The art of Ram

Centrix is coming...

2009-09-15T14:05:00.000-07:00

My friend Chong and I are working at the moment in a new webcomic project called Centrix I.P., the story of an old robot in a futuristic, peaceful and prosperous Mexico and his quest to find out the lost history of the nation, history that turns to be much darker and decadent than what it expected.

This here is the teaser poster, I did it in Photoshop CS3 with a Wacom Intuos 4 in about 3 hours.

Meanwhile you can see his own webcomic, Achis at achis.org one of the most succesful webcomics in Latin America!

"Remember, remember the 5th of November. The gunpowder, treason, and plot. I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot." — V

2009-05-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

Oh my! I did this in about 2 hours of work with Adobe Illustrator CS3 only.

I know the movie is not quite as good as the graphic novel, but I like the movie still. I think it has great visuals thanks to that perfect Fawkes mask design.

So I saw the movie the other day and this image got stuck in my head. It is not from the movie, but the idea of the government desperately trying to capture and stop V — showed by the Wanted poster — in contrast with the people's response to the government's oppresion — showed by the painted V on the wall, seemed a cool concept to draw.

There is also a black and white version that you can see at my deviantart.com profile.

So here it is. How do you like it?

The 10 Commandments against the Swine Flu

2009-05-04T22:19:00.000-07:00

I made this psd for my wife's blog, now that the Mexican Health Department has stablished a long set of rules for living in community, rules about distance between two persons, how much persons can be together on a 10 by 10 meter restaurant and so on.

Such rules sound to me like the 600 regulations found in the Moses Law, so I used that idea for this movie cover, hope you like it.

You can read more about health rules to prevent the swine flu at ElizabethRivero.blogspot.com

Resident Evil: The Mexican Chronicles

2009-04-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

Well, it is well known that mexicans have a curious way of dealing with difficult times. Right know Mexico is dealing with the Swine Flu, a virus that has taken the country by storm, closing schools and crowded places. Even gretting by hand is forbidden!

That is more than enough for us mexicans to use humor to deal with this crisis!

So, here are my two cents in the middle of our circumstances. Enjoy!

You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. — Harvey Dent

2009-04-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

I'm finishing my Dark Knight trilogy of illustrations with this one.

We all know the Joker stole the show on that movie, but, to be honest, The Dark Knight plot moves around Harvey Dent's story arc. Christopher Nolan is a master storyteller by representing this character as a symbol of hope in Gotham City that went all the way down.

Both the character and the acting were a surprise by me, and though I went to see the movie with Heath Ledger's Joker in mind, it is now that I have seen the movie on DVD that Two Face's arc catches my eye.

So, I guess Nolan, as the Joker, had an ace in the hole: Harvey.

You can see the other two TDK illustrations here:

The Joker.

The Batman.

Meet the Space Pets!

2009-03-26T15:02:00.000-07:00

Well, now that I'm a father, I have started to draw more and more baby-oriented drawings. So one of my latest projects is to make some art for my baby's room.

The idea consisted of creating some cute stuffed animals in light browns and blues, wich are the main colors of the room's decoration. I really don't like other baby decoration themes like jungle or zoo or cars and I've always liked sci-fi and space themes, so I decided to set them on a space scenario.

The result: The Space Pets!

So here are a couple of illustrations I'll print in large format to place them in the walls, along with some stuffed planets, moons and stars. I really like the result! Perhaps I'll be doing more of this Space Pets for my son... or just for me.

I have this condition — Leonard Shelby

2009-03-10T15:01:00.000-07:00

Hello! It's been a long time since I posted some of my At The Movies Illustrations. This is the last I've done so far. I just finished it this week and I really liked it.

This movie, Memento, was the second film directed by Christopher Nolan, who also directed the last two Batman movies (yeah, the ones with Christian Bale and Heath Ledger) and I must say this is one of my favorite directors. All of his movies are great and very smart. If you haven't seen them all, what are you waiting for? Try to find also his first movie, a short-story noir film called Following... very intense!

Nolan is working right now on a sci-fi movie called The Inception. There is not much info about it, but I looking forward to it.

In other news, I'm also posting some of my artwork at Deviant Art, my profile is ramirotorreblanca.deviantart.com and it seems you can buy and sell prints there. I'll check this out and If it sounds cool, I'll put some of my illustrations for sale there and see what happens!

From the pages of my Moleskin

2009-02-16T09:19:00.000-08:00

Hi! Finally I got a chance to post something here! You may not know, but I've become a father! Yes! Franco André Torreblanca Rivero was born January 30 and we've been very busy since then.

In the meantime, I want to post some sketches I've done on my Moleskin sketchbook (those pads are great!)

So, drop a comment or two if you like them!

Happy New 2009!!!

2009-01-06T07:40:00.000-08:00

Hi! It's been a long since I posted something in this blog, but it's ok, I've been working a lot and also been sketching. Soon I'll be scanning and posting my sketchbook (yes! I can draw on paper too!).

In the meantime, I want to wish everybody a happy new 2009, may this year be a great one. In times of economic crisis, art is the only beacon than will keep us from losing our humanity.

In other news, I just moved to a bigger house (thank God!) but I haven't finished acconditioning the studio, that will be my task for the next two weeks. I'll try to take a break to upload some of my new sketches.

Keep up the good work!

Me and my poster

2008-10-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

This time I want to share this. That's me, in case you wonder, showing a beautifully printed poster of my illustration of Fight Club. This is the medium size (60 x 90 cm, 23 x 35 inches) and looks really impressive!

The happy owner is my cousin Fer, I'll try to update this post with a picture of him once he frames and hangs the poster.

He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector... a Dark Knight. — Commisioner James Gordon

2008-09-29T07:42:00.000-07:00

Hello! After finishing my 6 poster marathon about the Star Wars saga, I had no idea what movie should I illustrate now. Some people have told me that I must draw The Godfather, or Trainspotting, or some other great movies.

In the meantime, I've been sketching some ideas, but one of my favorite sketches was this Batman, based on the Christopher Nolan's movies. Some of the best superhero movies ever done, being The Dark Knight one of the best movies of all time.

I liked it so much that I decided to make it a poster to go along the one I did of the Joker. Both look great side by side!

I've already printed some posters and later I'll post some photographs of them, so you can see quality and color. They look great!

Mexico is held hostage

2008-09-18T07:57:00.000-07:00

Hi! Today I'll share a cartoon I made for Elizabeth Rivero's blog about a grenade attack last monday, during the mexican independence celebration in Morelia, Michoacan.

It was a disastrous and terrible act of terrorism, something us mexicans are not used to. 7 people died and several more were injured! There's now an atmosphere of uncertainity among the mexican population and we feel like we're being held hostages in our own country.

So I decided to make a caricature about that and my wife and fellow blogger added it to her blog. If you're interested in reading an insightful opinion on the attack, check her post.

I'm a jedi, like my father before me — Luke Skywalker

2008-09-12T15:01:00.000-07:00

FINALLY!!! All six Star Wars posters are finished! The last one is definitely one of my favorites.

I wanted to mirror the Episode III illustration, but contrasting it with basically no action, just Vader and Luke staring at one another, a duel of will more than a duel of sabers.

I really liked the general black and blue theme, with the Death Star window and stars in the background.

Emperor Palpatine was a bit of a challenge, since I wanted a stylish version of him but with no loss of his facial scars. His eyes, hand and the flow of his cape look really cool!

So the Star Wars series of posters is done and if you want a printed version of them, you can send me a mail.

The cost of each 120 x 90 cm. poster is $55 USD (plus shipping) but if you buy all 6, I'll give you a $30 USD discount!

You can also buy the 60 x 90 cm. versions for $40 USD each, plus shipping.

Impressive… most impressive — Darth Vader

2008-09-08T14:40:00.001-07:00

Here's the fifth poster of the Star Wars Saga. Sorry it took a bit more to finish it, but last week was a bit rough.

Anyway, this illustration is one of the darkest I've done in tone and concept. I know there are more... iconic scenes from The Empire Strikes Back, but the image of Han Solo frozen in carbonite is burned in my head since I was a child. That's why I wanted to use it. I really liked how it looks in the end, since it was difficult to find the right colors to use and the right contrast.

On the other hand, I like how I'm mirroring Anakin's visual arc of the first three illustrations in Luke's visual arc of the last three. We can see here a weary, yet immature Luke. I'm looking forward to draw him as the full-fledged jedi he is Return of the Jedi!

If you don't know yet, you can purchase poster-size versions of this and the other illustrations I've done. Contact me if you want to buy them!

Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi; you're my only hope. — Princess Leia Organa

2008-08-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

The weekend finally arrives! And with it, another illustration.

This time, it's the fourth poster from de Star Wars saga, based on the original film now known as Episode IV - A new hope.

After an intense and dynamic composition for Episode III, I went for a more innocent – almost naive – approach for this one. After all, the theme of this movie is more light-hearted. I had another composition in mind for this poster, but I changed my mind after seeing some pictures of young Luke Skywalker looking over the Tatooine landscape, that inspired me to illustrate him as the background character with that eager, hopeful stare. It looks really cool in my opinion!

In other news, I printed this week a test to check quality and color of all illustrations so far, and they look gorgeous! Everyone who has seen them thought they're awesome and even some have been asking for printed versions of their favorites.

So if you're interested in a printed version of one or more of my posters, please send me a mail to discuss size, payment and shipping methods. The costs are as follows:

Costs:
1 printed poster (big size: 90 x 120 cms / 35 x 47 inches): $55 USD plus shipping.
1 printed poster (medium size: 60 x 90 cms / 23 x 35 inches): $40 USD plus shipping.

BIG OFFER!!
Buy all 6 big sized posters and get a discount: $50 USD per poster plus shipping. (you save $30 USD!)

You were to bring balance to the force, not leave it in darkness. — Obi-Wan Kenobi

2008-08-22T21:33:00.000-07:00

One of the most powerful movies of the saga, — although many don't like the prequel trilogy— and also one of my favorites (it has its flaws, I admit that, but I enjoyed it anyway).

The duel of the fates, between Anakin and Obi-Wan, the downfall of the Republic, the rise of the Empire and above all, the rise of Lord Darth Vader, it all happens here. What a fan fest!

I really enjoyed making this illustration, especially Anakin's face, it's so intense and furious! Vader also looks amazing in my opinion. I was a bit afraid of applying the cartoony style I'm using on him, but it ended up looking much better than I expected.

I hope you like it. Please, leave a comment and tell me what you think about it. Of course, the printed version is for sale, so If you want it contact me.

Costs:
1 printed poster (big size: 90 x 120 cms / 35 x 47 inches): $55 USD plus shipping.
1 printed poster (medium size: 60 x 90 cms / 23 x 35 inches): $40 USD plus shipping.

BIG OFFER!!
Buy all 6 big sized posters and get a discount: $50 USD per poster plus shipping. (you save $30 USD!)

Send me an Email now to get your posters!

Always two there are, no more, no less. A master and an apprentice. — Yoda

2008-08-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

Today's my birthday! So to celebrate this moment, I'm posting two illustrations instead of just one. Both are part of my At the Movies series and also part of the Star Wars saga.

A friend of my wife (hello Chong!) asked me for printed versions of the six Star Wars movies illustrated, so that motivated me to draw them.

People who know me, know that I'm a fan of the Saga since my childhood, so there is some extra affection on this drawings. I changed the style a bit to resemble a pulp movie style. I hope you like them!

Right know I'm working on the third episode, but I'm hoping to have all six by the end of August.

As you know, if you would like some prints, you can contact me.

Costs:
1 printed poster (big size: 90 x 120 cms / 35 x 47 inches): $55 USD plus shipping.
1 printed poster (medium size: 60 x 90 cms / 23 x 35 inches): $40 USD plus shipping.

BIG OFFER!!
Buy all 6 big sized posters and get a discount: $50 USD per poster plus shipping. (you save $30 USD!)

Send me an Email now to get your posters!

There's a right bit more than hope. Aslan... is on the move. — Mr. Beaver

2008-08-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

First time I heard about Aslan, was on a song by spanish songwriter Marcos Vidal. Its lyrics describe the character as both a fierce warrior and a faithful, tender friend. Vidal calls him "the lion of Judah's tribe" and with a lot of reason!

It was years later that I learned this song was talking about the lion character in C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia.

This series of books, although childish, are very beautiful and insightful. That's why I felt inspired in painting a big portrait (55 by 40 inches) in digital oil for my living room. I haven't had the chance to print and frame it, but I assure you it will look amazing!

P.S. I decided to include this one while I'm working on the next batch of posters from the At the Movies series. The next six posters will be based on the Star Wars saga!

By the way, thanks a lot to all and everyone who has seen my work. Many of you have said such great things about it, pushing me to continue illustrating! Bless you all!

Some men just want to watch the world burn. — Alfred Pennyworth

2008-07-31T08:45:00.000-07:00

Did you knew that the late Heath Ledger acted on The Dark Knight? Because honestly, I never saw him in the movie. As writer/director/fanboy Kevin Smith said, the actor completely disapeared behind the Joker character.

Every line of dialog, every gesture, everything from this character just left me breathless! Impressive!

And, although I considered not to include any comic-based film on my At the Movies series, I thought this one deserved a chance. So here's my latest artwork, based on one of the most cynical scenes of the Joker, applauding in jail at Gordon's promotion.

This is also a modest homage to one of Hollywood's finest actors in one of the most memorable performances of the decade.

In case you want a printed poster of this illustration, just let me know it and I'll even give you a desktop wallpaper for free!

In the meantime, make your comments and tell me your thoughts on this illustration.

When you have insomnia, you're never really asleep… and you're never really awake. — The Narrator

2008-07-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

The first time I saw this movie, was with a couple of friends from College. We left the movie theater in shock! A great reflexion of today's consumer-driven society.

Fight Club was an incredibly well done movie. One of the things that caught my eye the most was that pseudo-love triangle between Tyler Durden, Marla Singer and the Narrator. Or, to put it in Edward Norton's memorable description: Marla... the little scratch on the roof of your mouth that would heal if only you could stop tonguing it, but you can't.

That scene inspired me to do this illustration, wich I enjoyed drawing.

So what are your thoughts of it? Please contact me if you're interested in a printed poster!

That woman deserves her revenge and we… deserve to die. — Budd

2008-07-30T13:35:00.000-07:00

So, this was my first illustration from the At the Movies series. Definitely one of my favorites films.

Obviously, this piece of art references the Vol.1, If I come with an interesting concept, I'll do a poster from the Vol.2 – perhaps Beatrix Kiddo vs. Elle Driver, or even vs. Bill himself! I don't know yet, for now, I have this one that I like a lot!

How do you like it? Would you like to have this hanging on your favorite wall? Believe me it will look impressive! Contact me if you're interested in a printed poster.

And here... we... go!

2008-07-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

Hi, welcome to the Art of Ram blog, where I'll be exposing some of my artwork, paintings and illustration.

I'm starting this blog with a series of illustrations called "At the movies". The concept behind this series is to create a stylized movie poster of some of the films that have caught my eye through the years. Please feel free to comment what you think of each illustration.

I've been thinking also of selling posters of my work so, if you think it's worth it (or even want to buy one!) then let me know.