The Alchemist - Sueños de interfaz

I just received a sample from Sueños de Interfaz by Vladimir Hernandez. My piece The Alchemist was used for the cover art of this great selection of short sci-fi stories: a woman trapped in the routine of a biopunk future, Infoverses and a post-singularity entities at the verge of the human civilisation schism, the sharp chronicle of a group of Rap stars in a safari in the Cretaceous Period... Hmm, I already want to read it again!
________

Acabo de recbir un ejemplar de Sueños de Interfaz de Vladimir Hernández. Mi imagen El Alquimista fue utilizada como portada de esta magnífica selección de cuentos de ciencia ficción: una mujer atrapada en la rutina de un inminente futuro biopunk, Infoversos y entidades post-singularidad al borde del cisma de la civilización humana, la crónica mordaz de un grupo de raperos en el período cretácico... hmm, ya tengo ganas de leerlo de nuevo!

The Moon Dynasty

I have always loved the drawings of Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, even more than his paintings. It was not only his incredible ability to capture people's expressions and psychology which fascinates me, but the modern approach to background sketching and use of frames. They all look very fresh and traditional at the same time.
That was the main inspiration behind The Moon Dynasty which in the process turned into something different. The chrome spherical helmet... no, I don't have any idea where it came from. Funny that while the main focus on Ingres compositions was the face I completely hide this one from you.
_____

Siempre me han gustado los dibujos de Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, incluso mucho mas que sus pinturas. No es solo su increíble habilidad de capturar las expresiones y sicología de la gente lo que me fascina, sino la manera moderna en que desarrolla los bordes y fondos, lucen modernos y tradicionales al tiempo.
Esa fue la principal inspiración detrás de The Moon Dynasty, que el porceso se fue transformando en algo diferente. El caso esférico cromafo... no, no tengo idea de cómo llegué a eso. Es curioso que mientras en la obra de Ingres los rostros son el foco central en mi caso yo lo escondo de ustedes.

El patio de mi casa

I was visiting my parents in Cuba on last December. For the first time in a while I finally could sit down there on the backdoor entrance of their house and draw the backyard in front of me, everybody else taking a nap in the warm afternoon.
_____________

En diciembre de 2009 estuve en Cuba visitando a mis padres. Por primera vez en mucho tiempo pude sentarme en la puerta de atrás y dibujar el patio mientras todos los demás en la casa tomaban una siesta en la cálida tarde.

The Dreams Machine - Spectrum 16

Spectrum 16 is out now and I'm more than happy to have my image The Dreams Machine selected to be part on this magnificent book featuring the best of contemporary Fantasy Art. It is my first time in the book and  I'll try to have something good to submit for next year edition, I'll definitively have to rise the bar, so many inspiring good art in this book is pure fuel for the imagination.
_________

Spectrum 16 acaba de ser publicado y estoy muy contento de que mi imagen La máquina de los sueños haya sido seleccionada para formar parte de este magnífico libro de arte fantástico contemporáneo. Es mi primera vez en el anuario e intentaré tener algo bueno que enviar para la siguiente convocatoria. Definitivamente habrá que subir la parada, tanto buen arte en este libro es puro combustible para la imaginación.

Imagine FX Steampunk Workshop

I recently did a workshop for Imagine FX, a fantastic magazine on digital art. I frequently read their tutorials which has been extremely helpful to develop my works so I'm happy to contribute with my own creation this time. The topic was Steampunk so once again I was doing research and boiling with ideas about turn of the century devices and characters. The resulting image is The Shifter here. Check out IFX website for more information and cool images.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

It's been a while since I updated the blog for the last time. I promise it will be more often from now on. This here is the jacket art I did for The Young Reader's Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night's Dream published this month by Sterling Publishing. It was a huge project with more than 30 interior illustrations depicting the hallucinating characters and environments from this magical night. It was very demanding but I'm more than happy with the result.

Desert Watch

I recently went to Montreal, Quebec and I didn't miss the opportunity to search for some comic stores there. I love European comics and artists but they are very difficult to find at home in Toronto where North American publications are the standard. I didn't have too much expectations so I was surprised to find 40 days dans le Desert B from Moebius, one of my favorite artists and influences of all. The book is awesome, his clean drawings are more profound and deeply serene than ever and what I though was just a collection of individual drawings is really a story told in the visual pace of The Eyes of the Cat. Makes you want to return to the simple beginnings with just a pen, a white piece of paper and all the time in the world.

Oracles of Delphi Keep

Hi there! It's been awhile since my last post. Busy, busy, busy on some new projects. But I realize I haven't post this cover I made some time ago for Victoria Laurie novel Oracles of Delphi Keep for Random House. It was a great book to illustrate. I loved the mood, the settings and characters. Very inspiring. The team work with the art director Vikki Sheatsley was great. I really enjoy every time I'm in a project where I have to develop type and graphic elements for the design, not just the illustration, in this case the creation of the title banner and the ancient coin with the two main characters embossed on it that became an icon of the series.

Sleeping Beauty on EXPOSE 7

I finally received my copy of EXPOSE 7! Awhile ago I participated in one of the traditional CGNetwork digital art challenges. That time the topic was Steampunk, Myths and Legends so I have to be there. The contest was great, the bar rises for every new challenge and the result is always a lot of talented people gathering together, collaborating and giving feedback in an effort to create new amazing images and video. I wanted to create a story more than just an image so I tried to add depth and background to the characters and elements on the scene. Once the contest ended I submitted my Sleeping Beauty for consideration on EXPOSE 7, an annual collection of the finest digital art in the world. I was accepted in the category of Storytelling and now it is published next to some other images that immerse the viewer in an unfolding story. If you would like to see and read a work in progress for the image please follow the link of the contest page.

The Magic Thief 2

The Magic Thief, Lost is finally here! This is the sequel to The Magic Thief and it's been great to keep working on this series for Harper Collins making a new challenging jacket and designing new charming characters created by the author Sarah Prineas for the book. I also made a new map that added new lights to the Magic Thief cosmogony. Enjoy!