Dracula

This is the cover for Dracula, published by Anaya. I wanted to work with white and red, all along the book, but inner illustrations are pretty dark. Anyway I like how the cover came out. Original work is about 50 cms tall.
The greys are made with graphite and a very light wash. The reds are all acrylics. In this case, original work is almost identical to the final work as the touch of computer has been minimal.
The ISBN of the book is 978 84 678 2890 0, just in case you want to find it.

Final Work

Acrilycs

First wash

Sketch

The Thinker

Illustration for an article about philosophers.
The model is my father. He helped me with great patience and enthusiasm, as he always does.
I'm trying gold painting. It's something I've always wanted to use, even if I'm sure it's going to be a lot of trouble. I hope I'll be able to use it in a longer project sooner or later.

Final work

First washes

Birgit-4

Fourth image in the Birgit's sequence. I was definitely sad after doing this one. I felt pretty guilty for the rest of the series. I never thought drawings would affect me. Even if the approach to this novel was pretty poetic, I intend the illustrations weren't soft. The novel is pretty hard and clear regarding the illness and I didn't want to betray it, so I was as hard as possible even if I used flowers as the visual symbol of the mortal illness.

final work

pencil pastel and gouache

pencil

Birgit-3

Illustration number three of Birgit's sequence.
After the surgery. Here, the effect of the illness is noticeable. I wasn't very sad yet, but it just took one or two ilustrations more and the very somber mood of this novel began to affect me a little.

final work

pencil pastel and gouache

pencil

Birgit-2

This is one of the inner illustrations of Birgit. The illness is symbolized by blue irises which grow from the girl's head.This number two in a sequence of eight. The technique for the original painting is pencil, pastel and gouache. The color is adjusted later on computer.

final work

pencil pastel and gouache

pencil and first touch of gouache

Journey

Illustration for an article about journeys in literature, more specifically, travelling in tales. It seems it usually implies some kind of prior transformation or shrinking, like Alice, or Nils Holgersson.

The technique of this one is a little messy. I've used a new paper. I'm still looking for a substitute of Grey BFK Rives. I love this paper but it's very difficult to find here. I used to buy it in one shop in Madrid, but they don't have it anymore and it's a big problem for me.

Anyway, I was not very comfortable with this new paper, which is a little more rigid than BFK. It didn't react very well to watercolor or acrylics. The positive side is that the base color is a little darker grey and so, the highlights and whites work very well on it. 

So, as far I remember this is done with pencil, watercolor, acrylic, felt tip pen (water-based) and faber-castell pitt pen (not water based). And then color added in the computer.

A mess, like I've said. It's a miracle it has worked somehow.

Oh, yes, they're pheasants. I don't know why.

final work

original work finished

wash

Ghosts

Illustrations for a compilation of ghost tales published by Oxford University Press España. These images belong to Daniel Defoe's "The Apparation of Mrs. Veal".
Graphite on Polyester. Color and textures slightly modified digitally.

Labyrinth

Illustration for an article about Kafka.

The original drawing is pencil on polyester. Color added by computer.

Fragile

Illustration for "El Norte de Castilla" The article, by Gustavo Martín Garzo, was about fairytales. About the children who survive because they are handicapped, like the little kid in The Pied Piper of Hamelin, who can not follow the others.

Graphite, colored pencil and white gouache on grey BFK Rives, and Photoshop.

Dark Thoughts

Illustration for an article about Werther and suicide letters.

Pencil, white gouache on grey BFK Rives and Photoshop.