of being human!
Created by COMPAS Teaching Artist Rocky Casillas Aguirre.
