Rafael Nazario - Animator and Illustrator

Neighborhood

2011-12-06T00:21:00.001-08:00

Zombies in Old San Juan #4

2011-12-05T01:17:00.000-08:00

OK, so I couldn't resist.

Torso Studies

2011-12-04T02:47:00.000-08:00

Calle del Sol, Viejo San Juan

2011-12-03T02:55:00.000-08:00

I'm back (again)!

2011-12-02T11:18:00.000-08:00

Hey folks, long time no see! A lot has changed since my last post. For starters I've moved to Atlanta. Secondly... well, I think that's it - but it's a big change! Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. I've been busy with freelance work, updating my portfolio and hunting for a full-time job.

I'll be posting again soon but, for now, here's an illustration I did for the cover of a book on which I worked recently, featuring Chesty the bulldog, the Marines mascot.

You can purchase the book through this link. All proceeds go to the Semper Fi Fund to help our wounded Marines and Sailors.

Thanks for your visits and comments. I'll post again real soon!

Pluie à l'Horizon

2011-09-14T23:48:00.000-07:00

Quickie Exercise

On the Rocks

2011-09-13T15:27:00.000-07:00

Beauté au Jardin des Bambous

2011-08-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

Monochromatic Digital Painting

2011-08-19T15:49:00.000-07:00

Blog activity is officially back!

Spicing Things Up

2011-08-12T20:37:00.000-07:00

Whoa! It's been forever since I've updated this blog. My apologies to you, my dear readers, but I've been very busy with work. Hopefully I'll be able to go back to posting artwork more frequently in the near future. For those who don't know, and that's most of you, I have a BFA in Sequential Art, and for some reason I haven't shown many sequential art pieces other than some story boards. So to demonstrate a bit of what I learned during my undergrad years here is a short story. This is actually a redo of a piece I had done back in 2004. The script was written by a classmate whose name, unfortunately, I don't remember. Her idea was based on a supposed love remedy used by women in the middle ages. So just to be clear, this is not a comic trying to explain why certain things smell like other things. Enjoy!

Ice Cream (Digital Painting)

2011-04-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

Au bord de l'eau (Digital Painting)

2011-04-04T16:57:00.000-07:00

Cherubinos

2011-04-03T18:31:00.000-07:00

I can't get the song out of my head!

Extreme Nudity 3

2011-03-24T12:14:00.000-07:00

Hey, everyone! I'm back! I was busy with some freelance stuff but, now that I'm done, here's another addition to the series.

Extreme Nudity 2

2011-03-06T19:32:00.000-08:00

Extreme Nudity

2011-03-02T22:22:00.000-08:00

Hey, I just noticed I passed the 100th post mark. Yay for me!

Woman's Profile Sketch

2011-02-28T15:44:00.000-08:00

Playing with some Photoshop brushes.

Year of the Rabbit

2011-02-10T20:07:00.000-08:00

This is me taking a shot at manga

...and here are two of my original sketches.

Hef Getting Married (Again)

2011-01-26T16:47:00.000-08:00

When I read that college literature tycoon Hugh "Hef" Hefner (84) became engaged to Crystal Harris (24), the first thing I thought was "money and power have nothing to do with this". Yup, some women just like to marry men old enough to be their great grandfathers.

As seen on Ryan Green's blog, Things That Are Cuter in Bunny Ears.

Lil' Girly Girls

2011-01-25T21:42:00.000-08:00

ATL (Speed Painting)

2011-01-16T18:42:00.000-08:00

First Digital Painting of 2011

2011-01-14T02:05:00.000-08:00

Getting Ready

2011-01-13T18:11:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not from Baltimore. I just like sport mascots!

The One I Forgot to Post

2010-12-28T16:17:00.000-08:00

Last portrait of the year. See you in 2011!

Country Pin Up

2010-12-14T20:38:00.000-08:00

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!"

2010-11-30T10:37:00.000-08:00

Possessed Guinea Fowl

2010-11-24T19:53:00.000-08:00

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

Superman!

2010-11-21T15:15:00.000-08:00

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)

2010-11-18T16:18:00.000-08:00

Monkey Lovin'

2010-11-12T06:40:00.000-08:00

My first entry for Art Jumble. ^^

Character Models

2010-11-08T01:26:00.000-08:00

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)

2010-10-30T17:47:00.000-07:00

New Digital Painting Exercise

2010-10-26T19:44:00.000-07:00

Ukiyo-e Sketches

2010-10-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-14T18:57:00.000-07:00

I dunno. You think of something.

Vector Japonisme

2010-10-12T18:06:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-09T08:27:00.000-07:00

Just practicing...

Ghost Rider with Latin Flavor

2010-10-02T14:18:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-19T11:26:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-13T21:37:00.000-07:00

Hurricanes Earl and Fiona

2010-08-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-20T16:45:00.000-07:00

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

Yellow Sweater

2010-08-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

Zombies in Old San Juan #3

2010-07-20T14:34:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-07-02T21:34:00.000-07:00

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"

2010-07-02T21:24:00.000-07:00

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!"

2010-07-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

Motherhood

2010-07-02T10:13:00.000-07:00

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

Figure Drawing

2010-06-27T07:31:00.000-07:00

World Cup Caricatures

2010-06-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-24T12:12:00.000-07:00

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."

2010-06-19T21:50:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-05-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-14T18:10:00.000-07:00

Pop Raf

2010-05-07T16:24:00.000-07:00

Yeah, it's me! =D

Pop Art

2010-05-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-05T17:35:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-04-30T17:14:00.000-07:00

This is kinda fun! =D

Self-Portrait

2010-04-25T00:29:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-20T11:41:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-09T15:48:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I get inspired by fellow bloggers...

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

2010-04-06T16:38:00.000-07:00

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

Faking It

2010-04-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-02T10:20:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-04-01T21:36:00.000-07:00

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...

???

2010-03-27T21:13:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-21T17:45:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-18T06:21:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-16T18:15:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-04T01:02:00.000-08:00

The Gift of the Magi

2010-02-27T09:38:00.000-08:00

This a cartoon I drew last year as a spoof of Three Kings Day (Epiphany), which is basically Puerto Rico's second Christmas. Is it politically incorrect?

Portraits

2010-02-26T11:11:00.000-08:00

"Viva Venezia!" Character Designs

2010-02-23T10:16:00.000-08:00

I made these a couple of months ago. They are for a concept I'm working on, based on the "Viva Venezia!" storyboards. They're still work in progress (I haven't even named the characters yet).

Coming Soon: Zombies in Old San Juan #2.

Mini Ink Sketches

2010-02-18T14:03:00.000-08:00

Here are some sketches I did as an exercise on the back of index cards using only micron pens. Actual size 3" x 5".

Just in time for Valentine's

2010-02-12T10:51:00.000-08:00

This is an illustration I did for a singles retreat and the theme this year is "I'm single... so?" I like that style of black and white cartoons placed against a monochromatic background so I decided to go with that, but my friend Irene did a really cute colored version which I decided to feature on this post as well (right under the original version).

And for those of you who are single this Valentine's, think of all the the money you'll be saving. Valentine's is a great day to be single, especially during the recession.

Zombies in Old San Juan #1

2010-02-05T23:28:00.000-08:00

This is the first of a series of postcards I'm working on about Puerto Rican zombies chasing tourist around the historic Old San Juan.

Caricatures

2010-02-04T17:06:00.000-08:00

Blue Jays

2010-01-28T18:06:00.000-08:00

Mascots

2010-01-23T23:41:00.001-08:00

Note: The mascots presented here are (from left to right) Toro (Texans - NFL), Freddy Falcon (Falcons - NFL) and Aubie the tiger (Auburn - NCAA). They are not originally designed by me; only the human characters are.

"Toro was created by Street Characters Inc. and we wouldn't want any confusion in the marketplace regarding where he originally came from."

Thank you, Glenn Street.

Photoshop Coloring 4

2010-01-20T18:10:00.000-08:00

Shadow Assassin

2010-01-13T22:38:00.000-08:00

I got inspired to do this piece after watching Ninja Assassin. If there's something I've learned from working on this drawing is this: I love Google Sketch Up! It saved me a lot of time with the architecture and perspective (and, technically, it's not cheating since I had to build the whole thing myself - I see it as inking my own 3D model.) I was surprised at how user friendly the program is, too. It can be downloaded for free here.

Photoshop Coloring 3

2010-01-09T18:07:00.000-08:00

Character Design: Girls

2010-01-02T15:41:00.000-08:00

Photoshop Coloring 2

2009-12-27T12:34:00.000-08:00

Photoshop Coloring

2009-12-19T12:35:00.000-08:00

Fun with Index Cards

2009-12-15T14:46:00.000-08:00

Before drawing some storyboards on index cards, I decided to warm up by drawing some portraits. Actual size is 3" x 5". More to come.

Character Design Update and Animation

2009-09-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

I eventually simplified my previous character designs to make them more appealing and easier to animate.

In this piece I wanted to play a bit more with Flash so I added patterns to the clothes by using mask layers. The lighting in the room was created using a movie clip in blend mode (multiply) on top of the original background.

And voilà!

Character Designs: Geishas

2009-09-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

Some Sample Illustrations

2009-08-18T16:25:00.000-07:00

Here are some sample illustrations from the last two books I worked on.

Saunter by Mike Wallace

The Great Dragon Escape by Aaron White

Two Short Flash Animations

2009-05-18T20:00:00.000-07:00

For this animation I wanted to see how much I could do without doing much. The animation here is simple, if a bit stiff, but my focus was on the gag. I also got to play with creating a smoke effect in Flash. I did submit it to the 11 second club animation contest since I got the track from them. Needless to say it didn't do very well, but I still like it.

This other animation was another gag I did for my other blog. It is a visual joke about swine flu and it originally came with a fake public safety message in Spanish which I took out in this clip to focus only in the animation. The voice used is actually mine. (Yes, even the squeal.)

Interview with Phil Parker on Fox 5 Atlanta

2009-04-03T14:00:00.000-07:00

Interview with author Phil Parker about the book Grandpa Does Grandma: The ABCs of Senior Sex. Hey, what do you know? The guy from Fox liked the cartoons!

For more information, or to purchase the book, visit http://www.grandpadoesgrandma.com/.

PS: The video may take a while to load. If you're having problems, you may visit this link.

Ninja Storyboard

2009-03-27T10:15:00.000-07:00

"Too Much To Drink" Storyboard

2009-03-27T09:48:00.000-07:00

Viva Venezia! Storyboard

2009-03-27T09:04:00.000-07:00

Animax Flash Character Animation Test

2009-03-17T20:27:00.001-07:00

This is the second part of the Animax Animation test, which I found in the Cold Hard Flash Forums. See what happens when Dex tries to explain the yoga tree pose.
All critiques are welcome.

Flash CS4 IK Walk Cycle Test

2009-01-18T17:24:00.000-08:00

Finally! I've got Flash CS4!

People in Adobe finally came to their senses and added inverse kinematics in Flash. I can't imagine how Flash animators managed to live without it, but one thing is for sure: I won't have to purchase Animer Studio after all. Yay Flash!

Anyway, here's my first animation test using Flash IK armature. It took me some time to get the hang of it (my mom was ticked off because I didn't leave the computer yesterday), but I finally did it.

Don Pepito - lip-synching test (Spanish)

2009-01-16T18:12:00.000-08:00

This is a lip-synching test I did in Flash. This is a traditional children's song in Latin America and Spain. It's usually sung by clowns. I apologize ahead of time for the brief bathroom humor but I couldn't help myself.

For your convenience here's a translation of the lyrics:

-Hello, Don Pepito.
-Hello, Don José.
-Did you go by my house?
-By your house I went.
-And did you see my grandma?
-Your grandma I saw.
-Goodbye, Don Pepito.
-Goodbye, Don José.

(Repeats)

New Book Illustrated by Raf!

2009-01-08T17:48:00.000-08:00

Coming this March, Grandpa Does Grandma: The ABCs of Senior Sex by renowned professional speaker and author of Kiss Yourself Hello! Phil Parker and illustrated by moi! Is your sex life, after years of marriage taking a turn for the worse? Do you feel your days as a stallion have long gone? Does it feel like you have two left feet when it comes to the horizontal dance? Is your love flame being extinguished by the passage of time? Then this is the book for you!

Still image of an animated banner I did for the book's website. (It's not up yet.)

Not a senior yet? Well, you’re going to be one before you know it, so why not be prepared? It’s never too early to start working on a better sex life and a more loving relationship with your other half. With this book you’ll learn to relive the passion that brought you together in the first place, and of course, reassure him or her that he/she got the best deal when choosing you. It’s fun! It’s romantic! It’s educational! And if that weren’t enough it comes with 26 beautiful and tastefully done illustrations (one for each letter) that complement each topic for your visual enjoyment. And did I mention I’m the illustrator?

So remember the date: March 2009! Don’t let anyone tell you about it. Be the first to read Grandpa Does Grandma: The ABCs of Senior Sex. You want it! You need it! And c’mon, you’ll love it!

Grandpa Does Grandma: The ABCs of Senior Sex – coming this March to a book store near you!

This is the cover you'll be looking for in the book store. Grab it, buy it, read it, enjoy.