Thursday, May 11, 2023

Space Walk




 These scenes are from a children's book that I illustrated. There is a made up character of an unknown species left in a perfect garden. He wanders to the forest to discover a portal warping its surroundings. The inside is a window into deep space. Looking back one more time, he steps inside. He follows a rainbow road throughout space, seeing stunning views and meeting other strange creatures. This children's book is mainly just supposed to have silly, likeable characters and invoke an interest in space. 

The Tragic Ending

 



This graphic novel depicts a hero traveling a fictional city. There is a kind of minimalist, futuristic design to the city juxtaposed by Chinese pagodas and ancient Greek temples. The setting is meant to be maximalist, overwhelming, and impossible in the world today. As the hero approaches our point of view, he unsheathes his sword. His wardrobe is mysterious, yet he is clearly a warrior. His hood and flowing cape distinguish him in the composition, as well as his central location. Intricate details in his sword handle and sheath show that he is no beginner. His armor and biomechanical enhancements become apparent as well, compounding on our previous assumptions of him. The next frame shows an unclothed face, screaming in horror with dark liquid splattered on his right side. The final shot reveals the back of our hero, standing in front of a fruit stand. One of the pieces hanging from the ceiling has a flat bottom, juice still dripping out of the bottom from when our hero sliced it. 


This story merely exists for my entertainment to misguide you a little bit. While you may look to that last panel expecting violence, a gruesome beheading or amputation, you're left with a silly fruit stand man with juice on his face. The anticlimax is meant to make readers feel this kind of let down, but also look inwards to why they desire images of violence. Our world is flooded with conflict and violence, especially realistic, gruesome scenes in video games and movies. We react in horror to these yet have the desire to consume more. Perhaps after seeing this comic and being let down, readers will reevaluate why they feel this way.

Battle

 



I reworked a pre-existing photo with a group pose into an entirely new scene with new characters that maintain the original pose. I chose an image of some of my friends walking and turned it into a ragtag group of fighters approaching some thugs. 

Wednesday, May 10, 2023

Crudos Nikei, Wynwoodwalls






 

https://carlosllerena.com/WATERCOLORS-1


 

Denny's Coral Gables


 

Moon Thai's Getho


 

Wynwood, Design Disctrict.


 

juxtaposition

 


These are some sketches based on juxtaposition. I liked the idea of mixing together objects that would not typically go together in reality. It adds an element of comedy that makes the illustration feel unique. 

This type of method helped me see illustration in a different way. Now I feel inspired to use this method in the future.

The Peacock and the Blue Jay


This is a colored pencil drawing I did of a blue jay on the left trying to be a peacock but the peacock on the right was not happy about the fake feathers. I used a colored pencil layering technique mentioned from the lecture with different colors stacked on one another to create vibrant colors. It was the first time I used this method so it was interesting to see how it came out. The variety of colors add to the piece. I will definitely use this method in the future.
 

Model



This is a portrait painting I did of a model with watercolor paints. I like painting portraits because of the way I can bring volume to the piece by using shades. I used a bunch of different black watercolor paints layered throughout the piece which I had not done before so it was a different outcome than what I used to get previously. I did this piece based off of the lectures about the different portraits I saw in different lectures but in my own style. I will definitely use the layered painting technique in the future.

 

chiaroscuro puppy

The night was dark and stormy. Everything was soaked with water. The woods cannot even protect much of anything inside. A little puppy sits in the shed that is slightly intact in the forest. Sleeping, while awaiting the end of the storm.



This piece was fun to make. The china marker added this faded, gothic tone to the piece which added to the dark nature. This material made it even better for the chiaroscuro element in the piece. I liked learning about chiaroscuro method from our lectures that mentioned the method and different artists. An artist named Caravaggio inspired me within this method. I never used chiaroscuro with this material before so it was a different route for me but I think it came out well.



Sunday, May 7, 2023

mountaineering team


 Eric's mountaineering team got lost in the process of climbing the mountain. They kept shuttling between each mountain and could not find the exit.


 

Saturday, May 6, 2023

Watercolor children’s book


 This is my watercolor children’s book. The story of a bear who stole honey from a bee and fell asleep satisfied. The bees in the background are here to get revenge.

The United States,Russia, and Jordan have reached an agreement to support a ceasefire in the southwestern Syria.

 

The United States,Russia, and Jordan have reached an agreement to support a ceasefire in the southwestern Syria.

A man was sailing the a sailboat on the sea.

 
This painting is about the beach and the sea of my hometown Qingdao. A man was sailing the a sailboat on the sea.