Monster (in Color)

This is the second rendering of the "monster" (see below). This time I painted over the scrtachboard with acrylic glaze... just an experiment. This was fun to do. I think I might try some more like this ;)

MONSTER

"MONSTER!" for Illustration Friday. I thought I would put something up for IF. I used scratchboard and then colored it on the computer. I hope the image is self-explanitory ;) (click to see bigger image).

PS: My images seem so unfocused when I post them. Does anyone know if there is something I can do to improve the resolution quality of my images?

Illustration Friday - Tatoo

(acrylic wash, ink, colored pencil on illustration board)

This is my take on tattoos for Illustration Friday. The illustration is inspired by traditional art from India and the Mehndi tattoos that are done as part of a woman's wedding ceremony. The deeper the henna stain, the deeper the love of the groom for the bride.... or so they say. Anyway, I like the idea of tattoos being connected to ritual and tradition and collective identity, as opposed to commodities that we so easily purchase nowadays.

The Journey Home

(acrylic on canvas board)

This is the cover for a children's book I'm doing called "The Journey Home," about a Maya refugee girl rediscovering her community's history and heritage.

Children in Exile

(colored pencil on paper)

This is a group portait of Guatemalan-Maya children living in refugee camps in Southern Mexico where I did my fieldwork in 1994. Many of them were infants or were born in the refugee camps and never have seen the Guatemalan highland communities of their families. When the collective return of exile communities began in 1994, many of them did not know what to expect. They had heard terrible things about the places their families had left. It took great courage from them and their families to return.

(scratchboard sketches)
CLICK TO ENLARGE