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  • Creating a whimsical illustration

    Creating a whimsical illustration

    When I draw something magical, I almost feel that magic. Later on I learned that when an illustration conveys this kind of magic in a way that awakens some sort of curiosity, you can describe it as whimsical.

    Storytelling, playful magic, a quaint character… that’s whimsy. I remember looking at old illustrated books when I was around six years old and feeling that magic.

    Later on, at around 13 or 14, I loved fairies. I almost drew them exclusively for a few years. Those magical little creatures.

    Then it was elves…

    One day, randomly this scene came to mind and while I was drawing it I felt that childhood magic. Like if when I was drawing it, I was copying it from real life– is this what inspiration actually means?

    Process

    Whimsical friendship - pencil sketch Artwork by Cynthia Lara
    Whimsical friendship – pencil sketch
    Artwork by Cynthia Lara
    2
    Whimsical friendship – background base
    Artwork by Cynthia Lara
    Whimsical friendship - color process Artwork by Cynthia Lara
    Whimsical friendship – color process
    Artwork by Cynthia Lara
    Whimsical friendship - color process and details Artwork by Cynthia Lara
    Whimsical friendship – color process and details
    Artwork by Cynthia Lara
    Whimsical friendship Artwork by Cynthia Lara
    Whimsical friendship – final
    Artwork by Cynthia Lara

    Whimsical creatures seem to be my “muse”. What about yours?

  • Traditional art and the quiet rebellion towards AI

    Traditional art and the quiet rebellion towards AI

    AI’s big banner and tagline is to “democratize art”, to challenge elitism, to “remove” expensive materials and gatekeepers.

    Well, let me tell you a secret.

    I’ve drawn since before I could speak. I’d ask for “olors” because I wouldn’t know how to say “Colors”. I’ve been in love with the action of creating since I have a memory and while I’ve been seduced by expensive materials, papers, and even digital tablets, drawing is one of the cheapest artforms you can practice.

    The drawing on this entry was made on a recycled PVC pad. In my day-to-day I work at my design firm and sometimes we do print signages or stuff for clients. And sometimes printers fuck up or give you drafts or extras. Those things are trash.

    To me, they’re canvases, or things that can be reused and painted on. I have 2 cardboard sheets I took from a vacuuming robot packaging that are perfect for this purpose too.

    So let me ask you how much is the Midjourney subscription?

    My creativity is zero.

    This recycled PVC pad is zero.

    The pencils I used costed like 30 bucks, and they will last me years. They won’t go obsolete, and its a one time purchase.

    Oh yes and I have a video of the sketching of this one here:

    Creating art is totally mine and I don’t need to use any tools to democratize it. I have learned everything I know from analyzing other artists and most recently followed Marc’s Brunet’s artschool program… but that’s like 35 years of free art creating with no expenses.. I mean, maybe a little because once you start buying paints or papers you get addicted but that’s a different story hahaha..

    Do you feel you need tech bros to tell you you can do something? Because I don’t.

  • From scene to artwork: Introductions

    From scene to artwork: Introductions

    This is not a tutorial or a post to share a “how to” but mostly to talk about how much I enjoy introductions.

    The first time I meet a character, a world, or a concept in media is THE best! I used to always talk about how much I love the first move of sagas and how the second or third aren’t as good. Then I realized this is a pretty universal thing for me. I just love that first time you are introduced to them!

    As many people in my generation, I was introduced to The Lord of The Rings through Peter Jackson’s movies and guess which one is my favorite? Yes, of course: The Fellowship of the Ring! Not only are we introduced to endearing characters, but the magic of middle earth! I love the trilogy but the first movie is just like… my happy place. Hygge moments, hobbits, meals, parties, hope. Sometimes when I’m feeling burned out I just put that move and the music, the pace, and the characters take me to a warm fuzzy place.

    I love when Gandalf arrives in the Shire and Frodo meets him all serious:

    – “You’re late”
    – “A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.”

    Although I’ve been reading the books and that line is from the movies only, I love the scene so much that I had to create artwork for it!

    It is kind of impressionist, loose, and not super carefully done to be honest, but it was very fun. I started with loose (very loose) sketches, then used my watercolor pencils to block some color and then just used those aquawash brushes to blend. Voila!

    I even made a video talking about how painting hobbits is (kind of) the cure to burnout heehee.

  • Día de muertos original artwork

    Día de muertos original artwork

    I am posting this late on my website, as I was (wrongly) prioritizing social media. But now that I’m realigned and back on track posting here, it’s a great piece to share at my personal space.

    This one was originally created for a social media competition ran by Comex (a Mexican paints brand). I wasn’t picked as a winner but I loved it so much that I decided sharing it as a free phone wallpaper. You can download it here.

    I’m a sucker for planning my artwork so I first did a couple of concept sketches. One was pretty standard: a skeleton party. The second one was whimsy and fun: cempazuchitl fairies. The rest is history.

    Then, after the right concept was picked, I played a little painting a few cempazuchitl flowers (duplicated them and modified them a little after to create more) and planned the positioning of the fairies a little better. My dad gave me the idea of changing the design of the fairies from La Catrina to Frida Kahlo. I think it was a wonderful idea!

    I am very happy with the result and I’m using the wallpaper on my phone. After all, it is November!

    Download the free wallpaper here.

  • From book scene to artwork: From words to an illustration

    From book scene to artwork: From words to an illustration

    Maybe you’re an author searching to hire the perfect illustrator, maybe you’re a visual artist or designer… or maybe you’re just curious about how some scenes are selected to be represented in a book. Why are some scenes more likely to leave an impression on the audience? Who decides what to draw? In an amazing book, how to choose the best scenes?

    Please know that I am sharing my process so different people might have a different way. However, I believe that choosing strong, impactful scenes to portray is somewhat a universal need for a successful representation of a book and trained illustrators can work closely with the author following these tips.

    I recently wanted to illustrate a scene from Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring. I chose the Prancing Pony scene where Frodo is singing before he trips and the ring accidentally lands on his finger. I picked this scene because I felt an illustration could be a great companion to the song in the book.

    What’s the role of artwork in a book?

    Illustrations are not only going to make the book pretty, they offer so much more:

    • Combining illustrations and words will help create a memorable narrative experience
    • Illustrations not just follow the author’s words, they will also portray their personality and vision for the story
    • An illustration should augment the words, not duplicate them, providing the reader a new emotion, take, or frame of what they’re reading
    • Illustrations act like a bridge between the text and the reader, conveying emotions and feelings
    • Marketing assets

    How to choose the best scene from a book to illustrate?

    Of course being absolute on what “best” means can be troublesome, and as usual, it depends on the purpose of the illustration (clarify, foreshadow, deepen emotion, orient in space, etc.)

    But the best scene to illustrate is a moment that is pivotal in the story, visually clear, and emotionally charged enough that an image can carry it without the surrounding paragraphs.​ Let’s emphasize that “pivotal” does not always mean the big twist; it can be a quiet turning point, first reveal of a setting, or a character choice that changes everything.​

    Before choosing the best scene(s), map the whole story. Authors can work with the illustrator and list key beats: inciting incident, turning points, climax, resolution, plus any especially vivid descriptions.​

    From that list, mark which beats actually need visual help (complex setting, abstract idea, large cast, or emotional nuance hard to explain in words alone).

    Look for big turning points, emotional highs/lows, and important character introductions.​ In children’s books in particular, scenes that establish setting, mood, or recurring motifs make strong illustration anchors across the book.

    Avoid cool but empty images

    Prioritize scenes that move the story forward, reveal character, or set up/follow through on conflict, not just random action for spectacle. Of course, sometimes a scene can be so emotionally charged or set the mood and theme. These are great scenes for a visual worldbuilding.

    Strong scenes often serve multiple purposes: plot beat + character development + setting details or symbolism packed into one moment.

    Use illustrations to establish mood and theme

    We can also think beyond what’s written and think about abstract concepts, symbols, and embrace creativity. Pick scenes that capture the essence of the book’s tone (whimsical, funny, intimate, etc) so the illustration reinforces a theme.​

    Mood can be expressed visually through color, lighting, and composition choices (e.g., warm vs cold palettes, crowded vs empty spaces).

    Thinking beyond literal illustration encourages visual storytelling that complements and enriches the written narrative by creatively expressing ideas, feelings, and themes in ways that resonate uniquely with the viewer.

    I wanted to show a warm and cozy scene before things turn pretty dark. They were having fun, felt hopeful, and in a way they didn’t understand the seriousness of the task they were part of.

    Illustrations for subtext

    Borrowed from children’s book practice, in-between moments create a dynamic between words and images, known as word–image synergy. Instead of duplicating the text, these illustrations add subtext and emotional layers, inviting the reader to engage more deeply by interpreting what’s suggested but not explicitly shown. This could be a subtle facial expression, a symbolic object, or the atmosphere surrounding the action that hints at the unspoken feelings or future events.

    This technique helps transform a book from straightforward narration to a visually engaging, interpretive work where the pictures and text work together to tell a richer story.

    Final Thoughts

    Choosing scenes is less about “which parts look coolest” and more about co‑authoring the reading experience: deciding where an image will most powerfully shift how the reader feels, imagines, or understands the story.

    I am extremely happy with this one. BUT if I were to illustrate the whole book, I would need to do a list of scenes that are key beats or commit to a lot of illustrations. That’s not something I’m willingly embarking into at this time LOL!
  • How to paint a digital portrait

    How to paint a digital portrait

    Follow my process in this tutorial for a female portrait in Photoshop! There are probably a lot of other tutorials from experienced teachers out there but I guarantee fun times ahead!

    I will start by saying I am in no way a pro and I am a self-taught artist. So as you can see in my video, I do some ugly sketching, then follow it (kinda) and once the fundamentals are there, I add a little color, etc. I will go over my process in written form here as the video has no voice or steps.

    While this is a simple tutorial, my goal for you is not to copy exactly what I do in terms of the image or style, but to find a workflow that works for you. This workflow helps me be quick without the need to figure out what steps I should follow. For more on this, join the Paintable community for free. They do a lot of challenges and activities where you can learn workflows, but if you want to get serious, they also have some paid courses/masterclasses. This isn’t sponsored by them nor I have anything to do with them, but the workflow here is what I’ve learned through them 🙂 Another option is Marc Brunet‘s artschool program (one I invested in and am currently using to get better).

    This is something I did while streaming on Twitch in 2020 (yes, that year was pretty good for art– I was streaming for 2x week and doing a ton of things!) I didn’t record a lot of my streams but a couple became Youtube videos.

    Digital Portrait Tutorial

    The workflow goes like this:

    1. Sketch

      While I didn’t use a reference image here, I encourage you to do so. It is easier when you have something to compare your art to. Start with shapes and guides– I went straight to anatomic shapes but having circles and boxes instead also works as a first step.
      In fact, mine isn’t 100% anatomically correct. But finished, not perfect is better than not doing anything at all!

    2. Base Colors

      Use the midtone as base color. Don’t go too dark or too light on this one. We will build up from here.

    3. Shadows

      Take a darker tone for shadows and use a combination of brushes with soft edges and hard edges. Hard edges help build shape while soft edges help blend or create smooth surfaces.
      In this and the next step, a reference photo will absolutely make a difference. Shadow and light can be tricky!

    4. Lights

      Similar to the previous step but this time on the opposite direction. We want to paint the spots where the light is touching the portrait. Most of the time I start adding some rough details here, including changing the lineart color to be softer/closer to the tones I’m using in the overall piece. Of course you can always cover the lineart too for a more realistic look.

    5. Details

      I didn’t add a lot of details here, but in this step you can add texture, freckles, imperfections, extra highlights, stylized finishes, etc. If you’re copying from a reference and they have jewelry, for example, this is the step to literally shine!

    The video above is a simple portrait with no reference, but of course, when you do use reference, guessing is replaced by accuracy, as you can see on the other portrait where I followed the same steps as described.

    Random elf portrait, without using a reference picture.
    Thranduil, the Elvenking (King of the elves), using reference picture.

    If you’re interested in seeing the process for my Thranduil portrait, we’re following the same steps. Please excuse me because I am chaotic, so I jump from one step to another as I find things I’m not happy about. However, I admit I haven’t been doing this for a long time… the more you stick to a workflow, the better you will follow it and be efficient with it.

    Final Thoughts

    I hope this tutorial is helpful for your digital painting journey. I think that finding a workflow is half the battle, and I am thankful that we live in this era of information where tutorials, step by steps, videos and incredible teaching/learning materials are available at no cost or at a fraction of formal education. Art should be accessible for everyone to practice!

    Follow this workflow and practice– I bet you can create a wonderful digital portrait by the third time you try!

  • Easy figure drawing exercises for when you’re dry

    Easy figure drawing exercises for when you’re dry

    They say that when we’re on creative block we should try going back to basics. I guess that’s what this is?

    I have been doing some studying (so not a lot to show off on my website and/or socials…) So this is me posting some of those study exercises. Nothing fancy, nothing shinny. Just lines, cylinders, and boxes.

    So I guess that if you’re struggling with your creative fluids, just go back to basics. In this case, I am not even an anatomy expert, so it is teachable still 🙂

  • Mastering the flow: why less pressure works better

    Mastering the flow: why less pressure works better

    We all aspire to greatness. Some more than others–and it often leads to dissatisfaction, frustration, and burnout. Less pressure works better than pushing to your limits at all times.

    I’ve always been a tryharder and often, I felt proud of it. My approach to everything was just to try harder. I made a mistake? Try harder. My client wasn’t as happy? Try harder. My drawing wasn’t perfect? Yes, you guessed it: Try harder.

    We love to think that life is simple like that, that we can have a formula for success and follow it to get the results we want every time, but growing up means realizing that isn’t true. Life sometimes gets nasty, and even when we “do everything right”, results can lead to failure. It is ok to try hard but not for everything, at all moments.

    I published a video about how the flow has been my friend lately:

    Maybe the answer is to not push ourselves all the time. I know that there are moments in life where there’s no way around it, but unlearning the “tryhardiness” has been one of the most difficult tasks of my 30’s.

    Final Thoughts

    Be nice to yourself and allow yourself to be OK. Not perfect. Sometimes we can’t control the outcome even if we push ourselves to the limit, so let go of that expectation to be better all the time. You’re a human being that is human just for being. To be or not to be….amiright?

  • In defense of freedom (you don’t need a style)

    In defense of freedom (you don’t need a style)

    Do you know who George Miller is? He wrote the movies Mad Max and Babe. Do you think those two movies are part of the same “collection”? Let that sink in.

    You might identify as an artist, or wanna be artist, or just someone who enjoys creating. If you want to do this professionally, they say, you should find a style and stick to it. Really? I mean I get it. People see things and say “oh I want one just like this one”. And if we’re applying to a certain job or gig, maybe we can create a tailored portfolio for that (we’re supposed to do that anyway, no?). But why limit yourself to marrying a style or theme?

    So here I am once more yelling at the void.

    Even the greatest artists needed some freedom. You probably have heard of Picasso. And this is what you think of when they mention his name:

    But did you know this is also his? (And to put us all to shame, he painted it when he was 14 years old!)

    Even his later work was pretty different than his early cubism days but since he was pretty famous (and still is) nobody cares much. He was/is allowed to be free. To talk about freedom is a little bit deeper than this but at the end of the day, when you have a certain status, you’re allowed to make more choices and execute them. Most people probably won’t have this same privilege, but in retrospect, I am no one. Nobody expects anything from me (perhaps just mom and dad) so why should I limit myself to a certain style or theme? Being a nobody, and having no current prospects for my art or clients, why shouldn’t I just enjoy creating?

    Yup. I think even if I had prospects… I can tailor my portfolio, right? I’ve read and seen in many videos of well-established artists mentoring young aspiring artists that they must create the work they want to be hired for. For example, do you want to be hired for children’s books? Do passion projects for yourself, do children’s books. Then put that in a pretty portfolio and get out there. Yell to the void. Someone will listen eventually. Or not. It is very much luck anyway but let’s get free of this idea of style and pressure when there’s really no actual value on that.

    So here are some images because I want to show how different things can be when you’re having fun. I had a lot of fun with each of these, and they all are special to me. I don’t think people will necessarily map them together to say those were painted by me, but does that matter? We add our little signatures, or social media, or whatever. It is there.

  • Short Story: The Leap

    “Please call someone! I am trapped inside the National Art Museum and my phone is ab- -” You whimpered as the battery of your phone died.

    How did you get lost in the museum you have known since you were a little girl?

    Your hands tremble, but little by little, fear transforms into excitement. There’s a new exhibit on the Mayan culture and your heritage is calling. Your grandma always told you you had to learn about your ancestors, but you never made the time.

    Today you miscalculated your museum itinerary and got distracted by the natural history section. It is great you have this extra time to get to the Mayan exhibit!

    “You’re such a nerd” You giggle and smile as the view of the museum at night becomes mesmerizing and infatuating.

    Every hall is semi-dark with only security lights on; not a soul to be seen nor heard, and every step echoes into the distance. As you venture deep into the museum exhibition room #4, moonlight rays filter through the windows, revealing intricate patterns in the reflection of the protective screens and their surroundings. The room has a kaleidoscopic element to it now.

    You look at yourself in the reflection of the glass protecting a Mayan artifact and your heart feels like a fizzy drink, bubbling and effervescent. How did you get lost in the museum you have known since you were a little girl? The reflection doesn’t answer back, of course.

    The fun and solo games get interrupted by the thought of how it is highly unusual you haven’t seen a guard. What day is it? Why are you alone?

    Thinking deeply about it, unlikely situations like this are typical for you. You are now old enough to notice that strange things happen to you on your birthday… every time. Let’s be specific here: strange things happen every time you celebrate your birthday. You were born on leap day, and it has been a while since you decided you would only celebrate on leap year, and leap day only. To keep some sort of sanity, of course.

    Without overthinking that guards are nowhere to be seen, this is the perfect birthday gift after you have forgotten about your own birthday. You enjoy art, sketching at the museum and just learning about interesting things. This place is yours tonight. Enjoy.

    Something feels magical and soothing. Almost like an aurora borealis, except you’re perfectly comfortable and you don’t need to freeze your ass off to enjoy the view. You feel like dancing. And singing.

    It is as if you were giving a cappella concert. Your voice reverberates across the room and bounces to and off the protected artifacts. The visual display of kaleidoscopic colors is now mirrored with acoustic fractals. You can only imagine the math behind those, of course.

    After a few minutes, you stop with contentment. “This room is amazing,” You hear your voice in your head while you continue to enjoy the light display in silence.

    You finally stop to contemplate different items in the exhibition. Beautiful flasks made of clay, wood, and bone. Jade and obsidian statues. All these Mayan artifacts on display grab your attention. 

    The room seems to grow bigger and bigger with each step. More artifacts. More information plaques. 

    You continue walking through the room with the dim, colorful lights adding layers of mystery to your imagination. Some facts about the Mayan scientific knowledge are outstanding: their precise calendar, their mathematics, their pyramids and temples… Everything is fascinating. You start creating small stories about their day-to-day and their beliefs.

    The big stone calendar is the highlight of the room.

    “The Mayan calendar is terrific. And confusing.” You quietly thought, but suddenly started reading out loud:

    “There were multiple calendars the Mayans kept track of, including a solar year of 365 days with no leap years or leap days. the Mayans kept track of the days by groups of four years, which they called the year of the north, south, east, and west. The days did not start at the same time. In the Eastern years, they began at sunrise, and the following years at noon, at sunset, and finally at midnight.”

    “This means every year they went off by approximately a quarter of a day.” Overwhelmed and confused, you’re frozen in the exhibit room #4.

    In your attempt to grasp the concept of the Mayan leap year, you turn to your left and notice a beautiful mirror. It is not like the common mirror you have at home. This is a black mirror made of obsidian stone, its surface shimmering with an otherworldly glow and you can see yourself, or more accurately, a shadow of yourself.

    “Mirrors were believed to fix or retain images and certain vital qualities of the deceased.”

    You reach out to touch it, hypnotized. The protective glass dissolves like magic and as your fingers invade the obsidian mirror, you feel a strange sensation washing over you.

    You blink and see yourself in front of the mirror, but something is different. Before you could notice what is off, you’re interrupted.

    People walk into the museum and you panic. You need to hide or try to think about a story. You will get in trouble if they think you purposely stayed overnight.

    Before you can hide, a guard notices the glass of the mirror is gone and calls on the radio. Your hands are trembling but you have to come clean.

    “It was an accident! I got lost in this maze and I couldn’t get out in time!” You cried.

    The guard ignored you and it makes you feel even worse. Before you can say anything else, the security manager rushes into the room and stares at the missing glass. You’re perplexed they aren’t arresting you.

    As the guard and his boss make notes and start walking out of the room, you walk towards them only to realize a barrier of some sort is in front of you. You realize the colorful lights are gone. Something has changed. Then you realize it is still dark. Somehow it is darker than last night. How come?

    When they leave the room, you turn around and see your reflection again. Like a kaleidoscope, it is you, a million times. Fractals of your shape in and out. You are lost in a labyrinth of twisted corridors and endless reflections, each one leading you further away from home. Desperate to escape, you search for a way out, but the mirror seems to taunt you with its endless depths.

    Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into years. Tired of trying to find an exit, you resort to a place inside the mirror that holds only one reflection. No more fractals. Just one…

    “How did you get lost in the museum you have known since you were a little girl?”

    “I never left, of course.”

    This short story was first submitted to Reedsy Prompts. View Original →

  • Animatrix Beyond tribute painting

    Animatrix Beyond tribute painting

    This short stands out in the Animatrix collection because there’s something about it that is so innocent and pure. Like the children playing. I guess it doesn’t quite start that way, but once our protagonist meets the cool kids (I named this tribute “When I met the cool kids”), things turn very bright and magical.

    I think I paint whimsical things because the world isn’t always a happy place. And this short is that little light in that dense Matrix universe of cyberpunk, post-apocalyptic, doomed world.

    Anyway– here’s a short video essay on the duality of feeling this depression/doom and creating feelgood, whimsical things. Oh yes, and the timelapse of the digital painting.

    Disclaimer: I noticed my audio is a little low- I am sorry I had no script so I am not going to rerecord it! But now I know, for the next one…

  • In Loving Memory

    In Loving Memory

    Almond stars at night settled the darkness. Mirrored and kindred, yet so different. You had my heart then and forever.

  • You should have a website

    You update your social media 10 times a day. Imagine if you spent the same effort on your website rather than uploading your content to these places for free. We need to remember that in the social media world, we are the product. But you’re not getting paid for your time (ok, some people are but it is not easy to get there!).
    I am writing this for you, kind of for myself too so I put some effort into my website.

    Own Your Platform

    A year ago or so I decided I was going to take my art more seriously. I started drawing or painting daily and I was posting on social media at least 4 times a week. It kind of felt like the path forward to be better, commit myself, and build an audience. Of course, social media didn’t stick because social media is a sad, sad place in 2025: people who used to see my content don’t seem to see it anymore, there are a lot of video needs, and attention span is the worst. Other bad things about social media are algorithms you can’t control and the fact that you don’t own your platform. If your main platform shuts down or you decide to leave it, your content is now somewhere you either won’t be able to restore or even delete!

    I am a graphic designer who has been building WordPress websites for 15 years. Then why the hell shouldn’t I just design my website MY WAY and own my platform? Exactly. I should! (And you should too! Even if it isn’t as “easy” and convenient as social media).

    This website as of today (March 3rd, 2025) is hosted at Dreamhost1 and uses a simple, free theme. However, I’m already designing and developing a new website that can handle all my artsy/social plans.

    Website Checklist

    1. Find affordable (or free hosting)

      You can have a website for free in many places without a custom domain but there are many affordable hosts out there. I’d recommend WordPress because it is my go-to due to its big community, open-source CMS, and it is the best for blogging/writing.
      Note: Do not use WordPress.com. I refer to WordPress.org in this section (Opensource package you can install and migrate to almost any site so you don’t get locked in an environment you don’t like forever).

    2. Customize your website

      Whether you use WordPress, Wix, or any other tool, find a theme that looks good and try to not change too much. If you are a designer you might know how to customize it deeper but if you’re a beginner, try to find a theme that suits you and customize it by adding your colors and images in the available layout.

    3. Add a bio

      I know people don’t really care about who you are right now. But you want to be associated with your content and who knows, you might inspire someone. Knowing who you are in general terms is good!

    4. Add a contact form

      Don’t put your email out there for people to copy-paste. Some bots find those in less than a second and they will spam you. Instead, use a contact form that sends messages to your inbox without publicly sharing the address.

    5. Post often

      Feel the urge to post something on social? Do it on your website too (or instead)! I don’t do this often but will try to change that! Use your current social media to link to your website and keep updating. Google and other search engines prioritize websites that are updated frequently.

    6. Keep perfectionism at bay

      Procrastinating because things aren’t yet perfect is the worst. I feel you! No one cares as much as you do. Just put yourself out there. You can redesign your website later and edit that page or blog post.

    Why not promote my business here too? I mean… you can DIY but there are pros out there that can help you design and develop your website. Head to my agency website if you’d like to know more (or promote me thanks!)

    So yeah. That’s it. Adding a pretty image here just because it is weird to be in a artist blog without any doodles x)

    Concept sketches for a “deerfox”, 2021
    An idea that is in my mind to create a whimsical painting but haven’t put time into it in years
    1. This is an affiliate link ↩︎
  • How to be a Druid for a Day

    How to be a Druid for a Day

    (aka How to Calm the Fk Down)

    We’ve all been there: stressed out, broken, ready to scream into the void. Sometimes, you just need a break. So here’s the deal: today, we’re going full-on Druid mode. Or at least pretending to. Because, honestly, the world sucks, and sometimes you need a bit of magic and nature to just breathe.

    Here’s how to do it.

    How I came to this idea

    A few weeks ago I was drawing a druid in my old sketchbook. Prompted by Paintable’s one week character (although I was doing it months later),It was just a small silly sketch and I liked it, but didn’t really feel the need/urge to finish it or do more with it. It remains an unfinished idea in my notebook… Until today. I thought what would it be to be a “modern druid“? I take this back and edit my post because I am sick of pretending everything is alright. The world is too much and let’s just pretend to be Druids, ok?

    I also made this sketch available for free use without copyright at Wikimedia Commons. Maybe one day I will scan it and make it available properly. Bare with me, I can barely exist.

    Disclosure: I am mostly thinking about the D&D druid class, and not the Celtic religious leader kind.

    Treats and snacks

    • Teas and infusions: Most days, a hot drink helps me feel better about life. If your thing is iced drinks, just change it… I’m not your mom to tell you what to do.
    • Pies and cakes: Pastries filled with berries and nuts help with the chill vibe (maybe something like a hobbit meal?), but sometimes we just need sweets. Anything that you can snack on and feel comfort.
    • Nut cookies: Earthy and nutty treats align with the woodland Druid stuff– but maybe your thing is chips and savory. Go for it.
    • Honey: The perfect addition to your tea or cookie. We can then imagine opening some doors for druids, hobbits, and elves to join our party.

    Of course I couldn’t resist sharing some of my artwork about the foody-goodies!

    Activities

    • Forest Bathing (Shinrin-yoku): I felt blissful and joyful when I discovered hikes on the hardest year of my life. Spending mindful time in nature, absorbing the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest (or beach??) is very soul-healing. Don’t ignore it!
    • Eco-crafting: Creating tools, clothes or objects from natural materials sounds like fun.
    • En plein air: Painting outdoors to really stop time for a while. I don’t know about you but painting and drawing really makes it all better.
    • Wildlife photography: Take your camera or smartphone and go for a hike. Look for birds, squirrels, or any wildlife and take photos! As a modern (make-believe) druid you might not be able to connect with wildlife, so this is the best we can do.

    Sharing some nature adventures I’ve had. I loved that kitty hat!

    Final Thoughts

    At the end of the day, remember that this isn’t about “fixing” your problems. It’s about having a break for a while. It’s not about being perfect or having all the answers…it’s just about existing in the moment, without all the pressure. So when you’re done, don’t overthink it. Just feel whatever it is you’re feeling, and know that’s enough.

  • Welcoming Summer With Bird Drawings

    Welcoming Summer With Bird Drawings

    Summertime is great. This year I am enjoying the 38ºC more than usual, spending most of my sketching time drawing birds.

    Last year I was out of my hometown and when summer arrived in Massachusetts, life begun. You see, I arrived in fall and it was great to see the orange and red everywhere. I felt like in the movies and it was wonderful.

    After a few weeks, everything died. Of course, being in a place where scenery changed so much was a novel experience and I loved it. Then the snow and winter was lovely but after weeks and months of being cold (spring was freezing too!) you kind of get used to it. I wasn’t missing much of my home, or that’s what I thought.

    Digital painting of a crow sitting on treasure
    Crow with treasure, 2023. I always loved crows but never drew or painted one. I guess Mass inspired me?

    Then comes June and July. Massachusetts became a completely different place. People were happy (and outside) everywhere. Festivals, park events, families running and playing on the yards, music, laughter. Warm days not only made them happier, I was also so full of energy, I felt purpose, motivation to do exercise, days were longer, etc.

    Summertime in Boston, 2022
    Sunset at the lagoon, January 2024. Welcome back home, Cynthia!

    Embracing Today

    Summer is a luxury, something to look for to. At least for people with less fortunate coordinates. Now I get why people would say I lived in paradise when they found out I live in Cancun. LOL people would ask me where we came from and I’d say “Cancun, Mexico”. They would be like “Why? Why did you come here!?” I guess snow is pretty and all that, but it can be very boring and cold after years of being isolated home? I don’t know hah I love being isolated home, but weather for sure plays a role in our happiness.

    I embrace my luxury. In Cancun, every day is summer. Even in winter, temperatures don’t go below 15ºC ever. And this is probably as low as it will ever go. I don’t need to put boots and a full set of clothes to walk my dogs at 7am. I can go in my pajamas and flip flops, no prep or anything. People are always outside, enjoying weather. I sigh contently (and sweaty).

    Nature is a Gift

    I know this sounds extremely cliche and cheesy, but it is! While I miss my cold hikes in Mass and the ever changing scenery, I can see so many colorful birds here. There are many yellow birds, but we have so many different ones in all shades and shapes. I need to pay more attention and take more photos. On one hand I love that I often enjoy the moment and don’t waste it in my phone or camera, but on the other hand, I could take more photos and contemplate the world around me with artsy eyes, as it is super fun!

    Lately I am focusing on drawing a lot of birds as I am working on my first picture book. Who had the brilliant idea of writing a story about birds without knowing how to draw birds? Of course, LOL.

    Tropical kingbird drawing
    Birds digital painting
    Quick bird studies

    Final Thoughts

    Enjoy what’s available to you. Sometimes we feel the grass is greener on the other side, but you might be standing on treasure, wasting time dreaming of being somewhere else. Breathe in nature and your surroundings–breathe out art.

    I invite you to draw birds this summer. Or if drawing is not your cup of tea, try taking photos, writing a short story, imitate their song. Anything goes!

  • Does Art Need Purpose or Meaning?

    Does Art Need Purpose or Meaning?

    Many artists are committed to the search for meaning or purpose. They explore what it means to be alive, or if they (or artwork) will have an impact in the world. But does art really need purpose or meaning? In this article, I want to share a few thoughts on this interesting topic and continue with my hunt for freedom in my practice, more than anything.

    Why Searching for Meaning

    Maybe artists are very “sensitive” and feel this drive for purpose or meaning (we are a little bit self-centered); or art has always been a companion in human history, documenting our social contexts; or art is an expression of our true selves; or art can translate feelings and abstract concepts into the physical world to leave a mark on history. While these reasons for searching for meaning can be true, art can also be just fun. For the artist, for the viewer– something that we enjoy doing, and the “purpose” for art can be different for every one of us but—what if art was meant to be enjoyed, and that’s it? Refer to Richard Collison’s post to dive deeper.

    In the main image for this article, you will see some quick drawings I did one morning. I wasn’t thinking about deep purpose or meaning. It was just a task to draw shapes in perspective and add some lights and shadows and these were the things in front of me. I guess we can say that the purpose of those was to practice drawing, but other than that… can we assign value, purpose, or meaning to the depiction of headphones and a coffee mug? Eh– it is up to you. You can say “Of course! It means hygge!”. The reality is that art will always represent this subjectivity, but I want to make a case for enjoying the moment, either for the creator or the spectator without assigning value to everything!!

    Using Art to Connect with Your Inner Child

    While I am trying to find meaning in life, I am pushing myself to be better in art to find myself. When I was a kid, I didn’t really care much if my art was good or bad, or if I would be good enough to sell artworks. Adults often asked me “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and I would reply “A painter”. Then some of them would reply “You will starve” or “But that doesn’t pay off”. Of course, I wouldn’t quite understand, because when we’re little kids we want to be happy and have fun; that’s all we want. We don’t understand money, or jobs, or any of this crap adults have to deal with. Right now, I’m using art to find my artistic self again and find happiness in the process, not the outcome.

    Outcome is Inevitable

    So I’m saying over and over that I’m enjoying the process and trying to not bind myself to the end product, or what I will do with the artwork, or if people will like it or not. However, I have been drawing and painting every day for 31 days (for the second time in my adult life) without interruption and I am starting to see great things as outcomes:

    • I feel happier and more connected with my inner child
    • My creative juices flow more quickly
    • My drawing and painting skills are improving (even without trying that hard!)
    • I am not afraid or ashamed to ask my friends to support my work (liking, sharing, commenting, etc)
    • My social media is ramping up, thanks to exposure from friends and family
    • I’m gaining confidence

    Final Thoughts

    I’m learning to take myself less seriously, including my art practice. The funny thing is that I’m doing a lot of art studies and improving while I don’t care. Hah! Things always work out at the end, they say. Maybe I will be able to be very masterful one day, but let’s not worry or care about that right now! Let’s embrace meaningful and deep artworks while also enjoying things just for the sake of enjoying them. I guess art is just like life. What if the meaning of it all was to let go, enjoy the ride, and live for the sake of living?

  • How to Overcome Self-Doubt As an Artist

    How to Overcome Self-Doubt As an Artist

    Are you an aspiring artist (writer, painter, illustrator, filmmaker, musician, etc) feeling hesitant about starting your creative journey?

    Perhaps you’re struggling with self-doubt, perfectionism, and impostor syndrome. If so, you’re not alone. I’ve come to realize those are going to be constant companions if you’re an artist, and we’re particularly susceptible because putting ourselves out there means having to open up a little bit and let strangers (and maybe even people we think high of) tell us what they think. We’re in one way or another, looking for constant validation from the outside world, but in reality, the worst possible judge is deep inside.

    Finding Inspiration in the Cosmos of Ideas

    Moving away from social media for a little bit helped too. I replaced doom scrolling with drawing or writing down ideas, even if those never come to realize as anything specific. I created a Notion account and kept different notebooks to “organize” my somewhat chaotic thinking. I used Facebook groups to bounce ideas with niche professionals and artists, and if I wanted to find inspiration to draw I went to Pinterest and found references and cool things that are more tailored to what I want to draw or paint that specific day. It has been refreshing, to be somewhat back in time and find useful things instead of trends that are pushed into my face because of algorithms.

    Navigating Self-Doubt and Perfectionism As an Artist

    For the last few months, I have been trying to just create art without thinking highly of the results or expecting too much. In reality, I’m not sure if this is the key to navigating the crawling emotions that paralyze me or the feeling of “nothing matters” — a result of a little mid-life crisis that came after moving to a new country and realizing that it was a mistake, coming back home licking my wounds. But the fact is that at least in this area of my life which I like to call my creative journey, I feel free, under less pressure, and if something goes wrong I either go with it and see if it turns better, or I move on to the next.

    In the “Space Suit Girl” watercolor artwork I’m sharing here I felt very inspired and happy while sketching (the phase I feel most comfortable at), but once I started adding color, I felt anxious. Self-doubt and perfectionism threatened to derail my process. Questions like “Am I good enough?” and “Will anyone appreciate my work?” echoed back into my mind. However, I kept going and kept repeating myself that if I didn’t like this at the end, It wasn’t the end of the world. I could paint something else later, and no one had to see it if I didn’t want to share! I discovered that embracing imperfections and enjoying the process were key to not only unlocking my artistic potential but would be the foundation for building my self-confidence again.

    Embracing the Journey, Not the Destination

    Painting the space girl taught me an invaluable lesson: art is not just about the finished product; it’s about the journey. This sounds a little cheesy, but hey, I’m allowed to say this because:
    a) I refuse to take myself seriously
    b) I am an aspiring artist so I am allowed to fail and retry forever until the end of time. I have no deadlines and no lords to bow to

    Rejecting Society (not really, but let’s pretend)

    Society often measures success by arbitrary timelines and unrealistic media portrayals. It is easy to succumb to feelings of inadequacy or failure but over the past months (who knows how many, this has been far too long of a lesson), I have noticed that everyone’s journey is unique. There is not a “right” path or timeline for success. Instead of comparing ourselves to others, let’s celebrate our individuality and embrace our own personal evolution. Your evolution might take the form of creative growth, emotional openness, empathy, growing your family, leaving a toxic environment, or many others. Only you know what it is to be in your shoes, and evolution can be accepting a hard reality, and preparing to take the next small step.

    Final Thoughts

    This watercolor painting was more than just an artistic adventure. It was another step in a transformative journey of self-discovery and acceptance. Through overcoming negative emotions of self-doubt, embracing imperfection, and rejecting society (pressures), I was again reminded of very valuable lessons that continue to shape my artistic practice and adulthood. So, to all aspiring artists and struggling humans out there, remember that your journey is yours alone. Embrace it and let it guide you through the end of the day. Today might just be a foundation for a brighter tomorrow.

    Oh yes, I also made a short YouTube video on this topic with the speed-up process of the painting in case you want to see it, subscribe and say hi there!

  • Forest Watercolor Paintings

    Forest Watercolor Paintings

    Yesterday I seized the strong art wave that presented itself and created three whimsical forest watercolor paintings. But wait a minute… It really didn’t present on it’s own. I told my kid “Hey, let’s set up and paint”, “Let’s listen to Riverside. It is the best music I’ve found for focus”.

    Looking for Inspiration

    What they say about art inspiration is true: it doesn’t really present itself on it’s own and you have to summon it. I was decided to get in the mindset of art, and I think music really helped too. I started looking at my Pinterest home feed and there are some great aritsts out there! I discovered a few great artists and got super inspired. One that really stood out to me was Matt Rockefeller. He really is inspiring!

    From Inspiration to Action

    Once I was filled with art ideas I had just so much going on in my head and I didn’t want to lose any time. I didn’t yet knew what to draw so I quickly just drew three frames for the illustrations. Once in the flow, I guess it didn’t really took a lot of effort, just let the pencil flow from one panel to the next until I had all three sketches. I’ve been following the carefree attitude I described in my most recent post to let go of my perfectionism and I must say that all things came so much better because I didn’t have a plan for the artwork in mind, all I knew at this point was that I wanted to create three forest watercolor paintings.

    Behind the Scenes / WIP

    Without any more words (I struggle). Here are a few photos of the doing!

    Forest Watercolor Paintings
    Fable, first layers
    Forest Watercolor Paintings
    Fable, backgrounds almost done
    Fable, finished

    Adding the shinny hearts to all animals came as a surprise (more of the enjoy the process, let go): While painting the bodies, I added the shadows first and more blending colors until the center of the animal, where the heart would be, was lighter. It just instantly reminded me of Vasil Woodland’s art. One common topic in their art is the presence of a heart in animals and magic that happens around it. In my version it represents the spirit of their habitats 🙂

    Tools Are Super Important, But Not Everything

    I bought a few cheap brushes at Michaels a few weeks ago and I thought they were ok, until I took my 30 year old brush (that belonged to my dad) and painting became so much better. About 90% of them were made using cheap crap brushes I wanted to test tho LOL.. anyway back to the magic brush…No wonder why it was my favorite when I was in college. I wish I new what brand it is. It is old, it’s not fancy, it is only the best brush ever.

    Final Thoughts

    Allowing yourself to make mistakes, to think about having fun, enjoy the process and just pass time doing something you love, it may result in creating something super good. So far, I feel my art is so much better lately, because I don’t care!

    By the way, I created a Riverside playlist for all artsy folks. For those who don’t know the band it is prog metal but no growls or shouts or anything like that. The guitar player kind of sounds like he “stole” (inspired from) Al Di Meola and it really puts me in the mood for ultra focus-

  • Daily Sketching to Stop Perfectionism

    Daily Sketching to Stop Perfectionism

    Last week, I discovered something amazing about sketching every day—it can help us overcome perfectionism, reduce anxiety, and enhance our artistic abilities. In this blog post, I want to share my personal journey with sketching and offer some advice to fellow aspiring artists and enthusiasts. No fancy words, just a heartfelt account of my experiences.

    Looking Back

    As I started sketching, memories of my high school years came to me. From 2001 to 2006, I used to spend a lot of time doodling and doing daily sketching because I loved it. There was no Instagram (shameless link) back then, so I shared my drawings on DeviantArt. While I hoped for some feedback, my main focus was enjoying the process. Looking back, I realize I was actually pretty good at it. And the funny thing is that I don’t think I was chasing perfectionism.

    The Inner Child Reawakens

    Recently, I decided to reconnect with my younger self and recapture the joy I felt while sketching. We often take ourselves too seriously as adults, chasing perfection and trying to create something completely original. But why stress over making the perfect artwork or nailing the anatomy? The truth is, most people don’t really care.

    Letting Go of Perfectionism and Living in the Moment

    To reignite my artistic spirit, I began to let go of expectations. I would make a cup of tea, play some music, or watch my favorite shows on Netflix or Hulu. With my mind relaxed and distracted, I let my hand guide me, creating sketches without worrying about their place in the world. Most importantly, it made me feel free, without any pressure to be perfect.

    The Journey of Imperfection

    Through daily sketching, I created a bunch of sketches—some turned out well, others not so much. But among those imperfect creations, there was one sketch that really stood out. It had a loose, soft quality that was simply amazing. Before I knew it I was quickly adding color and a couple of hours later, this happened:

    Embracing Unfinished Work

    Now, my iPad is filled with sketches, and some of them may never be completed. And you know what? That’s totally fine. I think back to the notebooks I had in the past, filled with unfinished sketches. I lost sight of the joy in the process at some point. I wonder when and why that changed for me.

    Final Thoughts

    Daily sketching has been an eye-opening experience in my artistic journey. It has helped me break free from the chains of perfectionism and embrace imperfection with open arms. By reconnecting with the carefree spirit of my younger self, I have rediscovered the true essence of art and the sheer joy it brings. So, my fellow aspiring artists and enthusiasts, I encourage you to let go, live in the moment, and allow your sketches to unfold naturally. Embrace imperfection, for it is on that path that you’ll find true artistic joy.

  • How I Use Reference Images for Illustration

    How I Use Reference Images for Illustration

    In this entry I want to talk about using reference images for creating original illustration. The lines are a little blurred for creating artwork when heavily inspired by other creators, I guess. However, I believe that using references is a great way of practicing, learning, and improving… And there’re many ways to reference real life using photos to create fantasy or whimsical art (my favorite!)

    Personally, even when I was in school and the task was to copy images or other people’s art, I always felt the need to create something original or different. The concept phase and sketching is where all the fun happens for me and exploring the real world for fantasy storytelling or whimsical, magical art is a big part of my process.

    In the watercolor piece I’m sharing here, I wanted to draw a firefox. Foxes are so beautiful! They have been a common theme for my drawings and paintings for some time now (I think I should upload them in the blog sometime but you can see some of that in my Instagram).

    Found pretty good images using our old friend Google and some of them where pretty images from Unsplash (specific reference I used here). Since copyright and fair use is a gray area, I’d suggest trying to use references from sources where the license is free to do (almost) whatever you want. More so if the final product can be compared to the source material and the resemblance is obvious. Depending on the reason for using a reference, if you’re going to share the work online, if you want to sell it, etc. you can be less or more rigid on reference choices.

    Another thing I like to do is combine references. Even if I don’t have the fire images I used as reference handy, the images I used were photos and watercolor paintings. With no clue on how I would execute my idea, I just knew I wanted a firey fox. Once my sketch was ready, I had to see how fire behaves, how other artists translate it to watercolor, and how I could make it look “somewhat real” in a fox.

    I’m fairly happy with the result and up to the next!

  • A Reminder of Creative Accessibility

    A Reminder of Creative Accessibility

    What a good day! This is just a short story about pushing myself to be more creative and engaging with my loved ones as a path to overcoming burnout. I don’t have any answers, but I want to be happy.

    I last painted or drew something at the start of this year. I had a few days off in December 2022 and when this year began I had all this motivation and energy to restart my art in 2023. I found this 1 Year Calendar for Art on Youtube, printed the schedules, and was ready to commit to getting better at my craft and being more creative. I didn’t want to share anything as they were mostly just ugly doodles, but I was getting things done.

    Err– you might notice that this blog has been abandoned for over a year and that my social media is also being dead for some time. Well… yeah… I won’t go into details but let’s just summarize that my plans went down the toilet, I drew for like a week, and I’ve been feeling a little bit burned out on life.

    Overcoming Burnout and Pushing Myself to Be Creative Again

    Anyway. Today I went online with a friend on Zoom and we had coffee, chatted, and painted for a few hours. It was so much fun and refreshing! That was the start of my day and honestly, it really energized me more than I imagined it would. After my painting session, my husband and me went out to buy some stuff, and got myself a cheap table to have a dedicated place for creativity. As an introvert, sometimes going out and doing things on the weekend is dreadful– I’m so tired and drained from my work week that I just want to be in a cave and nap. This time it was so different, even with the rain and the chore-shopping! Art really energized me and I hope that doing just a small thing every day will change my life going forward. I think I need to push myself a little to do one creative thing per day. Even if it is writing a line, drawing a quick 5-minute doodle, or singing a song.

    Before going out shopping, I told my husband about a video from Boby Chiu I watched a few years ago (sorry, I couldn’t find it but there are many helpful short videos of his in this playlist and maybe this is in that list somewhere). I don’t remember the details very well but it was mostly about doing better at art and that he changed his setup to make his art accessible. We go and do things that are easy and handy, so that’s almost always watching TV or playing video games, but art (almost always) has an extra step to prepare your area, set up, get all your supplies, and then start doing your thing. So we procrastinate. Hubby told me we had to get me a table to get all my artsy shit there accessible in our room. So we did and now I have a small space in our bedroom that is my art corner. Nothing fancy, and I have to improve it, but no more painting on the kitchen counter, YAY!

    I’m just restarting this art journey (again) but I guess that’s life, right? Trying and not giving up on what we love.

  • Automatic Drawing

    Automatic Drawing

    A long time ago I saw a video on automatic drawing/art meditation. I actually never did any of this and wasn’t super interested but Diego (husband, check his thingies here) is taking an art history class and once they hit surrealism he got hanged on it, and started doing some automatic drawing himself and has been asking me to do some. By the way, I don’t know why he hasn’t uploaded his automatic drawing yet, but he’s working on that a lot lately — it’s weird, it’s gory, its fleshy… hah! I’m sure he’ll upload soon!

    Anyway..so today he asked me to draw next to him and I took my no fear sketchbook (it’s a sketchbook I literally called that and I use ink or pen or whatever to throw in some drawings where I step away from perfection and erasers and do-overs. Maybe one day I’ll get a sketchbook tour video once it’s full. (Little secret tho: I’m slow, I don’t draw as much as I want to)

    To be honest, I wasn’t too inclined to try. I’ve been feeling a little bit burned out with work and responsibilities, but after I started, I really let go (at least for a moment) and meditation hit in. It was pretty cool. Prepared my inkpen, listened to Opeth on shuffle, and I just closed my eyes for the first seconds, just feeling the music as the song moved forward. After that I kept alternating the feeling with the seeing and started adding some shapes and played with it as the pen slipped.

    So here goes that little experiment. What do you see?

  • The Arrow

    The Arrow

    A friend used to run a facebook group called ArtJam and sometimes they organized events/challenges for artists to create cool stuff. I’ve been following this kind of things for a while now, and whenever I can, I try to do this kind of thing, just to do something fun.

    The challenge was to repaint, overpaint, redesign, etc a clow card (from Card Captor Sakura) of your choice in whatever style you wanted.

    I remembered my school days from when I was about 12 and loving this anime and I thought I’d give it a shot.

    Now a little about my card: I tried to use the same elements than the original but changed the rigid pose and symmetry to a more dynamic pose/composition.

    The story behind this card is that when you summon ‘the arrow’ you don’t only summon the weapon but its wielder: a smallish pink girl. I made it a small pre-teen instead of child/kid and made it more elvish (oops! – sorry not sorry)

  • Dressed to Fight

    Dressed to Fight

    Sometimes I just burn some time on Instagram, looking mostly at illustration, paintings and sketches. I’m starting to browse on Twitter too, following amazing artists and people that create children illustration or fantasy art. I’m really into whimsical art.

    Suddenly I ran into a #fantasy hashtag or something and found @lizabetroberts. I’m totally blown away immediately: strong, warrior women in her photos, awesome mix between beauty, grace and strength. If you haven’t visit that link by now, I’m disappointed.

    Anyway, I’m totally in love with her photos and I found one that was just so bold and I knew I had to draw it! I asked her for permission and she also directed me to @queen_astraea, her model for permission. Astraea is super fun too! If you follow her you’ll find the perfect blend between fantasy, glamour, and charisma!

    They both were super kind and grant me permission to draw it. It has been a while since I reached out, but I’ve been super busy with work. Ok, I have a sketch now at least. I’m still thinking if I should digital paint it, use water color, coloring pencils, just plain inks… I might make some copies to try different things.

  • Mini watercolors are ❤️

    Mini watercolors are ❤️

    Cute animals! Just tiny watercolor minis I did back in 2017. Another drop-off project from someone who jumps around between ideas too much.

    The deer was adopted by a friend and it gave me that idea of adobtables. I had a Patreon – which at some point I had like 7 supporters :O and they could claim one, and no one ever did again haha

    Summary for this story (and probably more to come) is that I suck at commitment. I was talking to my husband the other day, about things I enjoy doing like drawing, painting, playing video games, etc. And I was telling him that I just don’t play a lot of my favorite video games anymore. For example, Zelda, because I feel I need at least 3hr of quiet and no interruptions. He told me I need to chill out and stop turning everything into a project!

    I guess he’s right. If I want to do something, I hate interruptions. I won’t watch a movie unless I know N O T H I N G will come and interrupt it. So this is one of my demons and why I never start doing things, or why I loose inertia and track of projects I once was interested and passionate about. Once I need to hard stop, is really hard to pick up things. But I’m working on that hehehe..

  • Gypsy town

    Gypsy town

    This one is a shout out to my childhood. I used to draw a lot of tree houses and small towns. I even remember a classroom where kids would wait for their parents to pick them up, and it had blackboards on all four walls. I used two of them and filled it in with tree houses. It was eventually destroyed by some random kid angry scratches 🙁

    Had so much fun with isometric lines/practice, even if my artwork needs polishing and some of the perspectives are off since I didn’t use any rulers and perspective lines.. (oops! guilty)

    Back in 2017-2017 I sketched a TON. My kid would go to ballet classes and I’d be drawing at that time, outside of her ballet classroom. It was a 1-hour/2-hr session and it wasn’t worth it to drive back home. So I either went to run errands or just sat in peace and sketch, ink or paint. I was also working part time job with freelance gigs on the side (that weren’t always taking all of my time) so life went on at a different pace.

    As you can see, I also used to sketch in blue. That is, because then, I was mostly working on paper (not as nowadays in which most of my artwork is 100% digital) and scanning/taking photos to then clean up the sketch is so much easier if you can isolate blue and just turn off that channel in Photoshop.

  • Elf warrior

    Elf warrior

    This one was probably started around 2016 and lost my excitement about it because I couldn’t get the legs right. It kind of looks better now tho.

    I was eager to draw or paint and I was just checking out the sketchbook and started some drawings here and there… and well, I finished the sketch for my wood warrior elf. I am so happy with the result that I couldn’t wait to share. This one might look the light of day someday!

    I always start a bunch of things, but often don’t finish them…

  • A more recent one

    A more recent one

    I’ve been posting (and will continue to) older pieces and older insights, as some of them will get lost in time if I don’t document them somewhere. And my own blog made the most sense. Some of them existed in a Patreon page I had a year or two ago but I changed to buy me a coffee instead, and to be honest, I’m thinking of closing that one too…probably just having everything point here makes more sense. I don’t have a lot of supporters these days anyway.

    I’ve been having nerve pain (elbow and shoulder) but they are getting better. I’m now allowed to play some games at the computer and drawing has been normal for some time now, so I’m glad. I am working on a few sketches but sharing this one because I’m really proud, even if it is still not done.

    Going back to just drawing for fun rather than having a specific purpose or goal is good for my soul. I used to be that way before college but then I feel I got contaminated and unless your work means something or has a purpose, it’s never good enough. Trying to reconnect myself to child-like drawing: just have fun!

    Ps. Some day I’ll spend more time planning my photos so they look pretty 🙂

  • Sword of the brave

    Sword of the brave

    This one started as a sketch around 2016 and it was just there in a piece of paper, not even a sketchbook I think. It went through several trials to get to where it is now. In 2017 I inked it and tried a few different things and again, dropped it for years haha.

    On Dec 2017 I was in the middle of moving and even so, I’m not sure how, I did a ton of skeches. Maybe because I didn’t have good internet?

    This was inspired by a Disney’s Brave sticker my kid had. She had like a book of Disney stickers. I love Merida and her curly hair. Decided to make this sketch inspired by Merida’s hair and “badassery”. I was into armor and knighty things back then (and maybe even now)

    By the time I finished this, it was May of 2020 and I was streaming sometimes. This was finished on stream with some friends hanging out with me. It was pretty cool! Streaming was kind of convenient too, because Twitch would save the video and I could download it and speed it up to upload to Youtube, and that’s exactly what I did.

  • A water dragon and other goodies

    A water dragon and other goodies

    I’m going back in time to find old things I’ve done and either taken pictures of, or uploaded somewhere (if I can’t find the actual photos). One day I will stop being lazy and will take the camera and took good photos of things, instead of using my phone with weird lighting/not caring much about the time of day. For now, we only have this.

    For now, let’s get into my memory and get a few things here. By the time I did this water dragon, I also did a few sketches and tests with watercolor. I was active in a facebook group called “Drawing fight club” and people would challenge you to draw prompts with a deadline. I think that group is kind of dead now, but I’ll take a look sometime to see if I can pick that up. It was a fun interaction with other fellow Mexican illustrators.