The One I Forgot to Post

Last portrait of the year. See you in 2011!

Country Pin Up

I wanted to submit this illustration to a local art magazine whose next issue was about food, but then I realized the deadline had passed. However I was so happy with my idea that I went ahead and did the illustration and posted it here anyway. References: Ellie Mae Clampett, Daisy Duke, People of Walmart.

"Hello, my baby! Hello, my honey! Hello, my ragtime gal!"

Possessed Guinea Fowl

If you ever heard the shrieks of these birdies, you'd swear they're possessed by Beelzebub himself!

Superman!

I think this is my first attempt ever at drawing Superman. Here he is, once again being harassed by Mr. Mxypltz (however that name is pronounced).

Young Man Portrait (Digital Painting)

Monkey Lovin'

My first entry for Art Jumble. ^^

Character Models

These are two character models I'm using in a short animation test I'm working on. They're appropriated (with permission) from a local comic book called "Tony & Gabriel" published by the School of Fine Arts of Puerto Rico. I don't know if it's the inking or what, but they remind me of that guy from the Airborne dietary supplement commercials.

Just in Time for Halloween (and the Day of the Dead)

New Digital Painting Exercise

Ukiyo-e Sketches

I'm still trying to grasp the floating world style. I think the torsos are supposed to be longer and not as curvy. I also want to loosen up more with the poses and expressions, but as they say, practice makes perfect.

Untitled

I dunno. You think of something.

Vector Japonisme

Here it is, another shot at Japonisme: some geisha or courtesan giving you attitude for no apparent reason.

This piece was sketched in Photoshop but cleaned up in Illustrator. I've been trying to re-create the ukiyo-e (floating world) style faithfully but at the same time I want to explore facial and corporal expressions that are sometimes hard to achieve in a style with limited perspective and choice of angles. I wonder if anyone has ever done an animation with a similar look...

Digital Painting Exercise

Just practicing...

Ghost Rider with Latin Flavor

This drawing was inspired by an interesting story of a guy here in Puerto Rico who, after dying in a shooting, had his body displayed as if he were riding a motorcycle, according to his wishes. He likely knew that he was going to die soon, since it's an unusual request, especially for a 22-year-old. (For more info read this.)

I started the drawing shortly after his death in April, this year, but I left it forgotten in a hidden corner of my computer and recently found it again. By now there has been another dead guy displayed on a motorcycle and one on the driver's seat of an ambulance. These men were probably inspired by a young man last year whose body was displayed standing up. I think it's an interesting fad, and I do hope it lasts (as creepy as they may sound). After all, dead people make great models for artists.

Double Bounce Walk Cycle

Hey, folks! It's been a while since I last posted anything animated so here's a walk cycle I did yesterday. Enjoy.

Playing with Black and White

Hurricanes Earl and Fiona

How menacing could they be with those names, right? It's not like they're named Hugo or Katrina. Now those are names of Easter European mercenaries!

By the way, that green thing on the floor is Puerto Rico. It's just hard to recognize because one rarely sees all those details on a globe.

Lil' Sketch

Just a lil' sketch I did in Photoshop. I liked it. ^^

Yellow Sweater

Zombies in Old San Juan #3

Finally, after a long hiatus, they're back! (Y todavía les debo un muerto en motora.) This is my little homage to pulp art. You know the kind I mean, where the women are all helpless in the arms of some creep with bad intentions, the kind of stuff feminists adore...

Hail baby!

Another illustration I did for Mi Borinqueña for an article regarding the dangers of premature birth. Some of you will (maybe) recognize this as the March of Dimes baby.

"Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink"

This is a pair of sketches I did for practice with watercolors and ink wash. I'm still a bit rusty since I hadn't touched a real brush in over 4 years, but hopefully I'll get the grip soon enough.

"One, two, three, four - tell the people what she wore!"

Motherhood

This is an illustration I did for the first edition Mi Borinqueña magazine for an article about nutrition for pregnant women.

Figure Drawing

World Cup Caricatures

If you can't guess who they are, either you're not watching the World Cup (which you should) or I haven't done my job well.

Puff, puff

Without leaving the recent comic book themes, in this case I was looking to emulate Frank Miller's Sin City style. You be the judge.

"No estaba muerto. Andaba de parranda."

Hey there, readers! Sorry for not giving you guys any signs of life recently. I finally started working (YEAH, FINALLY!) so I've been very busy lately. Hopefully things will settle a bit soon, so I'll have more time to post stuff. For now, here's a portrait I finished inking today after several weeks of it gathering dust in a corner. And no, that's not me.

Anyway, it's great to be back!

I Wonder How Much Longer...

Here is another piece in Roy Lichtenstein's style. This time I decided to add a thought balloon to enhance the comic book look. The quote is nothing special, I just thought of something random similar to the quotes that appear in many of Lichtenstein's pieces. In his case, many had some special meaning but, in my case, I just wanted words that went well with the facial expression. 

Figure Drawing

Pop Raf

Yeah, it's me! =D

Pop Art

Yeah, I looooooove Lichtenstein! It had been a while since I used a tool for inking other than my stylus so I gave it a shot using a brush pen. Then I cleaned it up in Photoshop and added the flat colors. The benday dots were created in Illustrator (following this tutorial) and then imported into Photoshop. 

Coming Soon!

If you're Puerto Rican, you already know who this is. If you're not, you'll find out soon enough. Also, Zombies in Old San Juan #3 is around the corner! =D

Me Again!

This is kinda fun! =D

Self-Portrait

If by any chance you happen to be in Singapore...

This is a flyer I did for my friend Nhazean for a concert where her band will be playing. She did some tweaking in the typography but the drawing and coloring is all mine. So if by any chance one of you, my dear readers, happens to be a student in Singapore, and just finished his/her exams, go blow off some steam on the 7th of May to the sound of Indus Gendi, Etc, Gloria and The Mo Chi Him (such an awesome band name).

Y para mis queridos lectores hispanos: aún estoy trabajando en mi nuevo blog pero ya está en el aire.

Cayey Bien Duro

Wow, it's been a few days. Sorry, folks, I was out of town. I haven't scanned any new drawings but I'll leave you with this piece I did a couple of years ago. It was one of my first attempts at "digital painting" as opposed to flat coloring. It's an ode to my former hometown, Cayey, where I was raised. Presented in the foreground is the Monumento al Jíbaro and in the background is a characterization of Las Tetas de Cayey, a pair of peculiar-looking mountains. Here's the original picture.

Blue Square

Sometimes I get inspired by fellow bloggers...

Another Geisha or Courtesan or Noble or Whatever Those Ladies In Japanese Woodcut Prints Are Called

So if they weren't rich or loose nobody would draw them? Tsk, tsk, men are such pigs...

Faking It

These days I'm doing some illustration work for a calendar and I've been asked to render the pieces in watercolor or a related style. Since I'm not a big fan of messes, I avoid using wet media, and I'm trying to create an appealing, similar look in the computer. This is one of the tests I did in Corel Painter, using the digital watercolor tool. What do you guys think? Does it work? (You may want to click to enlarge.)

Y para mis queridos lectores hispanos, no se preocupen que ya pronto abriré un blog en el más hermoso, sensual y práctico de los idiomas. Luego les aviso.

Really Short Animation

Finally, as promised, here's the animation. I did it in Flash CS4 with the audio track from last month's 11 second club competition. You can view a larger version in youtube. Unfortunately youtube cuts off a fraction from the last second, but I can't complain about a free service, right? Right. By the way, feel free to visit my youtube channel to see some of my older stuff.

This is not an ad for scented candles.

Hello, dear readers. I know you I owe you guys (and gals) a 10 second animation but I'm still working on the clean up. I'll post it in a few days, but meanwhile I'll leave you with this drawing I did about a year ago.

I used to have another blog where I did a lot of ranting and I did this piece to illustrate a post about festivities made specifically for women, those being: weddings, baby showers, quinceañeras and Tupperware parties.

To summarize, I'm not fond of any celebration where I'm told specifically what gifts to bring. Regarding weddings and baby showers, just because other people are getting laid doesn't mean I have to pay for it, right? The quinceañeras, which are the latin equivalent of the sweet sixteen, except that they're celebrated at 15, are basically a wedding party without a groom. Considering that being 15 is no landmark, it is certainly a pointless celebration and a big waste of money. They should save that money for the baby shower which will be probably be celebrated before the sweet sixteen. Finally, I really don't get the point of Tupperware parties: all the fun of those clever baby shower games mixed with the duty of purchasing expensive items that basically do the same job of a used margarine container.

People are strange...

???

These days I've been busy working on a 10-second animation which I will post soon but, just to keep the blog breathing, I'm posting this drawing I inked and colored today. This is actually a sketch I did while I was coming up with ideas for the singles' retreat illustration and I liked the style so I scanned it and saved it for later and now here it is.

"Viva Venezia!" Character Design

Those two or three of you wonderful readers who take some time from your lives to visit my blog have probably seen this character before. I still haven't named her or any other character from Viva Venezia, but suggestions are welcome (as long as the names sound Italian). Oh yeah, and I still don't know in what direction I'll take the concept. I'll think of something...

My Take on Japonisme

I am not a big manga fan but for years I’ve been fascinated by the ukiyo-e (floating world) style and japonisme, so I started to make a series like the example shown in March 16 post. This is the finished drawing. Even though the style was referenced from other images, the drawing itself is original. It was cleaned up colored in Photoshop but the motif of the dress was made in Illustrator and then imported to Photoshop. If the background looks familiar, I traced the pattern from a Piet Mondrian painting using a PS brush and added the textures and my own colors.

Egg Birth

This is a cartoon I did for fun back when I was in college. Tomorrow I'll post the final version of the ukiyo-e drawing.

Work in Progress: Ukiyo-e

It's been a while since my last post but here's a piece I'm working on. I'm a big fan of Japanese woodcut prints and I've always wanted to do something based on the ukiyo-e style. I'll post the final version in a few days.

Zombies in Old San Juan #2