Cronicas

New Blog

2010-01-08T15:52:00.003-05:00

Well, as told, I changed the blog...

Seems like the same, right?

Well, I changed address, not only design.

If you had www.raulvillanueva.com bookmarked then I'm sure you are not reading this.

But if you have http://purpledodo.blogspot.com/, then you are still here... Sad, sad...

I'm not going to update this blog any more, but will still be online, no need to delete it. And more the reason because I'm NOT moving all the posts from here to the new one.

New year, new decade, new blog, clean.

See you there.

2010

2010-01-07T10:58:00.000-05:00

New year, and not new year resolutions...

I'm a little scared about this year, is a Tiger year... I read somewhere that is supposed to be a weak tiger due to the combination of the year element and the tiger element. I think I will thank that. But more investigation is needed. Anyway, I'm Monkey... also Sol (my wife) and monkeys are like... oposites of tiger... so that scares me a little.

This last year wasn't bad, but wasn't specially good neither.
I need a good year.

Well, actually we started buying some nice art for the home, a big framed Cherman silkscreen from his last show, loved it.
And just before Christmas Maricel gave us her 3 framed photographs, they also look fantastic on the living room.

fuck, is hot today...

Olivia started tennis clases this week, and so far she is loving it.

I think that I do have a new year resolution, kind of:

I'll try to finish old projects.

That is a long list of things to do. Fucking long.
But I already started, I'm painting again my dwarf munny, and is going well.
I also (an this one is hard, and tricky) started reading my story Demonios! with the idea of -at least- continuing writing it.

As I said, the list of unfinished projects is long, so no more for now, baby steps.

Bored

2009-11-18T15:21:00.000-05:00

I'm really bored of this blog.
I'll have to do something.

...someday.

Pattern

2009-09-25T23:30:00.005-04:00

Some insects pattern.

A detail.

I'm doing a lot of patterns lately for a project. This is one that I'm sharing, because the Illustration Friday theme compels me. I just can't avoid it...

Hope you like it.

Reencarnacion

2009-09-13T23:49:00.006-04:00

Usually, I don't post any kind of Graphic Design work samples here. The work I do at my work is more or less confidential, and I do very little freelancing. Because, I'm going to be honest with you... usually I hate working directly with clients.

However, when a friend asked me for help with the image of her new store, I couldn't say no.

It's been fun, she is very cool and a good artist, and she love what I did for her.

Reencarnacion (reincarnate) is a little store that rescue old furniture, from the 50's-60's, and refurbishes and give new life to it, all with Maricel's style.

So I designed a logo that reflects that, I think is very self explanatory...

New life on old wood, and playing with the duplicity of two lives on the letters.

An important part of the design elements is a pattern, to be used in bags, gift paper and all that.

...but the first we did, is a wall paper, very cool.

Well, maybe I'll update this with more elements, but don't hold your breath, and don't wait sitting, go outside and play with the dog...

Cheers.

piscis pattern

2009-07-23T15:29:00.003-04:00

For the new version of this blog...

Detail:

Here is repeated:

Now I should start putting all together...

yeah, any moment now...

one eye white owl

2009-06-08T14:54:00.004-04:00

First sketches, I already had a good idea of what I wanted.

I like to draw in blue pencils, it allows me to have more layers on the drawing.

Finished sketch.

Ink with a old pen.

You'll see this guy in the near future in his rightful place.

For now, I hope you like it.

not MIA, and what I was doing all this time...

2009-05-23T13:56:00.005-04:00

My poor Crónicas blog it's been left aside all this time. That saddens me, really, but I wasn't idle.

My wife Sol and I have been busy planning and starting a little side business, based in origami, flowers and all related stuff of use for baby showers, bride showers, birthdays, etc.

We are just starting, and while Soligami's blog it's been online for a while, we are just going to make it really public, this weekend if all goes right. It's time.

Soligami is a local business, that means in Lima, Peru, so all that blog is in spanish. Is not planned for international business, but maybe if you really want something from it, we could work something out.

Take a look, I'll love to have some feedback from you guys.

cardboard plane

2009-04-27T14:47:00.003-04:00

A quick cardboard plane I did for Olivia's littlest pets.

It was fun, less than a hour, and a refreshing back in time when I used to do stuff like this all the day.

She is painting it now!

Tempera illustration

2009-03-20T18:53:00.004-04:00

-no name yet-

3.5x3.5 inches / 9x9 cm

témpera

rider and mount will have their names written in the flowing bands, I just don't know them yet.

Fire dragon

Previous sketch

Tempera oranges

Yeah, I know...

2009-02-20T13:10:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted a line or a letter in some time, appart from the twitter feed.

Meh.

I have a painting 93% done, but that 7% is taking forever. We are painting the apartment, so all is a mess... and a lot of work at the office...

Excuses, pathetic excuses... like somebody cares!

Not even I do.

But I'll post something before my birthday, I hope, like Obama.

Dragon process

2009-01-08T10:13:00.003-05:00

Some process pics of the already finished dragon illustration, for the finished work, see post below.

Fire Dragon

2009-01-04T17:47:00.003-05:00

A christmas gift, and an opportunity to finish an old illustration of my Mythos series.

A fire Dragon having some fun...

All done in tempera, it was really a pleasure to paint, and I really hope the start of a series of illustrations in a similar technique and format. Is not big, like 4 inches/10 cm side.

Tempera is ideal to work in small formats, like the old illuminated manuscripts, which I love love love.

Since this was a gift, I had to frame it, I found and already done frame perfect for the Dragon (actually I found it before defining the final size).

Here a picture of it completed.

I'm happy, I hope you like it.

Discworld?

2009-01-04T17:35:00.003-05:00

Please take a look at this and tell me if is not pure genius?

I bow at your craftsmanship, June.

Naranjas / Oranges update

2009-01-04T11:28:00.001-05:00

Here is the final image, real product, finished, ready to deliver.

It was very well received!

WIP

2008-12-17T15:05:00.003-05:00

A little advance of an illustration I HAVE to finish today.

But you already know what this is, don't you?

Pict taken with my cellphone, so colors are not so "hot".

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-04T13:12:00.011-05:00

For my IF visitors:

As last year, and those before, Christmas is coming.

The feelings are similar, the card is not.

Merry Christmas!

I know is only 4 of december, but if I don't post this now, I might not have another good chance do it.

And next, for the ones interested, here is the process of doing this year card.

I started with a sketch so basic that is not even worth to post... What I wanted was to do a 3D card, sculpted and constructed, with some post editing, since we wanted my daughter to be part of it.

The image, as you can see on top, is in a room, so I started doing the floor.

I cut and glued balsa wood in a solid surface, and then painted with acrylics until I got the basic tone. Then I used color pencils and then more brush to give it the wood texture.

And, after that, I waxed it with and old candle, until it was shinny and perfect.

As usual, only a little part of all the floor can be seen in the final image, but I couldn't risk it been too small.

Then the window. That was fun, just cutting and gluing different sizes of balsa.

Later it was going to be primed and painted.

Here you can see the sculpted elements, my frog Ruperto, a little RC car, and my daughter's body. In the pic they are primed... I had a problem there, since I was painting with acrylics, and I couldn't find a new primer, I used white enamel painting... a disaster! The enamel never dried, and as expected, it was hard for the acrylics to cover it well. So some thinner... and the enamel was gone. I had to re-primer with white paint. It worked well at the end...

A general test view. The letters are and old set of 3D letters for movie credits that as a kid I stole from my grandfather!

Painting miniatures it's been a big hobby for me, so this was fun. The little RC car ended well.

Same with Ruperto.

Here a finished view of the window and the wall.

In a previous image, you can see a yellow masking tape... I was going to use it to mask parts of the wall and paint a different tone, but the tape was translucent... it looked good... and it stayed.

The floor looks nice, don't you think?

Here an almost complete group, testing lights, perspective and all that stuff.

For the final image, the one that ended in photoshop, I needed the group without the wall and window, ad I needed the wall without the group, so I could edit the image better.

This is the image that went to the final edition. That thing in my hand is a led light with some blue paper to try to create some blue reflections "from the window" in the elements.

Some times I wish I had a real photographic studio.

And here the selected photo of Olivia.

All the rest is photoshop edition, adding sky and the star in the window, correcting colors, masks and all that stuff.
It was fun, and I think it was worth all the work.
I should start giving away the printed cards this week, but as usual, if you visit this blog, you might get to see things first.

I really hope you like it, and all this info is of some use or amusement to you!

Have a good time this year end, and be happy!

Argiroo

2008-11-28T16:16:00.007-05:00

New concept for a tempera illustration.

Sit!

2008-11-28T15:30:00.003-05:00

A quick drawing for a pre-Christmas dinner invitation.

Ok, ok, I'm sitting.

What are you going to give me?

Naranjas / Oranges bottle

2008-11-24T22:16:00.003-05:00

Well, this is a sample, to test the glue (not working well, the glass is a problem), the ink, the humidity in the fridge...

But is how is going to be at the end.

Naranjas / Oranges final

2008-11-24T19:35:00.002-05:00

Is finished.

Some straight hours, until 3am, did the trick.

As I said before, is all tempera.

First time in years that I do complete illustration in tempera, and boy, how I enjoyed it!

I like watercolors a lot, but they really don't match my way of thinking when illustrating, tempera does, completely.

I can go up and down on the colors/saturation scale, with no problem.

Now I have to do something really challenging, I have some images in my head walking around...

Other thing I love of this, is that you can work small with tempera, and do a lot of fine detail. Like the old illuminated manuscripts, that I love.

I will post a picture of the "de Naranjas" label on the marmalade bottle when ready.

sketching

2008-11-20T15:20:00.003-05:00

Naranjas / Oranges

2008-11-19T22:35:00.003-05:00

My wife is planning to give as a gift to some people homemade orange marmalade, and is my job to do the label.

So, to reintroduce myself to the world of tempera, I'm doing it with that technique.

Here some process pics of the project.

All the label, is simple.

Background texture detail.

After some time, more color.

Part of the background are the little oranges and slices.

This is going to print very small, just 3cm /1.4inches high, so not a lot of detail there, just the basics.

All on all, I'm loving working again with tempera.

More wip and comments in the near future, I'm just too sleepy now to keep writing.

Tempera: old friends, new friends

2008-11-16T20:13:00.006-05:00

I love illustrating with tempera, but is something I don't do since... sheeesss... almost 20 years now? at least not seriously.

Is a real pity.

But well, what you see on top of these lines, are my old temperas. They were almost all Pelikan, with some Talens here and there... However that needs clarifying. I had my own temperas, and I also had my father's, from when he worked in design and publicity. That means that this day my temperas are like 20-23 years old, but my fathers are at least 30-35 years old.

Oh man, that is a long time.

It hurts.

My surviving temperas (I did a cleaning some months ago) are almost ok, usable without problems, maybe some mold to be cleaned. However my father ones are solid like dinosaur bones. But, Tempera is like a phoenix, just the oposite. I mean, add some water, and enough

patience and you might get enough pigment there to paint something.

However, as usual, the surviving colors are not the more useful, and I don't have time to apply CPR to some paleolithic paints, so I did a trip to my local art store to look for temperas.

Well, is sad, but Pelikan not longer produce Temperas, at least not the profesional kind, only the primary school type. And that is not what I need.

The only quality option I had is Talens, but here they don't handle the entire color line, but at least whoever is importing them, have a good brain and I found all the basic colors.

I bought the 16ml/0.5 fl.oz. (small bottles) presentation of the 10 colors I found. Well, I actually found also a brown sienna, but mix browns is not a complicated science.

I remember the feeling that painting with temperas was like painting with cream, I will keep you posted to see what changed after almost half my life.

Oranges in process

2008-11-14T19:20:00.002-05:00

A label sketch for a limited edition handmade christmas marmalade.

street sketch

2008-11-14T19:11:00.003-05:00

...while waiting for my wife to arrive.

It's been a long time since I did one of this, and the truth is that I love drawing...

Christmas card WIP 5 (layers!)

2008-11-06T13:57:00.004-05:00

A quick peek at the almost final card.

I think I'll left this here for now. Christmas is coming, quickly, so you will have to wait for final image...

...after that, or maybe at the same time, I'll also post more process images.

Hoping that they are of some interest to you, of course.

Christmas card text update

2008-10-22T10:30:00.002-04:00

No picture this time.

Just a couple of lines to tell you, my lonely reader, that the card is going well. I'm finishing the mini RC car that is part of the group, I guess it will be ready tomorrow.

Actually, I'm advancing more than expected because I changed my work hours... I'm getting up at 6am to work for at least 45 minutes each morning before starting the day. Is not much, but working at night after coming from work is almost impossible this days.

And I kind of like working at this hour, is quiet, and the little girl is still sleeping.

Of course now I'm falling asleep at the office.

Christmas card WIP 4

2008-10-16T10:35:00.002-04:00

A partial group shot.

Is looking good!

Yes, is a little out of focus.

It was taken this morning on the run.

Sorry.

Christmas card WIP 3

2008-10-14T11:50:00.003-04:00

If you come often to this little blog, you will know Ruperto, my frog.

Well, he will be included in this year Christmas card, as a plush toy in the image I'm doing.

But actually not done on plush (I'll love to do him some day in plush!). He is sculpted in sculpey, and I just finished painting it.

I think he will have a matte coat... that's for later.

The light is too harsh here, he is darker than the picture looks.

One piece ready, more to come.

Christmas card WIP 2

2008-09-26T15:36:00.004-04:00

Christmas card WIP

2008-09-25T14:54:00.004-04:00

IF: Detach / Meditating

2008-08-15T18:48:00.005-04:00

Did I tell you that I have a new office?
With a door, and view to the park?
I didn't?

Well, it help me focus, you now, to detach me from the rest of the world, and do my job.

Happier now.

Dwarf munny beard

2008-08-05T22:36:00.002-04:00

Here first pictures of the painting... just started.
And some changes to the helmet, the design on it, and the eyes.

Sculpey Creature N1

2008-06-18T18:33:00.002-04:00

Number 1 is ready.
Is weird, I know.
I like it.

Quimera

2008-06-13T17:42:00.001-04:00

More, a little better.

Quimera

2008-06-05T19:09:00.002-04:00

pulpez

2008-06-05T10:06:00.004-04:00

flickr

2008-05-29T11:39:00.004-04:00

Just a quick note, I just created a flickr account, and I'll be posting there my pictures.
Is not going to replace this blog, just complement it.

If you go that way, take a look.

I'm adding a permanent link in my "go and see".

Batimovil

2008-05-24T22:14:00.002-04:00

A little surprise I found while in the supermarket.
I just couldn't resist, I had the original one, big, with ejecting seat and all when I was a kid.

Oh, the memories...

Hot Wheels Batimovil.

Sculpey creatures

2008-05-08T18:24:00.004-04:00

Well, continuing on my Sculpey saga...
After baking at the same time both little creatures, and waiting to be at the office to be able to take pictures (the batteries of my camera at home died after 4 years), here I'm.

...one thing... I felt that the SF hardened quickly once out of the oven, but I have no proof of that.

Actually, I had to take the pictures twice... why? well...
SS and its translucency is a problem to the autofocus of the camera. SF been flat grey is ok, no problems there.

As you can see in the pictures, the SS creature have like a "glow", is hard to see clearly the details.
Now, as I said, these are small sculpts, 3.5 to 4 cm (1.5 inches).

Don't try to get much sense for the creatures, they don't have a head yet, so they are really weird.

No much more to say, really for now.

Kids, don't do this at home

2008-05-08T14:23:00.005-04:00

Or in any other place.

Not pretty, eh?

What I did was some experiment baking two different kinds of Sculpey in a small electric oven I have in my workshop, I selected what I think was the lower setting and put 15 minutes in the timer...
And that is the result. Too much hot, the sculpey almost burnt... well, remove the "almost". The skin tone sculpey is dark brown, and the grey is black. And it have bubbles, and marks... ugly.

Burn and learn.

Super Sculpey vs Sculpey Firm

2008-05-05T23:02:00.004-04:00

I'm doing a side by side comparison between Super Sculpey and the new Sculpey Firm.
For that I'm creating a pair of weird creatures, aprox the same size, like 3x3x3 cm. So not really big.

No pictures yet, but soon.

For now, my first impressions.

SS is very nice, I like it a lot. Even with the weird feeling I have while working it. Is soft, and part of me think is too soft, and is going to melt, or fall apart, or deform under its own weight. Of course nothing of that happens, but that is the feeling I have. SO is great, but is taking me a little time to get used to it.
But the big problem I have with SS, and what made me try SF, is the color.
Well, not exactly the color, but the slight translucency it have. I usually work in small formats, and that translucency is a problem. Is very hard to see, for example, my fingerprints, or small irregularities in the surface. I did some very basic shapes to test the material at first, and not until I base coated it, I noticed a lot of details that I didn't want.

On the other hand, SF was created thinking in solving exactly those problems, or at least that is what the box says. The 50% gray color shows without problems my fingerprints and all the other little things I want to avoid, and I can fix before baking. And is soft, but no so soft. I can work with it as easily as SS, but I don't have that weird feeling I described.
For now, Looks like SF is more my style, but I'm just starting to know both, so that last word is far from said.

I'll keep you posted, and I'll try to post pictures of my creatures soon.

Ruperto

2008-04-18T16:45:00.003-04:00

just sketching...

about time, perfection an failure.

2008-04-11T17:04:00.002-04:00

I don't have much time to do personal work.
I paint an sculpt and draw by minutes, stolen between home chores and office work.
And that's kind of Ok now, one do what one can with the time.
However there is a consequence, there is little time to experiment, because to experiment you need to try, and to make mistakes, and to fail. And that means start again, and see how it goes this time...
But, since there is not time to experiment, and one try to squeeze all the possible value to the little time, one expect that the thing one is doing is perfect at the first -and probably only- try.
And that is obviously impossible.
Even trying to replace the experimentation process in real life with simulated experimentation in the mind, like in a computer simulation program, the results are not going to be the same. The mind can be fantastic, however creating an unexpected result base in unknown factors is kind of impossible... maybe dreaming?
So I see all this fantastic work in the web, vinyl toys, illustrations... and I know that the process to all this is long, and full of mistakes, and changes... awesome process...
...that I don't have time to have. Then I try to jump directly to the final piece.
I'm so destined to fail!

So if you have little, little and fragmented time, in what should you focus it?
just exploring, experimenting without a clear focus? lots of fun... but to do it you need more continuos time, to "flow"
Plan a project, and process it until it end? Leaving all other stuff aside... and with the risk of getting bored, saturated.
or what?

...I'm tired now, maybe I'll continue this rant other day.

Myst games

2008-04-07T18:13:00.001-04:00

Somebody knows Myst like games online?
You know, wandering around, solving puzzles, story driven...

If you know some, please give a link?

Thanks

Dwarf mini munny line

2008-04-03T22:58:00.004-04:00

Line version, after working a little with the marker.
Is dirty, but it really doesn't matter much, I already washed it with liquid soap... it didn't help a lot with the smears, but not is not greasy, I should start painting it soon, that will take time since I have to that at home.

Let's see how it goes.

And I have no idea how I'm going to paint it, yet.

Dwarf mini Munny 3

2008-04-03T13:02:00.005-04:00

Smirk it is.
I like it, it gives more character to the dwarf.

And I think I'll work first with marker, a thin one. And the final lines over all the paint will go with brush.

Marker or Brush

2008-04-02T18:19:00.004-04:00

I think is time to start the next level on my munny.
I'm planning to trace the color pencil lines in black, using a marker, or a brush.
I think I'm preferring the brush idea, I trust more the acrylic paint, and the line will be more interesting, and more control in the details.
However I find hard or almost impossible to erase the pencil lines on the Munny. I used mainly caran d'ache watercolor pencils... they are supposed to be soft... mmm... looks like I'll have to paint over the pencil, I have no idea what will happen when I start adding color.

But you know I'll keep you posted.

Dwarf mini Munny 2

2008-04-02T15:02:00.004-04:00

A mini (hehe) update.
Some changes in the face, but not totally convinced yet...

Dwarf mini Munny

2008-04-01T19:17:00.005-04:00

Since it came with an Axe, and I was a dwarf player in my fantasy games... hard to avoid.
And extremely fun!

First step on the process...
I think I have to change some stuff yet, the eyes on the helmet... not totally satisfied.

Olivia and Trapos

2008-03-27T14:39:00.002-04:00

Delivered!

Trapos / Scrump FINAL!

2008-03-23T21:00:00.005-04:00

Ok, it took more time and work than expected, but Sol did it.
Is just perfect, at least for us.
Take a look:

We hope you like it.
And we sure hope Olivia like it!
A couple of days to know.

Trapos / Scrump

2008-03-23T20:51:00.002-04:00

More process...
Final pattern, after a lot of try and error, and final materials.

Lilo & Stitch: Scrump / Trapos

2008-03-23T02:45:00.004-04:00

Lilo and Stitch is one of the best animated movies ever created by Disney, I love it.
Well, maybe because is so not Disney...

Anyway, Olivia disvored my movie, and now she can't live without it, so as I said before, we are making a Trapos (the doll name in spanish) for her birthday.
Is wasn't as easy as we expected, the head shape was a challenge, but I think we nailed it.
I'll try to post more pictures soon, but for the poor sould that have no idea of what I'm talking about, here comes a picture the Lilo with her beloved doll.

Now that I remember, at the end it is transformed in to a bomb!
Hehehehehehehe...

Trapos / Scrump

2008-03-20T15:27:00.006-04:00

My daughter, Olivia, is a BIG fan of Lilo & Stitch.
I'm nor exaggerating when I say that she easily have seen the movie 50 times.
So we decided to make a trapos / scrump for her in her third birthday.
Because, as you obviously know, that doll is extremely rare and hard to find.

Is not ready yet, but here you can see some images of the process...

I'm doing the pattern, but the actual sewing and cutting and all the rest is being done by Sol, my wife.
Here you can see her hands in action!

This is the first prototype in a generic fabric.
We need to fatten it a little more, the head have to change also, the next cutting pattern should be the final one, her birthday is next week!

I'll keep you posted.

sculpting with sculpey

2008-03-19T13:32:00.003-04:00

First thing working with Sculpey.
I'll have to post a longer post with my impressions of it.
Anyway, this is obviously a WIP thingy, let's see how it ends.

Brilliant Spears

2008-03-14T17:41:00.004-04:00

After FACA ended, I forgot to post my fighter, here he is, Brilliant Spears.
All done in vectors, old good Freehand.

Do you like it?

Spam

2008-03-12T17:37:00.004-04:00

I'm starting to get spam in my comments, is that a good sign?
I don't see much movement in my blog, maybe 10 visits at day, as an average.
Looks like that's enough to attract some attention.

If that keeps happening, I'll have to activate the letters/numbers thingy.
What a pain.

Happy Birthday to meeeeee!

2008-03-05T11:10:00.003-05:00

Wow...
40 years.

I'll keep the deep meditations for other day, now the mission is to keep the happiness of my day running.
And to enjoy my gifts!

Do my wife know me, or what?

To this add a couple of nice shoes that I'm wearing right now, and a fantastic Dragons book gift of Ramon.
All going good.

tokidoki

2008-02-29T10:32:00.003-05:00

Isn't she cute?

Meet this guy

2008-02-26T14:11:00.002-05:00

I think I never posted this.

An idea for a sculpt.

Scrapbook

2008-02-07T12:49:00.000-05:00

I think I'll start using these blog as a scrapbook for references to project ideas.

Here some fireflies/luciernagas captured on the web.

tea bag autopsy

2008-02-06T14:35:00.000-05:00

Well, it wasn't dead, so torture is more fitting?
Or just deconstructing?
Analysis?

Anyway...

What for?
I let you guess.

Happy Rat

2008-02-04T17:32:00.000-05:00

Put away the mouse trap, bring on the cheese.

Sketchs

2008-01-28T17:45:00.000-05:00

As I said in the twitter feed, I was in a convention the last three days of last week.
It was good, but good parts of it didn't apply to me, so I did what we usually do.

2008

2008-01-08T16:28:00.000-05:00

Looks like it was yesterday that everybody was so exited about arriving to 2000.
Now is 8 years later!

But for me, is not going to really start until 7 of february, is going to be the year of the Rat, and is supposed to be a good year for us monkeys.
Not that the pig was bad, but it was just exhausting... I'm totally drained, I feel like I ran after the pig in the pigpen full of mud... slipping, almost caching it, falling again, getting up, running again... repeat.

So I need to do a Rat drawing, soon.
That will be my first drawing of 2008.
2+0+0+8=10=1

Let's take the 1 as a new beginning, after all the Rat is the first sign of the Chinese horoscope.

May the force be with you all.

Jack puppies

2007-12-08T18:44:00.000-05:00

Well, a new post...
But is not about illustration!

My dog is a new Dad!
He just had a couple of pretty male dogs, two days old.
Here you can see them with the mother, Misky.
One is going to be ours, but his future is uncertain at the moment, there are several people interested in him.

They are sooo cute!
More pictures in the near future.

Xmas!

2007-12-05T18:00:00.000-05:00

This is, likely, the last post of the year in this little blog.
If there is a new one, I'm pretty sure it will not include any kind of illustration.

So, this have to have one illo, don't it?
Well, here it is, the official Christmas card for this year.
Done kind of quickly and in parts using my lunch time.

I wish a good and fun time for everybody, with your family and friends.
Give good gifts!

And be happy.

See you around.

merry merry

2007-12-04T15:44:00.000-05:00

Not my oficial card, just a previous try.
The final one is nicer, believe me!

Stikfas

2007-11-07T11:09:00.000-05:00

My dear dear friend Ramon the other day came to my home with a gift.
A Stikfas!
Man, I really really really like this thing.
I wanted one the first time I saw it on the web, I think years ago. But they don't sell them here...

Now is permanently guarding my MacBook Pro at the office.
You can pose him as you like. Really, is the most poseable human like toy I know, at least at this size.
I'm torn between leaving him like this, or making clothes and some accessories.
But for now he is happy here.

Thanks Ramon!

FACA4

2007-11-07T10:21:00.000-05:00

FACA4 will be starting next week...
I'm in a team with Tyler and Patty (my syster).
This will be interesting.

Sadly, by the rules we can't tell you which one is our team, so you just go and vote for the ones you like.
I hope we can pass at least to the second round, I have the idea that this FACA is going to be really tough.

May the force be with us!

green fractals

2007-10-04T10:27:00.000-04:00

Ok, I was buying some stuff yesterday when I found this:

I don't know you, but it was the first time I saw this plant.
I'm fascinated by it. Obviously I bought it, I don't know if at home they are going to cook it (is some time of coliflor), but I needed to take some reference pictures.

The natural fractal structure is fascinating...
Love it.

Elepez final

2007-10-02T10:55:00.000-04:00

IF: Open

The Frog King of the Sky was open to suggestions about what to ride to the big King of the Elelements Meeting, but he was really surprised when his adviser, the Avetuga, suggested the Old Elepez Matriarch as a ride.
But after thinking a little, he agreed.
Now he is sure to cause an impression at his arrival.

Sadly, I can't participate in the show... Not in the USA, and plan to hang this in my daughter room.

If you want to see a series of WIP images, go to the main page of the blog, you can see from sketch to this finished illo there.

UPDATE: Picture of the Elepez frammed and hanging in my daughter's room, below.

................................

This is a quick picture taken this morning to use natural light.
Not the best photo in the world, but will have to do.

I'm happy with it, is the first big illustration in years that I do.
Size: 52x36 cm / 20.5x14 inches
Winsor & Newton watercolors, Faber Castell PITTs for the lines and some white gouache for lights and details.

I really hope you like it.

The image is big, so click it if you want to see it with more detail.
The plan is to frame it and hang it in my daughter's room.
Maybe I'll update this with a picture when ready.

Well, updated.
Olivia likes it a lot!

Now, is really over.
Next, time to start thinking about the Christmas card. Zero ideas so far.

Elepez pre-line

2007-09-24T23:03:00.000-04:00

This is the real last update before the final image, here is before the line work. As I said in other post, I'm going to work the lines with the PITTs, not with brushes and watercolor.
Well, I'm actually working with the PITTs now, and I think is going well. I get scared by moments, but I'm learning quickly, more than the line I get worried about the limited color palette. However the colors combine well.

And that's all for now, I was -I'm still a little- sick, so is time for bed.

Elepez Evolution

2007-09-18T12:43:00.000-04:00

I think is really hard to see the evolution of the illustration post by post, so I played a little with Slide and did a small gallery with the images of the WIP.

Enjoy, and sorry if it takes some time to load!

more Elepez

2007-09-17T14:36:00.000-04:00

It keeps going...
The watercolor part will be finished soon, then is a white watercolor work, for some lights and texture, and then the line, in which I plan to experiment a little and use PITTs instead of traditional brushes. Should give me more color control in the lines.

I guess I won't do more updates until is finished...
Scaaarrryyyyy....

Elepez WIP 3

2007-09-09T09:16:00.001-04:00

Elepez WIP

2007-09-03T14:39:00.001-04:00

Still far from over...

Elepez WIP textures

2007-08-29T15:32:00.000-04:00

First stages of the Elepez texture work.

Elepez WIP

2007-08-29T15:28:00.001-04:00

Not the best pictures in the world, some shadows over the board, but well...

Time

2007-08-28T16:10:00.000-04:00

6:45 -wake up, take a shower, help Sol with Olivia
7:30 -start making breakfast
8:00 -take Olivia to school, walk Jack (the dog) to the park, Sol takes a long walk, I go back home with Jack.
8:35 -get ready and drive Nikita (my scooter) to work
9:00-1:00 -work
1:00-2:30 -lunch -draw a little, yeah baby!-

2:30-6:30 -work

6:30 -drive home

7:00-9:30 -play with Olivia, have some dinner

9:30-10:10 -walk Jack to the park

10:15 -try to make Olivia sleep

10:40 -work on Elepez, maybe for half an hour or a little more.

11:30 -fall dead-sleep on bed, until tomorrow...

That is a typical week day, on weekends the thing is not much different, so in one week, if all goes well, I can work on personal projects for like 7 or 8 hours, in small chunks.

I'm starting to really use that time, is hard, sometimes I'm really tired and sleepy before starting to paint, but painting is intoxicating, it gives me energy and awakes me.

If I keep doing this, who knows, maybe I will finish something and stop doing just sketchs.

And Olivia will have something done for her father in her room.

I'll post some WIP as soon as I get my camera back, is too big to scan.

The Earthquake I didn't feel

2007-08-22T16:02:00.000-04:00

Several visitors to this little Blog have show concern about myself and my family about the recent earthquake here in Peru. So I think I own them some words, and thanks for their worries.

You all already know what happened, last week the coast of Peru had the worst earthquake in decades. I was little but I remember the one of '74, the last big one of the zone, more than 30 years ago. Until last week all was peace here.
But peace is a bad adviser, and poor people is never prepared for disaster.
It was bound to happen, we live a very seismic zone, in the circle of fire of the Pacific, little tremors are normal, a little earthquakes are more or less expected from time to time.

However this time was different.

At 6:41pm I was going back to home, riding my scooter, when I stopped at a trafic light. But something was... weird. People seemed restles, and a guy in front of me was partially out of his car. Then I noticed, my bike was moving, a little, like rocking. I looked up and there was the confirmation: the cables and lamp posts were moving like crazy.

"Shit, and earthquake" I thought.
"And Sol (my wife) is alone at home with Olivia (our 2 year old daughter)"

The light changed to green and I started full speed to home, at least 15 minutes away.
At half way, maybe 5 minutes later, I stopped and tried to call home, but all cellphones lines where dead. No luck there, so back to the road. The earthquake was already over, but people where outside buildings, filling the streets, and trafic was starting to get really chaotic.

God bless my little motorcycle!

I arrived home.
Sol had managed to carry the sleeping Olivia and let go outside Jack, our beagle, and by the time I arrived, she was in one of ours neighbors apartment in the first floor, and Olivia was playing with theirs son.
Just at that moment I had some idea of how strong the earthquake had been, because I really didn't feel it more that some seconds... and not until the news starting coming from the south, the real price the earth asked this time was known.

So, at the end, appart form some fear and panic, some crooked paints and stuff on the floors, all was fine and well at home. Nobody fell the stairs or something similar.

But some fear still lingers, small quakes pop from time to time, some so light that you have to look to a glass door to see the reflection moving, others strong enough to make you pick up the kids and start walking out.

Other places have Floods, Twisters or Hurricanes, we have Earthquakes.
I just hope next time we are going to be better prepared.

Again, thanks to everybody for your kind works and concern.

avetuga reference

2007-08-21T16:52:00.001-04:00

Color tests

2007-08-20T15:46:00.001-04:00

Just some basic color combinations, looking for a palette...

ele reference

2007-08-20T12:14:00.000-04:00

For skin texture and color reference.

IF Captain

2007-08-17T15:39:00.000-04:00

Ruperto is the Captain of the "Turtle".
Proudly the slowest boat this side of the Pacific.

IF: Emergency

2007-08-15T15:44:00.000-04:00

The "Flying Luck" had to fail sometime...

Some changes

2007-08-14T18:33:00.000-04:00

Well, yes, that.
I mean, the banner...
yup, new.
Up there.
after some HTML fight, I won.
I know is supposed to be easy, but it wasn't.

I prefer complicated things.

Now back to work.

Avetuga

2007-08-13T15:26:00.001-04:00

Rana y Elepez

2007-08-09T15:29:00.000-04:00

Elepez

2007-08-09T14:19:00.000-04:00

Stains

2007-07-24T11:24:00.000-04:00

I found this on Drawn, and it reminded me of something Sol and I did some years ago.
Cleaning ours fountain pens the napkins captured surreal scenes, and we started looking for meaning in them...

Here some of the images, feel free to see in them what you want.
What did we saw?
Look at the bottom of the post.

In order:

Alice in Wonderland, Cricket match with the Queen
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon -fight in the bambu forest top
Fisherman in winter
Great Expectations, drinking from the water fountain
Labyrinth, dance inside the bubble
Message in a bottle, in the beach shore

So, what do you see?

Long gone, back & news

2007-06-27T11:32:00.000-04:00

It's been loooong since my last post.
I just didn't have time to write, and less to draw or anything related to Cronicas.

But I took last week off, vacations, holiday... free time, just not working, and not sitting in front of the computer.
And I used that time to enjoy my Fathers day gift: a new work space.
We decided that since the studio is computer related and soon to be also a gest room, I needed a space for my hobbies stuff, that are usually paint/glue/dremer/powertools and dirty related.
So, a little room that was used as a storage room got selected for the rasformation.
A visit to the local hardware store and i was ready to drill and cut and sweat and curse to the process.

But victory was my reward!

Is not totally ready yet, I'm in the process to gather all my stuff and organize it.
But I'm happy, and looking forward for a time to use the space and create... what? I have no real idea now. But something always come from the mad doctor lab.

So, here a quick picture.
Is a small space, but is mine, I did it, and I like it.

Zul is gone

2007-05-25T17:41:00.000-04:00

Just a note: I deleted my other blog, the one in which I was posting chapters of my unfinished book "Demonios!".
I'm just unable to update somethings as simple as that, just copy and paste, and not even then...

So, is gone.

I will try to keep this one alive.

IF: Neighbors

2007-05-06T23:40:00.000-04:00

I'm not linking this to IF, yet.
I'll try to color it before that...

It is also a technique test.

simple drawing...

2007-05-06T23:38:00.000-04:00

IF: Polar

2007-04-20T15:39:00.000-04:00

A mix of things.

If you check my blog once in a while, you know that I just illustrated a mermaid, and I linked it to IF: Green.
Well, I really liked the design of her, and decided to use her as a base for a new illo, one to continue the Mythos series, that was paralyzed until now.
So here is a look in to the process. For just a coincidence, I decided to put the mermaid in a polar environment, she is wearing a coat of seal to handle the cold, she is after all a tropic mermaid.
And, as a good girl, she is looking at her image in a ice mirror.

Hope you like it, and any comment in the composition will be welcome.

Sirena final / IF: Green

2007-04-08T22:02:00.000-04:00

Well, she is called Esmeralda, which is a green jewel!
(sorry IF friends, I have no other thing to post, and I just finished this. Forgive me!)

At last the Sirena is finished.
I like it, but is different that my normal style, I mixed some weird colors for the border lines... kind of groovy, I think.
This is an experiment that I like, Is not perfect yet, but getting there.

Click in it for a really big image, and see the color linework with more detail.
Any comment will be welcome.

Virginia, no estoy seguro si esto funcione como esta para un tatuaje, creo que necesita un trabajo de linea mas fuerte, pero la verdad como me gusta a lo que llegue, ahi queda.
Estoy seguro de que si consigues un buen tatuador, puede trabajar con esto de base y lograr algo mas adecuado.
Espero te sirva.

Sirena color WIP 2

2007-04-05T17:44:00.000-04:00

Not finished yet...