Caricature Sketching

These days, I use Instagram a lot to share my art, so my blog has been quite vacant. But it's time to update again, let's see if I can keep it up. I'm doing caricature sketches as warmups. This was a sketch from last night, and added color today. I love doing google searches for photos of people. I looked up "old latino" and found a great wrinkled face I used as a reference for this illustration. Really had fun drawing his unique shape of his wrinkles, and the big ears. Handsome people are boring to draw, it's the people with uniquely shaped facial features that make it fun to draw. Its also easier to draw caricatures with people who have interesting or pronounced facial features than evenly proportioned perfect people. I can zone in on a big nose or unique head shape, and the caricature will look more spot on than someone with a classically beautiful face with nothing unique about their face.

You can find me on Instagram as @JesJosAcosta and Twitter as @JesseJAcosta.

Christmas Illustrations!

I've started doing illustrations of Santa and his helpers in worldwide traditions and folklore. Here's my list so far:

Befana

Italian Folklore

In Italian folklore, Befana is an old woman who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve (the night of January 5) in a similar way to St Nicholas. 

Viene, viene la Befana

Vien dai monti a notte fonda

Come è stanca! la circonda

Neve e gelo e tramontana!

Viene, viene la Befana

Viene, viene la Befana

Viene de la montaña en la noche

¿Cómo es cansado! rodea La nieve y las heladas y al norte! 

Viene, viene la Befana

Here comes, here comes the Befana

She comes from the mountains in the deep of the night

Look how tired she is! All wrapped up

In snow and frost and the north wind!

Here comes, here comes the Befana!

Santa Claus
Rankin-Bass inspired design

Santa Claus, in a very Rankin-Bass inspired American tradition.

Krampus
Alpine Folkore

Krampus is a beast-like creature from the folklore of Alpine countries thought to punish children during the Christmas season who had misbehaved, in contrast with Saint Nicholas, who rewards well-behaved ones with gifts. Krampus is said to capture particularly naughty children and drag them off into the black forest.

Bonus Art: The Wet/Sticky Bandits!

Home Alone 

Harry Lime and Marv Merchants were the thieves in Home Alone 1 & 2.

I will update this blog entry when I get a chance to illustrate a few more characters. Trying to approach Zwarte Piet in a very racially sensitive intention. Some more characters in mind: Knecht Ruprecht, Hans Trapp, Elves, Zwarte Piet, Belsnickel, Père Fouettard. I also want to illustrate Santa in a more traditional Saint Nicholas image, and an old world Father Christmas image.

Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture

I'm so incredibly excited to be teaching cartooning to the kids at The MAC in Spokane again. If a genie were to ask me what job I could have, it would be do teach cartooning and art of all degrees to young aspiring artists. I was telling a friend earlier that if it were up to me I'd teach a workshop once a week and they'd record it on public access for schools, then do some art on a cart magic with schools around the area.
My first art teacher was on TV, Mark Kistler. He hosted Imagination Station, and I learned so many art techniques from his show. He got me even more motivated and excited. I always have adored his show to this day, and wish to leave a lasting impression on others like he did to me.

Hello! I went through my collection of scans of how to draw, illustrate, cartoon from all over the internet and dumped it into this hopefully useful repository!