Here’s a cover illustration I did for Topo Revue (France). They gave me full creative direction as they don’t make cover images related to specific articles but rather the theme of the magazine issue. I included the number 38 as a graphical element. They also requested if I could integrate the title with the illustration and I did as you see squiggles, shapes an egg, etc. I really enjoyed it!
Digital Art In Physical Spaces
Size: 3’x3’
Medium: Digital Print on Canvas.
Year: 2022.
Description: Originally Illustrated Digitally, a portrait of Connor Rivera. commissioned by his Father, Erny Rivera.
Recently I was asked to make a portrait of my client’s son. I’m always grateful to portray people’s loved ones but this piece in particular was a personal milestone because I had the opportunity to make what I would normally hand paint as a digital artwork.
The goal for this piece was to eventually hang it at the collector’s home, and I was able to do so through large-scale digital printing. This isn’t anything new in the world, but I haven’t had examples of my own artwork to show using this process. Relative to the length of my career, I’m still sort of new to digital art. I came from the time when the medium was in its infancy so a lot of my practice and training were through traditional media.
I've done plenty of smaller digital prints and publishing assignments but this was more in the realm of Murals, Interior Design Space, and Galleries where the art is more of a public display piece. What I like about the final result is that my intentions and the soul of the work don’t feel lost. My preference is the end result over the medium. I am more concerned with my ideas and concepts rather than which tools I use, so making a project like this illustrates how we can still be the same artists across various mediums.
For years I hesitated to ‘go digital’ and when I finally embraced the process I actually began to prefer it. I’m grateful that I still get my fair share of assignments, but one area that dropped off for me was making art for interior and exterior spaces. I’ve offered the option to people but without an example, it’s hard to envision a digital piece as something that can be used effectively in a physical space. I can’t wait to explore this further.
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View Drawing Process Videos for this piece Below.
Drawing Process Video 13
Here’s my latest Drawing Process Video. It’s a Face Study of Artist David Choe. This is part 1, I'll do another version with color, shapes, and graphics about him.
Detail + Process for an Upcoming Book Release
Here are some process shots and details for the Cover of a Book I worked on with Big Picture Press and author Patrick Kane. It was my first time illustrating an entire book! The release date is this year and is in the process of being printed at the time of this post. It will be a celebration of all that technology has achieved in prosthetics and implants. We were very intent on showing that humanity comes first in regards to these advancements. Can’t wait to share the cover and entire book with you!
10 Instagram Reels and TikTok ideas for Artists with Examples
Many artists seem frustrated that instagram is prioritizing short videos over static images or that they even have to use an app like TikTok to market their work. I get it, you already did a ton of work just to make a visual art piece and now you have to figure out how to be a videographer. However there are ways to make this work for us without adding too much to our already busy schedules.
After some adaptation into my own work flow, I have to say that I’m very excited about using short videos and documenting my work in general. I now have so many records of my process that I can reflect and improve on.
A big plus is that my pieces have a longer shelf life. In the past, my posting process was something like this: I would spend all this time creating a piece, then post a static image of it and then it would be done with a very short viewing window. This made me feel anxious to generate more pieces, (which I didn’t), but is not good because if someone went in that direction it could degrade the quality of their work. For example, with each illustration I would make around 1-2 posts. However with the added streams such as Reels, and TikToks I can yield up to 5 posts per project without feeling like I’m being too repetitive. This is because video has the potential to offer multiple perspectives on each piece, such as detailed pan shots, time lapse recordings, how-to demonstrations and artist talks.
It does what static images can’t, which is to provide a virtual studio visit. It makes us feel like we’re going through the creative journey with our favorite artists. On top of that, they show our work to a wider audience due to the fact that some people prefer these kind of platforms over others. Within instagram itself, some users only scroll Reels, and those are people who might have otherwise not seen my work that was posted as a static image. Here are some easy ways to make them flow with your work process.
1. PAN SHOT
One way to share your art through a Reel or TikTok is a pan shot. What Is a Pan Shot? In cinematography, a pan shot is a horizontal camera movement where the camera pivots left or right while its base remains in a fixed location. This shows viewers a detailed view of all the hard work you did! Here’s an example. VIEW >>
If your work is hand made, you simply pan over it with the camera but if it’s digital this could be challenging because of screen glare. In this case I suggest video editing software which I recommend below. See #4 How To Edit Your Videos.
2. SCREEN RECORDING
If you work digitally like I do, then you have the option to time lapse record all of the art making process on your screen. I use an app called Procreate to draw my illustrations and on there is an option to record a time lapse of my progression. It even gives you the option to download a shortened 30 second version which is great for converting into a Reel or TikTok. Here’s an example. VIEW >>
3. TIME LAPSE RECORDING
A time-lapse video is a video captured over a period of hours, days, weeks or even months and then sped up into minutes or seconds in order to show how quickly things change. If you work by hand or digital, you can record a video of yourself drawing or painting and then later edit it down to short time lapse clips. These can be videos of the entire process or just key moments while something is still in progress. Here’s an example. VIEW >> To make a one with a smart phone, there is a time lapse recording function built in, so find something to hold up your phone and make sure this mode is selected, press play and start!
4. HOW TO EDIT YOUR VIDEOS
I have a video, what is editing and how do I do it? Editing is required in order to make sure your reels and tiktoks are short and concise. When we record there is a lot of information that people don’t need to see, so we will need to cut it out and also speed up what we keep. Shortening the video to 10-30 seconds seems to be the preference (shorter is better). I use an editing software on my ipad called lumafusion. I am by no means a video expert which is why I landed on this easy to use app. It allows you to cut or speed up video content, add descriptions, and upload static photos to show final pieces. It is not the most extensive video editing software but good for what we do.
5. SHARE YOUR PERSPECTIVE AS AN ARTIST (OPTIONAL)
You definitely don’t have to do this but we enjoy when you do. Whether it’s a fan, collector, or fellow artist, we all want to check in to see how others approach creativity. Talk about life, the art industry, style, technique, and your studio setup/practice. This can be done with or without you in the video, just ask yourself how.
6. TAP INTO TRENDING EVENTS? (OPTIONAL)
I say this is optional because it’s not something that should be forced. If you have something to say with your art about a popular and relevant topic then you should! However if you’re work is not ordinarily representative of a certain subject then it could come off as being contrived so be careful with this. Try not to follow trends, instead try to create them!
7. DON’T BE AFRAID
Trying out new things is uncomfortable but is very important in order to find the right fit. There’s no set template for creating a reel or tiktok which is a great opportunity to figure out what’s best for you. You may see someone else’s method gaining many views and think that their approach must be the reason. What we don’t usually see is how many attempts it took them to build that popularity and how their style emerged during that process. Again, try not to follow trends, instead try to create them.
8. SHOOT VERTICAL
Reels and TikToks are a vertical format, so be sure to shoot 9:16 to make them immersive.
9. NO WATERMARKS
Don’t post a tiktok made video on instagram and vice versa. One example of this is seeing a ‘Reel’ on Instagram with a TikTok watermark logo. I often share the same content across many different social media platforms and this is fine as long as you’re not lazy about it. Don’t just post on one app and auto re-share it across multiple others. You should make content within your own device independent of in-app tools and then proceed to upload one by one as new posts rather than re-shares. This takes time but will help you since algorithms can detect recycled media.
10. FILM YOURSELF (OPTIONAL)
If you do this be genuine, approachable and look into the lens as if you and the viewer are chatting in person. We can all detect when someone is being insincere. With that being said, I choose not to film myself because I want to focus solely on displaying my art. Some people are natural public figures or teachers, but i’m not.
I hope these helped, and remember to make these work for you and not the other way around. Leave a comment or question below.
Illustration of Drew Barrymore for New Yorker Magazine
It’s funny because when NY Mag asks me to do illustrations for them they’re always for articles that criticize the person. Then I share these on social media and many people think i’m making ‘Fan Art’. Anyway here’s a fun one I did about Drew Barrymore. If you want to read the article here’s the LINK.
Timelapse Process video. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel for weekly videos.
Self-Portrait 2022
Me in the Year of 2022 at age 41.
Here’s a self-portrait I made for a book I worked on with Big Picture Press. They wanted illustrations of the Author, and Artist (me). I will share more details about this book when it is released.
Portrait of 2NES (Tunes) Uno + Process Videos
Illustration of 2NES UNO who is an artist and dancer. His partner, Marlee Hightower, who’s also a dancer commissioned this piece to honor him for his 30th Birthday. This project was a good opportunity to use portraiture to tell a story. I’m so grateful to have had total creative freedom on it and was excited to use images based on 2NES’ artwork.
CLICK ON IMAGE FOR FULL VIEW >>
The final piece was made into a 16” x 20” Giclee Print that Marlee had framed. I’ll update this post with how it turned out when it’s done.
Below are some videos documenting the process. They are broken up into 3 parts.
1) Color Roughs
2) Portrait Drawing
3) Finalizing Everything.
Part 1: Creating Color Ideas.
Part 2: Illustrating the Portrait (Face Only).
Part 3: Finalizing the piece with add-ons such as abstract shapes, graphics, and a Holographic representation of a character that 2NES draws in his work.
New Work
New piece titled, ‘I’m Not In Love’. I started painting this as a plein air study and ended up turning it into an actual project.
Si Se Puede
One of my best works, this piece is inspired by the historic context of Cesar Chavez's commitment to civil rights, activism, unionizing, and his stature amongst Chicanos.
I used Mexican tile as the background to illustrate motifs that relate to these themes. The tile composition is inspired by woven basket patterns which can be found from cultures everywhere but also speaks to the union of community and how the interlocking of one another creates strength. Aside from the cultural aspect of the tile, it also has a down to earth feel which points to the grassroots organizing that he was known for.
I added Nopales (cactus) in the background which reiterates his cultural ties but also emphasizes resilience and growth. In some of the tiles there are painted motifs, like a grape that is crossed out to signify one of his most famous civil rights actions which was the boycott of grapes. You'll also notice there are several tiles with Huelga birds that are repeated throughout. As you may know, the Huelga bird was the symbol for labor strike by the group he represented. I repeated them to signify the union of people across different work sites and was inspired by the phrase 'birds of a feather flock together'.
Some other smaller motifs are to show a sense of place...i.e. palm trees, California poppy, and roses for bloom. Finally, I designed his jacket with a sort of ribbed pattern which is inspired by bird feathers and the rows of crops that you see in farms.
There are two versions, Sky Blue background, and Earth (Golden Brown Background).
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