Summer Movie

Made with markers.

We'll Never Know

Found this old drawing buried in the recesses of my computer:

I honestly have no idea why I drew an alligator on a roof.

Sketches

Been reading a lot about Early Latin America and conquistadors because
of my classes, so of course I'd doodle something anachronistic on it...

 

Stayed up at a friend's place in Brooklyn after a good Saturday night out to watch the sun rise over Manhattan. It was unplanned and simply magical:

Sickly Travels

On Thursday night, I attended Emiliano Ponzi's exhibition opening at the New York Times. His illustrations, which were very witty and tastefully colored, were especially neat to see in person. The textures in their canvas version could be appreciated. I really liked that effect!

Ah, man, so far this year has been really great but my health just seems to drag its feet. Apparently I've coughed so much to manage to fracture a rib? So I've been sleeping upright all week now because of the pain. Honestly, at this point: sjhsd$kjasi#@
That is all I have to say on this subject.


Cat photo time, because I can:

The Sketchbook Show and Illustrators Visit

 Yes! My postcards arrived. They have this really soft matte surface finish that I've always wanted to have on my printed work.

 I chose these two illustrations because each one summarized two distinct styles that I have, one very flat and textured, and the other more traditional. And they showcase the narrative aspect of my work.

At the moment Montclair State University's Gallery 3.5 is exhibiting the Sketchbook Show, where our sketchbooks have literally been drilled unto the wall to be flipped and viewed. Huge copies from the inside of these sketchbooks have been posted all over the walls, making it an immersive experience:

There's my moleskine sketchbook in the middle!

The wall by the door is for visitors to contribute doodles and comments.

Last night, four talented illustrators (Mike Freiheit, Daniel Hertzberg, Brett Affrunti, and Daniel Fishel) visited my portfolio class to discuss illustration, the industry and any advice for us undergraduates. It was really enjoyable to sit through and listen--they were very friendly and had a lot of helpful advice. Self-promotion makes a lot of sense now; it's a subtle art of timing, research, luck, and swag. But mostly swag.

The China Room

I took a break from my schoolwork and finally finished it!

Stuff Hanging About

Someday I'll finish this drawing...

WIP and the Panic Stage

I've been working on a piece and I thought I would share some of the steps I've done, and, in particular, the panic stage of my process.
Here's the scanned drawing:

It came out yellowy because I drew it in my moleskine sketchbook, neat eh?
 Below is a screenshot of all the layers that I will be using. All of them, except for "Background" will be on "Multiply" for transparency.

So what is the 'panic stage'? For me, it's the point in your creative process where you sort of realize that your art piece looks like crap and you panic, which usually kicks in anywhere in the beginning to the middle of the process. This is especially applicable to me because most of the time I don't fully plan out how an illustration will look, I just wing it. It's a fairly intuitive process. 

The panic stage involves me mostly scrambling about over the piece, aimlessly applying colors and textures to figure out what resonates best, while simultaneously fighting negative thoughts about my ability to make art. This happens every time without fail. This stage can last ten minutes and I immediately figure out that whatever I'm doing is looking good, or it can last months and I'll put the piece aside in despair. But eventually I come back to it with a fresh mind, roll up my sleeves, and get back to work.

With this piece in particular, my panic stage began after I was coloring the plants. I realized that I was coloring them too blurry and pale:

But you see, the panic stage is a lesson in patience and about being kind to yourself; it's a moment of soul-searching:

Therefore, the only way to overcome the panic stage is to simply work with it patiently and not get upset. Color application after each color application gets one closer to finishing.

Here I colored the wall brown. It looked good as a dark neutral that enveloped the scene nicely but I eventually opted for something more vibrant to juxtapose her very drab outfit and expression, as if the room was a metaphor for her internal state of being. 

  But I could be totally wrong about these color choices so I'll continue to work on this piece later since I have to work on my research papers.

Who knows how this piece will look in the end--we'll see!

Prints at Nucleus

My artpiece recognized by the Society of Illustrators LA is up for sale as a print!

Jasmin Garcia-Verdin - Artwork - Being Standing Next to Tree - Nucleus | Art Gallery and Store

On another note, I ordered two different business postcards and I'm dying to see them arrive.
Do your thing, FedEx. But extra fast, okay thanks.

Art Process

Since I haven't posted a process breakdown, here's one of my most recent works:

 

This is the drawing as it was scanned.

In Photoshop, I increased the contrast and adjusted the color balance to make it more red.

 

Afterwards, I placed a paper texture with its own layer property on "multiply."

 

On a separate layer, also on "multiply," I colored the lineart.

 

Added the text and voila.