Cocina, 6"x 9", Photoshop




Cocina Drawing, 6"x 9", Photoshop



Cocina is an illustration that was inspired by an assignment is school and a trip that I took to New Mexico. The task was to design a kitchen for a Gary Soto story. Soto's stories often took place in Mexican culture so I recalled how popular red and green chili during my stay in New Mexico. One of the biggest mistakes I made during my time as a student is that I never made the pieces about anything. The kitchen remained a kitchen. Here, I tried my best to convey the warmth and feeling of a home cooked meal even it is as simple as the delicious chili that I had during my trip.


Cocina Color Comps, 6"x 9", Photoshop




Cocina Rough Sketches, 6"x 9", Photoshop x Ballpoint Pen



I'm really jealous of my friends that can go straight into color. I do these color comprehensives because I am colorblind. Without it, I get really muddy or too saturated. I solve most of my illustration with drawings and values. Working this way has really humbled my approach. It can seem rigid because many of the problems get solved early on and there are less surprises to be had. Methods of staying loose is key: "drawing" over the painting, destroying the piece, blend textures. Doing these studies has also strengthened my senses in recognizing values in color/saturation.
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