From the pages of my Moleskin

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!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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!