Avengers...assemble!!!

Due to the worldwide success of "Avengers: Age of Ultron", I was inspired to contribute to the excitement with my geeky fan art. 
I rarely post unfinished art on this Blog anymore, so there you have it. Just a clean up for now, I've realized I may not be done with the color version by the time the movie opens officially in the US on May 1st. I couldn't wait to share it, even if it's unfinished.
I've seen the film already and really loved it! I'm very glad Marvel is kicking ass with most things they do.
Eventually I'll be done with the color and I'll re post it. 
Til' then hope you like it!
Peace out!

Wolf Priestess

Wolf Priestess it's the seventh painting for my gallery. Yes it's a woman. 
It was made on a short time notice of ten days for the A-Bun-Dance event on Nov 22nd at the Lure nightclub in Hollywood. Totem animal was the theme, the Hollywood Burner crowd it's my personal favorite! 
As usual I've started with a white canvas digitally. I used some photo elements due to the lack of time such as the blanket, some of the wolf hair on the head-dress over the left of the face, the lips and some fur on the bottom right. They are the only retouched photo elements. The rest was painted from scratch digitally with Photoshop CS5. I used photo reference for the woman's face and hands, yes that means I copied it, but it was still painted from zero. I added and painted the pattern on the blanket and other elements to the piece. I did my best to blend it together digitally and smoothly before it was printed on a canvas. 
After the canvas was printed I've painted live on it with acrylic to add some final details, extra depth, texture and contrast. There is no room for mistakes with acrylic, you can't click Command + Z to undo, there is no undo LOL.
It was challenging explaining all of this to some annoying drunk people at the event who doesn't even know what a Cintiq is and have no clue about art techniques.
Click on the word Cintiq for a link and a better explanation if you still have no clue what that is.
Sure, I can just say mixed media like a lot of artists prefer to say. There is no need for a detail explanation in the art process. Still, I feel compelled to make it clear I'm not just painting over a photo like some folks believe. Maybe 35% it's a painted over a collage photo, not everything. That itself it's a whole new can of worms in the art community. The more traditional and conventional artists are not cool with the idea of painting over some photo elements. All thou to their criteria it's OK to "copy" a photo as long is all done from zero. There is a lot of controversy about this subject, clearly it doesn't bother me. I only think of Photoshop and the digital era as just another "tool". If I didn't know how to paint period I could never have "created" this piece as I did. Art is creation. Whatever tools and technology are available nowadays to create are just tools and I'm on board with the latest. After drawing and painting my whole life since I was a kid, learning techniques, learn how to have a solid drawing foundation, having a successful career in the animation industry etc etc I don't think I need to prove anything to anyone. In fact I'm doing a whole gallery using this digital / acrylic on canvas mix media. Some day I'll finish all my 12 pieces and I'll let you all know. 
Like Robert Downey Jr. said..."listen, simile, agree and then do whatever the fuck you were gonna do anyway."
Hope you like it folks.
Cheers

Playa Dust

My latest painting. Here's where I got so far digitally, I'll be painting what 's left on the printed canvas live at Lure, located at 1439 Ivar Av. Los Angeles CA on Saturday October 25th. The event it's called Deca-Dance Pre-Halloween.
I'm thinking about adding a real bindi to the painting, and with acrylic maybe a little more detail on the body painting, the hair and the rusted BG with sponge. 
The idea of this painting it's that the model it's covering her face with a feather from some Playa dust flowing bye at Burning Man. The background could be a rusted mutant vehicle parked there.
I'm sure I'll texturize it once I'm completely done with it.
Painting 6 of 11 almost done.

Arctic Veil

Originally posted on 2/19/12 at 12:58 AM.
I've started this piece on a canvas 38x46 almost 10 years ago. Left it on pause for a while. I added more detail with acrylic recently, toke a photo of the actual painting, added even more details digitally, printed it again on a canvas when done and finally added some values with acrylic on that new canvas. First time I ever mix a creative process like that. I'm pretty happy with the outcome so far. Sorry for the crappy photo I wish there was a better way to capture that canvas.
I'm still going to add more detail to the arms and veil in the next two days and finish it once and for all, waaay over due...
As usual it was a great pleasure painting live at Grateful Fridays, love and gratitude to that awesome community.
May the force be with you...always

Ying and Yang

Originally posted on 11/29/12 at 7:15 PM.

It seems after both my parents passing this year, all I have been doing it's balancing and harmonizing things in life. It'll take some time to adjust and slowly flow into my new life. Perhaps that's why I have been  seeing the Ying and Yang symbol in my mind and felt compelled to create something like this. I've started digitally then printed on canvas and finally added details with acrylic. This is the digital version only. I don't have any pics of my finished canvas work yet.

Yin and Yang is one of the most fundamental concepts in Traditional Chinese Medicine, as it is the foundation of diagnosis and treatment. The earliest reference to Yin and Yang is in the I Ching (Book of Changes) in approximately in 700 BC. In this work, all phenomena are said to be reduced to Yin-Yang.

Tree Spirit

Originally posted on 5/22/14 at 12:00 AM.
After taking a two year break from painting digitally and on canvas, I've decided to slowly get back into it. It seems overcoming the passing of both my parents was a time consuming process that still goes on. My dad's death second anniversary was a few days ago. During this break period from creating art I had to travel to Argentina many times, that's where my whole family lived, I had to multitask and accomplish many things. In January this year I was told I needed a heart surgery by my physician for my mitral valve prolapse case. I'm still doing echocardiograms and getting other opinions about it. I was also betrayed by my attorney in Argentina who I've trusted after 20 years. She ended up committing fraud and extortion, stealing a whole bunch of money from a family property I've sold last year. I'm still dealing with that too, most definitively I will seek justice in a corrupted bureaucratic third world society. After my mom's passing I've also inherited the responsibility of taking care of her sister in Argentina (my aunt), who had a brain aneurysm, it's been paralyzed and lost her speech since late 2009. She didn't have any children and it's my only family member left alive. Very expensive monthly medical bills out of my pocket. I've also been facing some challenging and difficult times in my recent relationship, like I didn't have enough going on, to the point that I'm single again. On a positive note I've spent at least 11 months drawing and painting my own version of DC comics The  Legion of Super Heroes characters for fun, it seemed to have a good feedback from the Legion fans. Scroll down and click on "older posts" at the bottom of this page to see them all. I got involved on a time consuming unpaid freelance job, a good reminder why I've stopped doing unpaid work a long time ago. I've quit that job recently, I'll share that art at one point.
Having said all of that I hope you'll understand why I had to take a break, I was blocked and overwhelmed on my creative flow by multiple and difficult life situations.

This particular painting was inspired by an experience I had when connecting my third eye to a big tree. With my physical eyes closed and my third eye open I saw the shapes and image of the painting above flying in front of me. I added the leaf hair details, the actual visual experience I had was semi blurry.
I'll be painting this image live on canvas at the ABunDance event on May 31st in Hollywood.
https://www.facebook.com/events/499514100160996/
If you are reading this, you are invited.
I will slowly do my best to start producing more Legion of Super Heroes characters and paintings as well, please be patience with my creative speed, I'm still multitasking difficult life situations. Nevertheless my art will be posted here sooner or later, life and art will go on...always...
Cheers

The Body Tree

Originally posted on 11/12/11 at 7:16 AM.
11/11/11...(read a la Christopher Walken)...WOW!
After an amazing day and a blissful Hindu Hybrid wedding I went to Grateful Fridays and finish my painting :)
It was awesome to actually paint and dance under the rain, ha...it sounds like a cheese 80's song title...paint and dance under the rain...
I'm a so grateful my computer, projector and Cintiq are dry now and they still work fine. And also very grateful for the chance to share my work with you all. I love everyone at Grateful Fridays.
It feels like 11/11/11 went bye too fast. I've been waiting for that magical date for too long, had too much planned and went bye too quick.
I hope whatever meaning that date has for you somewhat lived up to your expectations.
Yes, you are the future and the future it's now...
Cheers for a better humanity living in harmony with nature and the cosmos!!!


Love and Light.

T.

The Body Tree - Pencil

Originally posted on 10/20/11 at 12:39 AM.
Here is a very rough concept for my next live painting. I'm planing to use a lot of green on this one.
I'm also planning to do a series of 11 paintings, print them on canvas and add highlights and shades with acrylic to them.
Of course when-ever the opening for the gallery happens you'll be cordially invited.

Grateful October

Originally posted on 10/8/11 at 5:41 AM.
My tonight's first live painting with a Cintiq at Grateful Fridays @ The Vanguard(en)...
I started around 9 pm and was finished by 1:55 am. Sure, I could keep adding highlights and shadows until Christmas, but I wanted to post my work as it was that night. I'm very grateful for the opportunity to paint live in such a great place full of friends and beautiful Hollywood burner people. Much love to everyone who made that night possible! God bless
Btw click on "Older posts" at the bottom of this page to check out some more of my artwork.
Peace!