Duration: I've been in this charming city since 2005. Before
that, I lived in my amazing hometown, Mexico City.
Staff: As an illustrator, I'm self-employed—just
me and my inspiration, and my lovely wife and our little pirate-monster-spiderman-
luchador, who recently turned four.
Education: By choice I got a bachelor's degree in graphic
design at the Universidad del Valle de Mexico, Campus Lomas Verdes, but
by fate my love for illustration started with my childhood drawings, a
hobby supported by my mom and dad when I was very young. They showed me
the whole, great world of drawing; my dad surprised me sometimes with
these special papers for architecture jobs, fine pencils and soft rubber
erasers, and my mom always used to bring my watercolor set to our weekend
picnics in the countryside. I feel that I started my illustration education
back then.
Cultural Influences: Everything started with my cultural
environment. Mexico is a very colorful, warm, expressive, distressed and
alive place—having all of this around me, since I was born, has
influenced me. When I was a little boy, I remember how much I enjoyed
reading the comic magazines of Cantinflas Show, a printed version of a
children's cultural TV show. When I was older, I loved to collect the
El Santos comic strip series, a parody of the Mexican wrestler "El
Santo," illustrated and created by Jis & Trino. Lately I've been
strongly inspired by urban vinyl toys, alternative cartoons and the "pop
surrealism" movement. That's how my cultural influences began and
how I now try to execute my illustrations with delicate hints of this
and much more traditional Mexican artistic influences, like the combination
of rich textures and decorative patterns.
Environment: My wife reading or chatting with me, my
son playing around and me drawing in my laptop, my sketchbook or painting
in an improvised space. One day I'll have a studio, but it will definitely
have to have a special spot for my family, with whom I sometimes interact
while I'm working—this is something that makes me more productive!
Philosophy: Pursue passion in what you do, believe in
yourself and eventually, you'll find happiness.